Fight Angry!

I wrote earlier about changing academies and mentioned something along the lines of being forced to decide my own path. Equipped with a good foundation it was time to discover what worked for me. This goes for everyone training at Brigadeiro in Amsterdam. After some time you get to that point where your fellow students cancel your game and you have to come up with something new. Of course this works both ways and so we make each other better and stronger.

Back in the days, when I was training Shaolin Kungfu I often heard the saying "Shaolin does not weed people out, people weed themselves out". In Shaolin it means that people who do not commit to the art and go through the hardships that come with the training, eventually quit on their own accord. No need for the master to kick you out.  I feel that this also goes for BJJ, at least at the academy where I train. The way I experience it is that you get promoted and then it is up to you to live up to the belt. This requires some serious planning, picking a theme for the week or month or as long as necessary until it works and built on it when training partners  know how to counter.
 
I mentioned the weeding out part because even though I have been to training diligently, I kind of dodged the rolls with the giants in the academy knowing good and well that one day I had to face the music, being a blue belt and all. The mestre hinted towards it a couple of times and today was the day I had to overcome that fear. He paired me up against the biggest guy in class. On top of that the mestre was coaching the big guy on how to properly apply pressure and it was from that moment something sparked. I started fighting as if my life depended on it. Escaped, don't ask me how, came on top and managed to stay there and gas the big guy out. The expression on my face read: "HELL NO!", at least that is how I interpreted the teacher mimicking how I looked when it was over. Of all the milestones I have experienced during my short BJJ journey this one was the most notable. I fought angry without being angry and changed something today. Not only did I survive but also got rid of my fear and this by far exceeds the tap I got. Thank you big guy! (PS. Big guy is my brother. Leave it to siblings to deliver a spectacle and guessing the mestre enjoyed it.)