The most important thing about Tuesday's training was the number on the scale: 161.6, everything but the coat.
I'd been hoping to get under 164, giving Wednesday's training the shot at that mission. But Rodrigo came through as I'd hoped he would with a strong hour of fast-paced, competition prep style training that, among other things, helped me shed more than four pounds in 36 hours.
A lot of good technique, as well. Drag 'em to hell with the ankle pick, safe clinch to modified hip throw, the collar pull counter to the over/under control of top half, bridge to single leg counter to the knee on belly, a great butterfly guard pass where you hook the calfs with one arm, hook over the thighs with the other and then backstepping in the direction of the upper/thigh control to watchdog position and the pass ...
I've always loved the training we get during competition season: the combination of the focus on singular techniques for more than one day, the drill-baby-drill attitude, the fast pace, the specific training ... I may have cause to sing the blues when it comes to competition itself. But as far as competition training is concerned, it is nothing but jazz.
At the risk of sounding impolitic, the more I read research like that discussed in The Talent Code, the more I think that competition training should not only be available during competition season. There is truly something to be said for sticking with a single takedown, with a few variations, or a single guard pass, for a couple of weeks, mixing in drills and specific training in a cardio-positive way.
I'm convinced that this kind of focus is what makes average people able to perform in an above-average way - in fact, it reminds me of the way that Rodrigo used to teach back in the Gracie Barra Seattle 1.0 days. Personally, I'd rather learn "less" and work more than the other way around. By the end of the week, you've still got 2-3 new techniques or new variations to mull over. And the reality is that if you are going to try and get good at what you learn, 2-3 new techniques a week is plenty
Hopefully, the folks in the Mothership are giving individual GB schools the latitude to apply the curriculum - at least the Advanced curriculum - in a flexible way that takes into account the individual situation at any individal academy. Letting each academy be a bit of a "laboratory of jiu jitsu" inside the larger context of the official curriculum seems like the best way for GB to continue to grow and evolve.
