So I promised to reply to this post, http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2530159&mode=full

but never did.

I am now comfortably 1.25 years into my blue belt and not having the blue belt blues at all. My 1st year at Blue belt was frustrating since I had some random injuries and life things that probably kept me off the mat 4 out of 12 months. Over the last 6 months (knock on wood) ive been pretty consistent.

The toughest part is balancing work, family and time for bjj. Luckily for me my new job is literally across the street from the academy so most of my training is done at lunch.

I feel pretty confident as a blue belt. I cant beat everyone by any stretch of the imagination, but i feel like I can get into a roll and know what to do or how to survive -- except against the real high level guys who still toy with me.

My game has been so focused on passing, and now Ive really been trying to transition to playing more guard --since thats such a fundamental part of BJJ.
Over the last week Ive also gone to 2 nogi classes (and enjoyed it) which is more than I had done in the prior 8 months combined.

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

from reddit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3o9SNW97yI&feature=youtu.be

i've been out for 6 weeks now with an injury so there's already that stress of going back and getting worked by your bros

but watching shit like this is just super humbling today

Granted I got injured drilling scrambles in Hudson's class (wrestling)

But his take on aimless rounds of sparring vs drilling from positions is spot on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijAMRqBZgo8

>Granted I got injured drilling scrambles in Hudson's class
>(wrestling)
>
>But his take on aimless rounds of sparring vs drilling from
>positions is spot on
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijAMRqBZgo8
>
>

We've talked about this. How most of the way BJJ is taught is not the most efficient way to learn. Its not that you cnat learn, but its just not as easy if you arent a natural. There's no consistent drilling, no scaffolding of techniques. I think this is one of the thing's Keenan is trying to do with his online channel. It's unfortunbate that a lot of the guys doing this type of research/work liek Kit Dale and keenan are white.

MG in action was game changing when it came out, and it has the potential to be so much more...but Marcelo is on autopilot with it these days.


My wrestling friends who now do jiujitsu have similar critiques. WIth all that being said. Jiujitsu isnt hs or college wrestling. Those guys that do that are doing it with a goal of competition in mind.

BJJ has that but also has hobbyists and guys who just want exercise, so the environment isnt intense. If BJJ rooms were treated like wrestling rooms, they'd lose like 70% of their customer base...easily. Not many adults after a long day of work or with the kids (if they arent training for comp would take that kind of "abuse") --especially without a really good supportive community.

I love BJJ, and was in that Unity pro training before Christmas break, and while I reveled in the 12 rounds in a hot ass room for 2 hours--it's not something I would do more than once every couple weeks lol. Most people would tap out just from the training condition and environment if they aren't seriously "pro training"

Ive said this before, but in terms of marketing and community building, if a BJJ gym really wants to grow (and doesnt have a world class guy running it) there are some lessons to learn from some of the top Crossfit gyms and how they build community.

My neighborhood really needs an academy. I would love to run a social project /community type grappling program like Fernando, but Im nowhere near the level to teach yet. It's a shame because rent in my neighborhood for a studio could still be affordable.

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"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

for being a white guy who speaks English well

I've joked about hating to to watch Lepri's vids because of his accent (it's not incomprehensible as much as Italian-sounding Brazilian 'poot your ahrrrm ovurh heerah'), not to mention Maia, but to have these white guys overtly market themselves on their English to the detriment of a lot of great Brazilian guys is borderline disrespectful.

>
>We've talked about this. How most of the way BJJ is taught is
>not the most efficient way to learn. Its not that you cnat
>learn, but its just not as easy if you arent a natural.
>There's no consistent drilling, no scaffolding of techniques.
>I think this is one of the thing's Keenan is trying to do with
>his online channel. It's unfortunbate that a lot of the guys
>doing this type of research/work liek Kit Dale and keenan are
>white.
>
>MG in action was game changing when it came out, and it has
>the potential to be so much more...but Marcelo is on autopilot
>with it these days.
>
>
> My wrestling friends who now do jiujitsu have similar
>critiques. WIth all that being said. Jiujitsu isnt hs or
>college wrestling. Those guys that do that are doing it with a
>goal of competition in mind.
>
>BJJ has that but also has hobbyists and guys who just want
>exercise, so the environment isnt intense. If BJJ rooms were
>treated like wrestling rooms, they'd lose like 70% of their
>customer base...easily. Not many adults after a long day of
>work or with the kids (if they arent training for comp would
>take that kind of "abuse") --especially without a really good
>supportive community.
>
>I love BJJ, and was in that Unity pro training before
>Christmas break, and while I reveled in the 12 rounds in a hot
>ass room for 2 hours--it's not something I would do more than
>once every couple weeks lol. Most people would tap out just
>from the training condition and environment if they aren't
>seriously "pro training"

