Rolling While Angry - Good Or Bad For Your Jiu Jitsu?
Posted by Fanatics Authors on
Does Rolling With Emotion Help Or Hinder Your Game?
If you have studied with any high level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players you will know how passionate they are about the sport. Anyone with a strong competitive mindset is susceptible to being an emotional jiu jitsu player. This makes plenty of sense, but does it help or does it hinder your BJJ game? For many of us, especially lesser experience BJJ practitioners, we find that our emotions sometimes get the best of us. There are many wins and losses when learning jiu jitsu. Every night you step on the mat you experience one or the other. For weeks at a time you may only experience losses, questioning and doubting yourself, wondering if this is the right sport for you. It is hard not to get frustrated overwhelming, or even worse… angry.
Anger is the antithesis to cultivating a strong growth mindset. It is fairly obvious that if you are angry you are letting your emotions overwhelm you, which does not making for a strong growth mindset. Take some breaths, and remember everyone taps. The goal of drilling and rolling isn’t to tap your opponent. It is to practice! Instead of getting angry, ask yourself what you are doing wrong. Better still, ask your training partner after the roll for feedback. If it someone with a lot of experience they are going to be able to provide you with immediate beneficial tips and tricks, having just discovered all the potential flaws in your game. Remember, you should be grateful for this advice! Being grateful is a great cure for being angry. It is the right approach to have, especially if you want to learn jiu jitsu much quicker.
Of course, controlling your emotions on the mat is easier said than done. Sometimes when things just aren’t working for you, frustrating is going to get the best of you. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I have just wanted to quit mid roll. But I have always eaten my slice of humble pie, and left the mats with a headful of emotions to deal with. If this happens to you, it is best just to shake it off and get on with life. The last thing you want is for this to become an excuse for you not to train. Use these negative emotions to set some goals for your next class.
I will end these thoughts with a great video from BJJ legend Caio Terra on his martial arts journey and the emotions that come with the experience. Go behind the scenes with 8-time BJJ World Champion, Caio Terra, as he tells the story behind his training motivation and the earning of his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.
One of the best ways to defeat a frustrated mind in Jiu Jitsu is having a system in place. One the best coaches who has a systematic approach to all his positions in Jiu Jitsu is John Danaher.
His System of Attacking The Back is a necesity for any jiu jitsu athlete who is looking to refind and enhance their back attack game.
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