Blog
What a Fluke!
If a novice gets a good technique in on a more experienced opponent, it is often called, by many, a fluke. But if you look at it closely it is a case of being at the right place at the right time, and that my friends, is called good timing. Speed is important but not the only source of success; an integral part of success is timing. That good timing is not so good for the other opponent and not good for the parachuter (great for the crocs, though).
This got me really thinking when Jean Jacques Machado, last weekend, wrestled everybody at the seminar in Melbourne (JJ is a world class master grappler and teacher). He did not submit anyone immediately (although he could have) but just rolled around with his opponent until it was the right time to finish them off. Sensei Benny ‘the Jet’ Urquidez (undisputed world champion kickboxer) has proved to be a master of timing in the ring, countless times, knocking out his opponents with kicks and punches. All it takes for those techniques to become null and void, if the target is slightly out of focus, the strikes are thrown too quick or too slow or the balance is compromised.
If we can focus our minds on the importance of timing we will be more successful or better off. This shouldn’t be too hard because we do it everyday in our lives such as mapping our routes and times to avoid traffic. My last classic case of timing, outside of the martial arts, was the trip to Melbourne, there and back, in one day for the JJ seminars. Planning time to leave home for Airport, check in, fly across, pick up rental vehicle, 1 hour drive time to location and, after the seminars, do it all over again to make sure I didn’t miss the flight back. Of course, I allowed time in between, should anything happen such as traffic, vehicle breakdown or any other misadventure; that extra time and planning was my insurance if my timing was out which might make some sense to anyone in their martial arts training.
GA
Checkers or Chess?
A lot of people shy away from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu because of the difficulty and that is quite understandable 
because complexity it is not for everyone just like chess is not for everyone. But the people who do play chess are a special kind of breed in that they like challenge and strategy, and enjoy the involvedness of the game. Ask a chess player if they would like to play checkers (a very simple game and probably an insult to chess players), you will get the same reaction by asking a BJJ player if they prefer to build sandcastles.
Martial arts in their entirety are very complex but that’s what keeps our interest going because of the never ending research and experimentation. I often advise martial arts instructors to take up and train BJJ and then decide, after 5 years, whether they should continue or not. Not the other way around ie think about it for 5 years and then take it up. That way, they don't waste those youthful years. That applies to anbody in any martial art, of course.
Every martial artist develops their own techniques, strategies and solutions to their problems just like a chess player. These are life skills and what better way to help the young find their way into the big world.
GA
Play the Stock Market
This blog is particularly meaningful for the BJJ martial artist but hopefully interesting reading for everybody which can relate to Kickboxers as well. ‘Death type matches’ in BJJ are no different to mates wrestling in a school yard where nobody learns anything except for demonstrating who has the highest testosterone level. In many BJJ schools (including my own), people will do almost anything to avoid tapping out regardless if their arm is ready to snap in half.
Use this analogy; if somebody is holding a hot rod right up against your face and you know it’s only a matter of time before it makes contact with your skin, why would you not concede defeat and tap out early? 
So why do many people turn blue in the face before tapping out? Blame it on the ego, I guess. Being submitted does not mean being defeated. The idea of ‘rolling’ (wrestling) is to ‘give and take’ (famous words from Sensei Benny), which otherwise, potentially somebody is going to get hurt, or at least hurt their ego. The best deal is to slow it down a bit and save the extreme aggressiveness for the arena if you want to see what you are made of.
Think of the Stock Market. Experienced people do not go in ad hoc. Smart stock market investors carefully analyse situations to get the best possible results. Students need to do exactly the same if they want the best results. The point is you are investing time, money and effort so why not train BJJ wisely.
GA