Friday, February 15, 2013

Regression

I'm struggling.  Have been for a few months now.  I rely on strength too much and my technique is sloppy.  I have only a handful of techniques that flow.  My promotion to Purple a few months back has granted me almost exclusive access to Purple through Black belts.  I'm getting thrashed.  Regularly.  And on the rare occasion that I get work with lower belts, I find myself in trouble too often.  Not only do I not see progress since Master/Senior Worlds last fall, I feel regression.  Not that I expected things to be different.  I'm just surprised that it is taking as long as it is to get used to the new belt.  So, what's my game plan?  Simple.  Just keep showing up and keep training.
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7 comments:

  1. PhilFebruary 16, 2013 at 8:22 AM

    This is a weekly conversation at our academy. In fact, I was feeling the exact same way a while back after a week long series of "beatings." BJJ is a difficult, demanding, and frustrating martial art (especially for the older practitioner). There are days where you feel you are unbeatable. More often than not though, it feels like you just learned to tie your belt. Our instructor's advice? You said it...just show up and keep training!

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  2. RickFebruary 18, 2013 at 10:34 AM

    Thanks Phil. Yeah I haven't been training very long, but certainly long enough to know that the secret to long-term success is to keep showing up.

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  3. AnonymousJune 20, 2013 at 7:13 PM

    I am 53 and have been in BJJ for about a year...white belt. I was holding up pretty well with the young guns but up until a month ago I took some time off for business. After coming back to the gym, I feel worn out and weak and feel that my mental focus and strength has regressed. Now I get smashed daily and not sure what happened. Trying to get out of this hole plus it's been getting harder and harder to keep up with the young guns - don't feel worthy of any promotion right now. Any recommendations are appreciated.

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  4. RickJune 25, 2013 at 9:16 AM

    Hey there! I know the feeling all too well. In my 3years of training I've had to take 6-7 months off due to injury. A couple weeks here, a month there, two months here, another 6 weeks there. Each time I came back I felt the same as you.

    My advice? Don't try to keep up with the young guns. Seriously. Just focus on honing your survival and escape skills. Don't worry about belt color or age. Just keep showing up and rolling. I get tapped by white belts every once in a while (in fact there's this one white belt who taps me 2-3 times each roll). I got my purple belt 8mos ago! How can a white belt tap me so easily? Well...he's young, fast, extremely athletic, way stronger than me, and trains 2x daily 5-6 days a week. I don't let it get to my head. It is what it is. I just keep focusing on my game. I don't even worry about tapping or scoring points on him. I just think, "What can I do to survive longer next time?"

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  5. AnonymousJuly 2, 2013 at 6:55 PM

    Thanks for the encouragement Rick...it's appreciated!!!
    Since I am the only 50 something in the gym, some of the instructors think I am always pulling the age card...but the reality is I am trying to find someone who has the same battles as I have and may offer some good training tips. Since the instructors are no more than 37, they don't understand the obstacles the older people have. There is no doubt that your performance is different and this will affect your BJJ goals, strategy, and the way you roll. My model of BJJ are the Gracies - the ones in Torrance...Helio's lineage...he stresses survivial over competition BJJ. We see how one of the young Gracies were able to survive fighting Andre Galvao - a seasoned competitor.

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  6. AnonymousJuly 9, 2013 at 7:33 PM

    I just wanted to update my venting above with some positiveness...Today was a good day...I did not cross train for 2 weeks, but mentally I felt pretty good. Rolled with 2 young training partners: a lightweight purple and a heavy weight blue - no submissions and worked the sweeps and escapes well. I was tired as heck, but it goes to tell you that BJJ is about 90% mental and a rollercoaster ride. Physically I did not feel good and they rolled hard, but it was a good day. Hope this inspires other older BJJ practitioners to keep at it and adjust things as you feel necessary to keep on training.

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  7. RickJuly 15, 2013 at 2:15 PM

    One day at a time, right? I used to have the roller coaster training days. Lately I seem to be far more relaxed than my first three years training. I get tapped by some of our good blues regularly. And I tap some of our seasoned purples regularly. Some white belts give me a heck of a time. And I guess I just don't care anymore. I just train and try to implement the techniques I know plus improvise. Sometimes I get caught. Sometimes I come up with something you tube worthy. But it's all the same. A long road full of learning.

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