Training Partner Etiquette: Don’t break your toys!!

My training partner's safety is in my hands. My safety is in his (or hers).

I will never understand why new people come into a Jiu Jitsu class and think they can just tweak, twist, smack, punch, knee, yank, slam, bonk, rip, and kerplow their way to victory.

I rolled last night with a new guy (first mistake) who was a deadly combination of stupid strong and ego-tastic. Add to that being filled to the brim with BJJ YouTube videos and you get a recipe for disaster. Our rolling took a predictable turn. Right off the bat he did me no favors. If there was a chance to rake his elbow across my face, he would take it. If the opportunity to suddenly and quickly bend any joint presented itself, then a awkward attempt was made. In fact, had he actually known any technique, I would be in the hospital right now. Lucky for me he didn't. I put up with the abuse until the heel hook attempt.....

Fashioning the mighty strength of every Submission 101 video he had ever watched, he fell back into a modified heelhook-kneebar-toelock(?) and cranked in any and all directions as fast as humanly possible.

I was pissed. At this point it is not about rolling/learning/respect for your fellow man. He is flat out trying to hurt me. I yanked me leg out of his grasp and quickly passed to side control. I had thrown my cool right out the window and showcased my displeasure at his attempt to put me on crutches by smearing him flat like peanut butter-on-toast. My 245lb frame causes a slight bit of discomfort when concentrated in side control.

 I stalled there in side control while deciding what to do, when he reached up and grabbed a tuft of hair from my head and used it as a base point!. I broke the grip from my hair (ouch) and Americana-ed him to into the 5th dimension.

His reluctant and light tap was a little late in my opinion, but who am I to judge his pain/ego level. Now that it was all over, he looked up at me with a "Ok you got me... wanna go again?" kind of look.. And risk getting hurt?...some other time..

Lesson learned... Accidents happen, but sometimes people do not have your safety firmly in their hands.

An artists rendition of the Americana that saved my hair...lol

Mike