No Ego when it comes to Jiu Jitsu safety
When thinking about jiu jitsu safety it’s important to make a clear internal distinction between training, competition, and life-or-death self defense. In a self defense situation you do what you need to do to survive. When training you should emphasize Jiu Jitsu safety and control.
When looking at Jiu Jitsu safety,
…lesson one is tap early and tap often. Tap before you feel the joint lock or if you are in an unfamiliar position. When the position is new to you, stop and ask questions. Always better to do this than to get caught unexpectedly and pull something. Your partner should be paying close attention as well and not going too fast during training. Mutual jiu jitsu safety is the number one priority, then focus on learning something new every time you roll. Getting the tap during training should be near the bottom of your list of priorities. Save that focus for a competition. The only way you “win” a training session is to improve yourself. If you can beat your training partner then try to win with less strength, or no strength at all. Focus on using what they are feeding you to your advantage. As long as the ego, yours and theirs, stays out of the training roll, you should be able to be on the mat improving yourself every day.
Remember, the two enemies of jiu jitsu safety and skill are muscle strength and ego.
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