If you don’t train smart while you’re young, you’re going to pay the price for it when you get old(er)… And not necessarily “just” via injuries, but also via the way people feel about you as a training partner.
And the way you make them feel about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in general.
Tom DeBlass shared the one thing he regrets from earlier training years:
I wish that I’ve went easier with some people… I’ve trained really, really hard – basically, whoever was in front of me, I’ve trained really hard [with them].
[For example] that guy had a really long day at work, middle-aged guy, two kids at home… He’d come to training and I’d train hard with him, really hard with him.
And there are some middle-aged men that want that. There are some middle-aged women that want that… But there are some middle-aged people that just want to come in and get a good sweat in.
Not everyone wants to go hard, explains DeBlass. And you need to respect that:
There are people out there that go to work the next day. There are people that are so stressed out in their life, that we don’t need to train hard with that person.
Just get a flow in [with them]. Just train well, train hard, but train smart, you know? Let them get some position. Make them go home feeling better about themselves, rather than beating them down.
It’s not about beating everybody up on the mats, but about helping our teammates and learn who you’re training with and what their goals are.
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