This week seems to be the week for people getting frustrated & disappointed with their own ability. I’ve had several guys mention to me that they are not having any success during sparring or that they feel they are getting left behind.

Funnily enough, it’s the guys that have raised their concern that have the least to worry about. As strange as it sounds, the ones that are worried about their progression & the fact they are getting caught are the ones I watch trying to work in new techniques & improve themselves.

When you try new techniques when rolling or wrestling, they aren’t always going to work straight off as you need to keep working on them & finding out where you are going wrong. (Perhaps it’s the grip, perhaps you are telegraphing the move in your eagerness to get it to work, perhaps you haven’t moved your hips out far enough etc) Try it again. Drill it again. Ask for help. But all in all, that shows you are working to improve – you aren’t just sticking with the same old technique you know will work.

It’s the guys that beat everyone in sparring that have the most to worry about. They are the ones that still haven’t worked out how to improve. They use the same techniques each week in order to win & go home pleased with themselves, satisfied that they are good. But they never improve, and quite often these are the ones you hear moaning about “this technique doesn’t work” or “that isn’t something I would use” rather than asking “what am I doing wrong?” or “why doesn’t this work for me?”

Compare the two options below and see which is best in the long run

You try something; it works. You try it again; it works. Therefore you use it all the time to the exclusion of something else that you can't get to work.

You try; you fail. You try again; you fail but you see how your partner reacted. You try again & nearly get it. You try again and it works. Then you get it to work against some other guys. Then you mark it up & move on to the next technique with a mental note to come back to it again next week for drilling.

Don't give up & don't allow the frustration to be the downfall of your progression. As long as you are learning & training then take it for what it is - a natural part of headway, not an obstruction.

Seems like I’m always coming back to the same points. Have a look at these previous posts too for more advice & encouragement

http://www.somersetsambo.co.uk/node/132
http://www.somersetsambo.co.uk/node/85

Keep on listening, keep on training, keep on learning.