Continued from yesterday’s post by one of Children’s Martial Arts coaches, Brian Neal…
I think another similar aspect is the preparation required for each. There isn’t any training manual or book you can read that will prepare you for what you will encounter when you get on your first bull or fighting in your first advanced no-gi division; its just OJT! But there is a method to the madness.
You learn from day one that every day in the training room is just that — training! You work on positions or submissions that you are weak in or you tweak your game plan, but the idea is to get better here. I can remember my first day in class and being allowed to spar… I had no clue what to do, but I figured out pretty quickly what NOT to do! There is a significant advantage to the person who can get over the mental block of putting himself in a “combat sports” situation.
Rodeo Brian used to think this was a good idea!
I think a perfect summary to my comparison is a saying we had in bull riding and during my time at Crazy 88. We used to say “People don’t pick bull riding, bull riding picks people.” I believe the same is true for Jiu Jitsu. Only a certain type of person would be willing to come out day in and day out and get choked, kicked, punched, elbowed, and still want to come back tomorrow… you should be proud of yourself.
PS – Congratulations to Team Lloyd Irvin’s Phil Davis who won his UFC debut last night by unanimous decision!
