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| LV Brown / Black Belt Requirements? Money! |
I've recently received Roy Dean's fantastic new product
"The Brown Belt Requirements". I'm currently in the process of
writing a review but if you are impatient, feel free to check out Slidey's take
on it here. I agree with a lot in it (not all) and it's a very thorough review
so I highly recommend it.
One thing that really struck me in it is how narrow and
focused the BJJ game becomes at the brown belt level. I've always known that
from other fields that the more advanced you become the more focused and laser-sharp
your details become, but the level required here for a brown belt is something
I've never witnessed before in other fields.
Brown belts are required to shift their focus from
effectiveness* to efficiency. It's no longer good enough to be able to beat
someone (or escape their attack) but you must also be doing it efficiently. If
you are unsure what this means, I remind you of Dr Jigoro Kano's words:
"Minimum effort, maximum output"**
The way this translates to day-to-day training and rolling
is
that a brown belt no longer just knows the elbow-knee escape from mount, but
rather should have such a sharp (and early) mount prevention game and strategy
that he shouldn't find himself under a stable mount all too often. I knew this
from rolling with Martyn (our brown belt head instructor at The Labs and a
nightmare to keep under mount) but I'm slowly getting a grasp on the why and
how he does it. Two of key factors that shone from
1. Precise placement: Roy Dean's instructor Mr Roy Harris (a
BJJ hero of mine) makes the point in the DVD
that some precise placements of your limbs afford you a mechanical advantage
that others don’t, which means you are less likely to tire or crumble under
pressure
2. Anticipation: This is a big one. In a way, I'm talking
about Jedi mind tricks and in a way I'm not. Anticipation here means (as I understand it) realising when
a position is lost / gained and where it could potentially lead and being ready
for those possibilities. For example, you have side control top. What is your
opponent going to do (or rather, what is she most likely to do)? How can you
best take advantage of that and how can you best prepare for that (likely)
eventuality?
To escape side control (our example) your opponent can i, pull
guard (or otherwise entangle you with their legs), ii, get to their knees, iii,
bridge and roll you or (less likely) iv, attack your with a submission from an inferior
position. Ask yourself:
a, how can I block their escape or, more precisely, how can
I best place myself to block that route (keeping efficiency over effectiveness
in mind)?
b, if they do escape to the three options above, how can I
attack immediately in the transition?
This is a big revelation to me. I know you are all much
cleverer than yours truly and probably knew all this already but for moi, this
is awesome. I can’t wait to go re-watch some of the fantastic instructionals
that I previously felt where way above my head.
Roy Dean DVD set “Brown
Belt Requirements” review to come soon. You can buy it from Budovideos here or download it from iTunes here.
*Effectiveness: getting the job done, one way or another.
**That’s one translation of Dr Kano’s words, but it’s not
the only one.
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Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi
Proudly sponsored by Predator Fightwear: Built for the kill and Brutal TShirt: Made By Grapplers For Fighters
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1 comment:
Great post. For me, anticipation is a huge part of my success or failure on the mats. I'm still a half second behind my sparring partners when it comes my options with blocking routes or transitioning to something different off a failed attempt. Granted, thats to be expected with my experience level but I try to be cognizant of it; awareness has to come before action...
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