I have probably watched Mark Knopfler stroll onto stage to join Eric Clapton playing Layla, on Youtube, a hundred times. It is the small things that intrigue me. Clapton is playing acoustic guitar and Knopfler plays along on an electric, pushing sweet little leads without a pick. What I like, is that Mark Knopfler seems to have all the power behind that guitar, volume high, huge amp, but he plays softly.
Chris and I talked for a while after BJJ class tonight. About teaching styles mostly. I guess one of the things Aidan and I like about Martial Arts Planet is that we feel like we are part of a community when we are there. The other thing we like is the teaching method. We are introduced to each method, then we actually spar, isolating what we have learned against increasing resistance. Finally we incorporate it into our game. Generally we train a theme for a whole week. This week for instance is half guard bottom game.
At MAP the higher belts are willing to let you choose your poison. Want a serious roll to submission? They are more than ready to tie you in knots if you want to test yourself. But otherwise, they work hard to pass on their experience and to be inclusive. Resistance is progressive and they don’t go all out very often.
There are some pretty competitive guys in the classes. I am hoping I’m not too old to try a competition at some point. I’d like to get some serious mat time first but I think it would be a good thing to try; mostly because it seems a bit scary and I like to meet fears head on. I am also glad our school is not a place where we get smashed every time we roll because that would have been discouraging at the beginning. I don’t thing training needs to be brutal to be effective. As it happens the higher belts seem to have nothing to prove to us noobs.
When I roll with Chris I am reminded of Mark Knopfler playing that Gibson Les Paul with a soft touch. The power is there, but he plays softly.
“Nothing to prove” is a place I’d like to be at some point
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