Travis Tooke's Blog

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make as they progress in Jiu-jitsu classes at my Houston academy is that they simply refuse to change their bad habits. I’m talking about the person who, in spite of knowing that his/her technique is flawed, keeps doing it the same way because he can get away with it on smaller or less experienced grapplers. The same technique, however, gets him tapped out by higher level grapplers. Here’s an example:
Let’s say I weigh 265 lbs of solid muscle. My training partner weighs 145lbs soaking wet. We are both blue belts. Instead of me working from my bad positions when we spar, I immediately push my partner to his back thus, never going to my back. I muscle my way to pass the guard and rip a fast Americana forcing my smaller training partner to tap out or lose his arm. I didn’t focus on solid technique; I only did what was necessary to get the submission. While I did win the match, I learned absolutely NOTHING.
Your training sessions should be carried out in a manner that is designed to improve your skill level, even if it means you get tapped out a little more at first. Because in the long run, you will be tapping out less.
Ask yourself these questions:
Are you using techniques in grappling class that you can get away with on white belts but not black belts?
Do you have an obvious size and strength advantage against many of your training partners and you use it to your full advantage?
Do you have one or two really great parts of your game that you stick to and never work from your weak areas?

This habit is very normal among grapplers, especially in the beginning stages of your training but in is detrimental to your overall game and will stifle your growth. Here are a few things you can do to be sure you don’t get caught in this habit.
Make a conscious effort to focus on tight technique and not just getting a move or submission by any means necessary.
Ask yourself if the technique you are using to dominate a white belt would be effective against a black belt.
Try training on your “weak side”. Everyone has a dominate side they pass to and grip from. To force yourself to focus more on the right technique work your awkward side sometimes.
When training with white belts, try to limit yourself to only 1 or 2 submissions (and not the ones you are already good at).
Don’t always go for the kill in practice. In a competition you never should pass up a submission. In practice, however, the goal isn’t so much to beat your teammate but rather to improve. As you go for a submission, if the technique is not proper, flow smoothly to the next movement without force and try to pay attention and understand how your training partner escaped. This will help solidify your submissions.

This style of training may not be the most fun at first, but it will be as your technical ability begins to grow faster than ever.
Remember, the goal is to be a great Black Belt from every position and situation. It’s not to just tap out all the White Belts. I hope this idea will help you improve your game and take you one step closer to becoming a great Black Belt!