I had an epiphany in jiu-jitsu training today. I was partnered up with a guy who is very athletic and very fast. Good guy, I like rolling with him because he pushes hard but not to the point where things get rough. It was a good training session but I often tried to match his speed and I'd usually end up losing the match. During our roll session the instructor told me, “He's very fast. Not many people can match his speed. So you really gotta work on the establishing position first. Even I have to do that when I roll with him because if you go speed against speed with this guy...forget it”
Such simple words right? But it made something click in my head and I've been thinking about it. I realized that the matches I lost I had been drawn into playing the speed game. The matches that I won I had set up and established position. In the months I've been training I've tried to focus on technique over muscle. Nowadays when I feel myself tensing up and trying to overpower somebody I try let go of what I'm doing. Jiu-jitsu is about technique, not overpowering by sheer force. But it hadn't occurred to me that the same concept can apply to speed. Strength and speed are attributes to compliment your technique, not the technique itself...what a thought!
I then asked myself why was I so drawn into my partner's speed game? When I roll with a stronger person I know to abandon the idea of overpowering them. So why wasn't it the same with somebody faster? I think I figured it out: it's because I used to be quick and fast like that guy. Used to be. I was never a strong person growing up but I was always fast (one of my motto's was if I couldn't beat up the other person I sure as hell would be able to run away). I excelled at soccer in high school because I had speed and quickness – and I knew how to handle a ball relatively well. I guess somewhere in my mind I believe I can still be quick like I used to be and match the guy I was rolling with today. But no, that's not gonna happen. Wear and tear, injuries, and just getting older have caused me to lose a step – or two.
Thinking about this got me wondering how I can adjust my jiu-jitsu game when faced with a faster opponent. Well, the answer is what my instructor had said. Focus on establishing position first, or in other words focus on the technique.
So, of course, I found a way to relate this to when I played soccer. I got injured pretty bad in one game. Missed a quarter of a season and went to physical therapy. Next time I played it was painfully obvious that I had slowed down and my quickness was gone. I could no longer make cuts, especially to the right (still can't today). I couldn't rely on my quickness to slice through multiple defenders like before and I had to adjust my game. Instead of being more of a head-on attacking player I became more of a set-up player. I became more patient, observed the field and how the other teams defense was set up. I timed my runs so that I'd have a step on the defense (they could catch me, but if there wasn't much distance to the goal they wouldn't catch me in time). I worked on holding possession of the ball so that my teammates could get into good positions. That season I scored more goals than any other. I think I averaged a goal per game...until I was injured again and had to bail on the rest of the season. And I wasn't nearly as fast or quick as I had been before. But I understood the game and could still handle the ball relatively well. I had technique.
Jiu-jitsu may be the same way. Strength can be countered with good technique. Same with speed. I'm still trying to find what works for me when I roll. I'm still pretty new to this game and there's a lot to learn. Just means I gotta keep training, trying new positions, keep learning, and hopefully I'll improve. Maybe to the point where I can feel confident about countering bigger, stronger, and faster opponents.