Yeah I would be down to visit once or twice maybe, just to feel the levelz.

Describe their dudes though. Their blue belts. The vibe. The style of rolling. The smell. The mold. The inside-out gis for afternoon sessionz. Paint a picture for those that have never set foot on the brackish, Everglade-like mats.

>Ive said this before, but in terms of marketing and community
>building, if a BJJ gym really wants to grow (and doesnt have a
>world class guy running it) there are some lessons to learn
>from some of the top Crossfit gyms and how they build
>community.

You can't spell crossfit without the oss

>My neighborhood really needs an academy. I would love to run a
>social project /community type grappling program like
>Fernando, but Im nowhere near the level to teach yet. It's a
>shame because rent in my neighborhood for a studio could still
>be affordable.

That would be off the chain. Rolling outside of the academy is more and more appealing to me. Trying to get together with my man that used to fight MMA and my boy who got his brown in Judo and just started submission wrestling on the side at my JKD school, and have the assistant instructor and the instructor just work some easy rounds with all of us. That's my goal in like a month when I'm back in shape.

Ben is correct on drilling. IMO, it should be done in 3 phases:

1. rote technique - 100% success for the person to learn the movement
2. intensity and speed - still 100% success but done at a speed and intensity closer to sparring. This will help better integrate the movement into someone's game
3. positional drilling - staying in the context of whatever the lesson is but now against a resisting opponent. This allows you to see how fully integrated a movement is and how well you can incorporate it into your game

once those things are done, then you can spar

I got some of this from Andre Galvao who is notorious for how he drills:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSYeB5DcUgE

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings...They did it by killing those who opposed them...unknown

limited benefit

but when you take a multi-tiered approach to familiarizing yourself with a technique, like you said and like I'm seeing Andre say in this vid, it seems to have huge benefits

most guys spend time between classes drilling at bjj, but one of the guys who teaches a takedown class and has a pretty extensive wrestling background is a big vocal proponent of this approach during class

i agree. its only worthwhile in conjunction with other teaching methods. in the past, i have taught classes where i wanted to pack in so much information that all we got to do was rote technique and then spar. in hindsight, those classes was some of the more disjointed classes i've ever taught and add to that the fact that my students didn't really gain anything of substance that they could apply.

recently, i have found drilling to drill to be beneficial. I use a set up where me and a partner drill whatever a technique or sequence of moves for 2-3 mins a piece. minimal to no chit chat, just solid foundational stuff that we can plug into our games or fortify our games. after we both had a turn, we positional spar our technique or position for an additional 2-3 mins a piece, then we either switch partners or move on to different technique. an hour of that feels worse than an hour of sparring and the benefit to your game is greater, imo.

finally, being one of the few black belts in my gym, i try to set the example that you have to put in some real dedicated work to see gains. i grab the most lost looking white belt and drill technique with them. i don't talk much, just drill. by the end, we're both pretty lathered up and ready to move on to positional sparring.

>i agree. its only worthwhile in conjunction with other
>teaching methods. in the past, i have taught classes where i
>wanted to pack in so much information that all we got to do
>was rote technique and then spar. in hindsight, those classes
>was some of the more disjointed classes i've ever taught and
>add to that the fact that my students didn't really gain
>anything of substance that they could apply.

This is like 99% of the classes I have taken so far into my 3rd year doing this. 1) Warm ups. 2) Practice technique(s) of the day with variations w/ partner (2 and 2). 3) Sparring.

If you're in tune and open minded in your training you can successfully bring the technique into the sparring, but your partner kind of has to be 'in on it' i.e. not just going for his A game. Good sparring partners will do this but those are kind of few and far between.


