In some far flung corner of the interwebz, a video of mine has resurfaced. I stumbled upon it by chance, and the very first thing I noticed is that small changes had been made. It was clearly not in its original form.
Know what though? I’m not even mad.
In fact, it’s interesting.
That video was made to demonstrate some of the movement progressions I used as a white belt to learn how to invert and granby. And even in its new form, it’s still performing that function.
But let me share a little story with ya:
The first medal I ever earned from the Pan Ams was at blue belt. I won four tough matches and then lost in the finals. But before I ever made it to that last match, the granby saved me from a negative spiral of events.
It happened in the first match.
The score was tied, and I was playing guard. I saw an opportunity, and I struck. I shot the triangle, but he was ready and he started to smash pass right away.
I felt the control slipping away as my knees were pushed to my face, and I bailed to turtle. But right then, I immediately granbyed (if it’s not a word, it is now) back to guard, and I swept him shortly afterward.
Without the granby, that would have been a dangerous situation (clock chokes, backtakes, smashing, oh my).
More importantly though, I looked into his eyes, and I saw frustration. That was an immediate confidence boost, and he never had another chance in that match. I swept. I passed. I mounted.
And even back then, what came next was a foregone conclusion.
The ezekiel slipped in as smooth as silk.
And it was a wrap.
Mastering movement is one of the keys to unlocking the game. If I can give you any advice that really matters, it’s this:
Do not assume that you can’t do something because it’s difficult. That’s especially when it comes to movement. Some techniques will require you to perform movements that aren’t natural for you. That’s fine. Just because they aren’t easy, it doesn’t mean that they can’t be developed. And if you have trouble doing any technique, it’s either because you’ve forgotten crucial steps or more work has to be done to improve your ability to do that movement.