I enjoyed the free wrestling in Peter King’s class last night. Escaped Sonny’s first formidable guillotine choke attempt and passed his guard, though he tapped me with a second guillotine right at the end of the round. The local teenage prodigy, Andris, got my back, somehow I escaped that to half guard and fended him off for the rest of the round.
I think I’m going to enjoy the Jiu Jitsu journey more if I ease up on the intensity. In the second half of my sixth decade, I can’t beat the twenty- and thirty-somethings with speed, strength or cardio. If I try to give each round my maximum, I end up too exhausted to wrestle well next round, plus I make too many mistakes thrashing around. From now on I want to try to stay below ninety percent, really watch what’s going on, make my movements strategic and deliberate, work more defence and escapes, but really work them rather than just “try whatever it takes not to get my guard passed.” Tap out more. I could have resisted Sonny’s second guillotine a bit longer, but what was the point? It was a great guillotine, well executed. Deserved the tap. Last time I fought my way out of a choke (actually two, an anaconda on a Wednesday followed by a Peruvian necktie on the Sunday) I had a sore neck for a week. Darko says, “I want to be doing this when I’m eighty” – me too, and I’m a lot closer to eighty than he is.
There has to be some sort of corollary of the 80/20 rule that applies here. Well executed technique shouldn’t take 100% effort. Eighty and certainly, ninety percent, should be enough. One hundred percent brain, perhaps, but not one hundred percent brawn.
Hi Andrew, they say "Experience and treachery beat youth and skill", but I am starting to wonder as I move into my 6th decade as well. Can relate to your story. We will just have to pull more tricks out of our sleeves.