>recently, i have found drilling to drill to be beneficial. I
>use a set up where me and a partner drill whatever a technique
>or sequence of moves for 2-3 mins a piece. minimal to no chit
>chat, just solid foundational stuff that we can plug into our
>games or fortify our games. after we both had a turn, we
>positional spar our technique or position for an additional
>2-3 mins a piece, then we either switch partners or move on to
>different technique. an hour of that feels worse than an hour
>of sparring and the benefit to your game is greater, imo.

yeah. that is something I was very impressed with when I visited Cobrinha's Las Vegas academy. They did 2-5 minutes straight, one person, one technique, BOTH SIDES (so key). Then switched. Then they added a wrinkle and added resistance etc. Those guys mopped me up! (I was a brand new blue belt at the time)

>finally, being one of the few black belts in my gym, i try to
>set the example that you have to put in some real dedicated
>work to see gains. i grab the most lost looking white belt and
>drill technique with them. i don't talk much, just drill. by
>the end, we're both pretty lathered up and ready to move on to
>positional sparring.

Very cool. I always appreciate when a black belt takes the time to work with me. At my school it's kind of rare.

Cobrinha's drilling is next level. I went out to his academy in LA in preparation for Pans in 2011. All we did for about 3 days was omoplata set ups, finishes and transitions. it was too much information for me at the time but we drilled so much that it stuck. luckily, another training partner of mine retained so much and we came home and drilled relentlessly for months. that weekend of training became the foundation of a good bit of my attacks from guard.

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings...They did it by killing those who opposed them...unknown

and when you're new to a move or skill you HAVE to drill it slowly and increase pace and resistance gradually. A problem would occur when people stop short of live-speed and the opponent being a good opponent. Also, doing things slow and controlled can actually make you faster when it's go-time because the neural networks you form during the slower practice(this applies more to complex skills like submissions, and not as much with striking or sprinting).

and found some real nuggets

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

Off this post

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

Where you can train

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

so I see 3 schools Id recommend

Gracie Morumbi right in Thousand Oaks
ZR team in Westlake
Paragon in Agoura

So depending on where you live/work. Morumbi is the closest to the actual Zip.
They have a good lineage through the Renzo/Ryan Gracie line and the instructor there is legit. Looks like they have a huge facility, but I dont see their schedule posted

http://www.graciejiujitsufabioleopoldo.com/


ZR team is a well known team but the instructor is a brown belt. He has good credentials listed, but otherwise I dont know him.
http://www.zrwestlake.com/
Also a really limited schedule also


Paragon is a really well known team in the Valley and up the Central Coast. The main school is in Santa Barbara and I believe thats where Paul Walker trained. Theyve also produced a couple of the sports stars at some point in Jeff Glover and Bill Cooper. The school in Agoura is an affiliate but the instructor there also has a good pedigree. I like that paragon in general is pretty laid back on the traditional martial arts aspects of things and if its nearby Id recommend checking it out.
What I didnt like about the site is their schedule is kind of limited. So that may give you less options to train

http://paragonbjjacademy.com/schedule/


If you can get to Northridge, one of the best competition schools in the area is there: Gracie Barra northridge

Let me know if you need more or if you work closer to another area

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

i work in thousand oaks but live in the valley not too far away from northridge. gracie barra is looking like a good choice

I generally dont liek the Gracie barra franchise model...but from what ive heard they have the freedom to do things a bit different there because of who they are.


Romulo Barral (the head guy there) is a legend and one of my favorites to watch both because of technique and attitude and they have a crop of young super stars stars that train there part or full time

Felipe Pena
Gabriel Arges
Edwin Najmi
Samuel Braga

You can look them all up and there is probably a bjjheroes page for them all

https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/romulo-barral-wiki

A video on the new gym they just rolled out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDUHwkvwE4g


They have a nice schedule, though lots of it is geared toward the competitors/black belts
http://www.gbnorthridge.com/?page_id=2221

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

sometimes u gotta leave ur inner nigger in the bank vault. - desus

Situation Podemy : www.situationpodemy.wordpress.com
itunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/situation-podemy/id620232249
facebook: facebook.com/situationpodemy
@SituationPodemy

