Train what you're bad at: how fighters keep ego out of practice
Roger Gracie says to train your weaknesses and not just your strengths, Ethyn Ewing describes ego sabotaging training and the need to work on what you are bad at, the B-Team grapplers build practice around positional training and warn hobbyists about ego, and Israel Adesanya recounts putting ego aside to learn grappling. Practice that protects your pride feels good and teaches little, a lesson that applies well beyond combat sports.
What rule do these fighters share about practice? Show answer
The practice that makes you better is the practice in which you look worst. You have to work on weaknesses deliberately.
How did Roger Gracie build his defense? Show answer
He started in bad positions, such as under mount or in bottom side control, escaped, and repeated it for about five minutes at a time.
Why does Gracie say hard sparring does not fix weaknesses? Show answer
It makes you tough, but a good grappler spends very little time in bad positions during sparring unless the round starts there.
What is Gracie's order of priorities in a bad position? Show answer
Defense first, escape second, because every escape attempt risks ending up somewhere worse.
What evidence does Gracie give from his own students? Show answer
Purple belts who trained with him sometimes had better defense than many black belts, because they faced his attacks again and again.
What does Gracie say about tapping in training? Show answer
Refusing to tap is stupid. Accept the mistake, tap, and try harder, since an injured elbow is never the same.
How does Ethyn Ewing apply the rule? Show answer
He grapples with elite jiu-jitsu players, the last thing he wants to do, to engage directly with what he is bad at.
Why does Craig Jones say the best person in a gym needs positional training most? Show answer
Otherwise that person never experiences bad positions in practice and gets exposed in competition.
How does Nicky Ryan find what to work on? Show answer
He films all his rounds, watches them every day, and bases his positional rounds on the specific problems he sees.
What did Israel Adesanya have to do to learn grappling? Show answer
Kill his ego, because he was bad at it despite being an elite striker. He trains with partners he trusts.
How do the fighters differ on ego? Show answer
Ewing and Adesanya speak of killing it. Nicky Rod and Nicky Ryan say it helps in competition and should be switched off in training.
What limits apply to going at your weaknesses? Show answer
Avoid reckless risk. Spar near your own weight, tap early, pick trusted partners, and get medical advice about training with an injury.