You can go south to the South Bay

Near you is Kron Gracie in Culver City. A lot of people like his school but its a lot more traditional. If getting to Koreatown in the traffic isnt bad--Id recommend Cobrinha's school. One of the best competition schools and a friendly place to learn. Kron and Cobrinha will be pricey---I bet I can get you a more affordable place like Nino Schembri in Lawndale. tell me what our priorities are
i.e.
best school for competing
best school for self defense
best school for workout
best school for learning
best school for community
best lineage
location
cost
etc

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

who visited

I went with the one closer to the hotel I was staying in, Tsunami, which is smaller and more old school, but Kron's is right near the 405 and one of the best school in SoCal

Good looking, Lawndale would probably be the best for me, but Culver isn't that bad of a journey after work. I'm looking to workout, get into shape and learn some general self-defense. I'm either way on price depending on the lineage and quality of training.

There was a Gracie school near my old house in Torrance, I just never went cause I thought it was a fad school and not one for good training.

sometimes u gotta leave ur inner nigger in the bank vault. - desus

Situation Podemy : www.situationpodemy.wordpress.com
itunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/situation-podemy/id620232249
facebook: facebook.com/situationpodemy
@SituationPodemy

>Good looking, Lawndale would probably be the best for me, but
>Culver isn't that bad of a journey after work. I'm looking to
>workout, get into shape and learn some general self-defense.
>I'm either way on price depending on the lineage and quality
>of training.
>
>There was a Gracie school near my old house in Torrance, I
>just never went cause I thought it was a fad school and not
>one for good training.


And never trained. All the time I spent in Torrance, Carson, gardens— the academy was there. The Gracie school I’ve heard some mixed things about. The guys who run it are skilled and they’ve produced some good fighters— but they have an old school kind of model.

I think nino in lawndale could be a good option for you. I imagine that school and kron’s school in Culver City will have some type of trial option you can try. I think overall Ninos in lawndale will be a lot cheaper and you will probably get more black and brown practioners

But try them out and see. I think both schools will offer a great workout and self defense
And both guys have top notch lineage and history in the sport

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

i made it to the green/blue cusp in judo as a youth before giving it up for football and ive been thinkong about trying BJJ for a while

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

>i made it to the green/blue cusp in judo as a youth before
>giving it up for football and ive been thinkong about trying
>BJJ for a while
Check these schools

http://www.kaizenbjj.com/plymouth_location/
This school has a good old school lineage. I t seems like a great place to train because they have such a robust schedule --lots of class times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-BExc9SS68
The guy the main instructor got his black belt from is featured heavily in this film


http://www.plymouthjj.com/page04.html
This school also has a good lineage.


http://www.313bjj.com/
If youre nearer to Detroit or work there check out this place. The instructors are affiliated with our academy and instructors and Ive heard good things.


Most schools offer a trial class, so id recommend checking them out and feeling where you like the vibe/schedule the best.

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

Newer school--seems to have built a nice academy and strong community

https://www.assembly-detroit.com/

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

n/m

-------------------------------

A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

I mean i couldve predicted the outcome, but to watch JT just control every aspect of the match and then choke him the fuck out was a thing of beauty.

That's another example of levels...

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

Supposed you can't link cause FloGrappling and all

JT is fucking world class I couldn't picture it happening any other way

MMA grappling vs JiuJitsu pros is not always so one-sided though.

From what I hear Max Holloway who just got a purple will be tapping fools out in training. And there was that recent clip of Khabib throwing Leandro Vieira around

https://jiujitsutimes.com/khabib-nurmagomedov-rolls-3rd-degree-black-belt-leandro-vieira-caught-darce-choke/

At the same time I heard Dillon was catching Luke Rockhold with a lot of shit when he visited several months ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwwXQx6HBNw

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings...They did it by killing those who opposed them...unknown

Rafa is fucking next level

His movement is so dope. I feel like he is the embodiment of Terere’s legacy. The way those dudes move is just beautiful, and this is coming from a marcelo student.

I don’t even aspire for that game I just enjoy it. I’m a sloppy pressure passer—nothing pretty about my game at this stage.


Man wtf


https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdxr0OslRUc/

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

He was always quite good, but he somehow went up another few levels since he came back from that long layoff - this Horcher - Johnson - Barboza "streak". Also seems like he is STILL GETTING BETTER.

I mean, he came back with a new approach and has been murdering these guys with it. I've been trying to emulate some of his looks in class. Specifically with takedowns, attacking in half- and quarter- guard, and with passing from standing. IMO, he's the best grappler in MMA. Even better than Maia.

I think he beats Tony pretty easily. Tony's best chance is the Darce, imo. I don't see him KOing/TKOing Khabib. The triangle won't be there for him because Khabib is going to stay on the feet until he is "safely" in Tony's half-guard, which is one place Khabib loves to attack from.

That said, Tony stands a better chance than Conor...

maybe that's the difference between a guy that has added wrestling onto a world-class level BJJ base vs. a guy who has sambo, judo and freestyle wrestling throughout his foundation

When I talk to people at my job from the casual fan to a guy that has been training jiujitsu for years, they can't get over the level of force he can generate while also not compromising anything with his base and control of the opponent. He seems to be very conscious of the fact that the road back up to the feet starts with the legs and he wraps up and shuts down the legs better than anyone in the game. I wonder if Tony is strong enough to drag the fight back up to standing since it's almost a certainty the fight will end up there at some point.

Tony's strengths really only play into Khabib's strengths. He likes creatives sweeps... that means Khabib has to have attempted to take him down which is bad news. He likes to work submissions from bottom, that means he has to withstand the best top pressure in MMA. I agree that I don't see anybody beating him right now if he's at 100%

All the strengths they address in this video can get Tony eaten up by Khabib

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V71AOI25LKQ

Bladed Square Dance... basically you are just making Khabib choose between if he wants to shoot a single if you're bladed or double if you're square lol.

Spinning Elbows... soooo you're gonna turn your back on a Dagestani?

Elbows from guard... but Khabib will be in side control soooo

But I also think Tony is being undersold quite a bit. He's a D1 level athlete with dangerous/tricky striking and still a competenmt ground game. 10 fights in a riow at the diviusion.


>All the strengths they address in this video can get Tony
>eaten up by Khabib
>
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V71AOI25LKQ
>
>Bladed Square Dance... basically you are just making Khabib
>choose between if he wants to shoot a single if you're bladed
>or double if you're square lol.
>
>Spinning Elbows... soooo you're gonna turn your back on a
>Dagestani?
>
>Elbows from guard... but Khabib will be in side control soooo
>
>

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

The difference in level of domination between Khabib's last wins vs Tony's are really what's making the projections though

It keeps going back and forth publicly. Tony has an impressive perormance and it flips. I mean he beat Thompson Dos anjos and Barboza then his stock was sky high before the kind of unimpressive (but still finish) of kevin Lee

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

grossest example of a staph infection i've seen in a minute

he shouldnt have fought with Staph, and since he did, no excuses.

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

I'm just bullshitting about staph being THE factor

I was in the camp that this is the best fight possible for the division, but now I'm just thinking how does Tony fend him off?

He has the length and the striking to delay the inevitable but can he withstand the pressure

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

Anti-gentrification, cheap alcohol & trying to look pretty in our twilight posting years (c) Big Reg
http://Tupreme.com

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

you down?

Maybe....

Saturday is John's last day before he has his kid. Hes gonna be out 3 months or so...so i may train at MGA. I do want to get a day in at Masterskya though

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

Purple belt John? Oh shit
I had coffee with him and Peter last weekend. I didn't realize he had a baby so soon on the way

But the new location is dope. I could probably walk there in 5-10 minutes from the crib so I might alternate there and MGA on Saturdays.

>Purple belt John? Oh shit
>I had coffee with him and Peter last weekend. I didn't realize
>he had a baby so soon on the way
>
>But the new location is dope. I could probably walk there in
>5-10 minutes from the crib so I might alternate there and MGA
>on Saturdays.
>
>
>
Nah, grants homie John who took that Paul private with us back in the day. he started training a lot more recently, but he does AM crew.

have you actually trained there yet?

Id prefer them Sunday (but they are ogi Sundays)

They have an open mat friday night that I may do to get closer to home friday evenings

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

nah haven't trained there but Matt told me they opened a location in Downtown Brooklyn so I hit Alex Masterskya up on IG. I had already been thinking of maybe doing Boxing / Wrestling at Class One MMA since it's also close. the MMA fighting female purple from MGA teaches nogi there I think.

I was debating Saturday or Sunday myself, but just went with Saturday since it will probably be the better attended

it's been a bitch getting in and out of the city especially 23rd st on the weekend. would be nice to keep it local in BK.

I'll let you know how it goes

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

Told him I'm going next Saturday.

Lmao too soon. I don’t want mynpurple til at least our winter ceremony. I’m not a purple yet. I’m a tough blue if you let me play my game, but if you force me to play guard...I’m pretty bad. Give me 8 more months and I’ll feeel a lot better about my guard. Over the past 2 months I’ve been working it more

Need to make my closed guard more offensive
Continue my work with DLRx guard which is my favorite open guard
And I’m getting better at half guard as a recovery guard when I get passed. I use guards for transitions to my top game though, I hate being In guard too long.

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"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

Bottom Game:

- old school butterfly guard sweeps
- transitioning to X-guard and subs from X
- lasso guard and getting to omoplatas from it

Top game:

- leg drags
- taking the back

the main thing for me is the timing of everything. I'm a hair slower than more seasoned black belts (and younger, more athletic dudes)

Competition:
- pushing myself to my mental and physical edge and trying to find more in the tank
- finding the guys who give me the worst time at the end of a sparring session and having them push me to the point of wanting to quit

I got complacent right after getting promoted to black but now I got the hunger back. I also came to understand fully that there are no bad training days regardless of if you're the hammer, the nail or the wood being nailed.

some of the younger competitor blues will just murk me relentlessly.

Bottom Game:

left side - single leg X entry to sweep
right side - DLR to back take
half guard - half guard sweep / back take tandem
better timing on hook sweep / butterfly sweeps while opponent is passing

really, really, really, need to get more subs from my back. I have not landed a single armbar from closed guard in training. Was catching triangles for a little while, but it's been some time.

also, I keep almost catching guys in the loop choke when they are trying to pass, but not finishing


Top game:

build chain of submissions from side control
build an over-under / smash-pass game: so far have been using standing passing, but with a healing ankle, I can't use agility and footwork as much

ahhh yea... finishing triangles.

I cnat do that anymore. I just get stuck adn stacked on my shoulders and cant back up to make space.


Such a mindfuck when you have that triangle, youre squeezing or cutting angle, and then you finally have to give it up and youre stuck in side control

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

I've been a brown belt since Dec 2016. Had a talk with my instructor, and he essentially said he just wants me refining my game and able to define it. So I've mostly just been trying to tighten everything up, and get rid of any mistakes I make.

being so close

I see some guys who have been brown for a minute and working with what the expectations are from them as leaders as well as jiujitsu wise. I've heard guys talking about being suspended years ago for fighting and feeling the need to actively engage people positively because of that. Others kind of seem to not care.

But yeah it seems like it can be the longest mile to walk

Before I was being given much larger tasks and goals to work on - it's kind of nice being told to just improve on a macro level.

I mean, I work on the small details myself, and I work on timing, leverage, etc... but honestly, it's been a a bit liberating to just go to the gym and just work on whatever I want, or conversely, nothing at all. Just go in and roll and see what presents itself that day.

*shrug*

If I have questions or need to troubleshoot or workshop stuff, my instructor always, always jumps in and helps.

would you like to open a school, or teach more extensively?

Do you plan to train just as consistently as before?

I have always bought cheap to average gis and belts - I figure for black I will finally get some nice shit.


>would you like to open a school, or teach more extensively?


I don't have any aspirations to open an academy, particularly since the area I live in is already oversaturated. If I moved to an area where there wasn't a school within 30 minutes or so or there wasn't a gym I felt comfortable with, then I would probably open a school. But otherwise, I'm good.

I still am always learning new things from my instructor. Getting a black belt won't change that and motivate me to leave.


>
>Do you plan to train just as consistently as before?
>
>


Yeah, I'll maintain the same schedule as long as I can. I train 2-5x/week.