Wednesday, January 20, 2010

I have a question for you other grapplers out there....

I know a few of you have stopped by once or twice before... So, I will toss this out there in case someone happens to drop by.

What is an appropriate thing for a white belt to say to a higher belt after a grapple?

I generally say something to the effect of, "Thank you, that was fun."  Or "Thank you that was helpful."  If they had been giving me instruction during the grapple, but I always feel like saying "That was fun." is condescending is some way. .. and I have no idea how to respond to "Good roll."  lol - I say thank you, but I feel like saying "You too".. or some other sort of reciprocating comment would be stupid coming from me.  I'm just a white belt, what do I know of a 'good roll'.

I may just be over thinking things, but I want to be respectful, and show gratitude, but I also don't want to sound like a moron, or sound like I think I am awesome.

6 comments:

  1. I always say "thank you" and smile, whether it was a good roll or not. But I guess I smile (much) more if it was a good roll :-).

    If it was a particularly helpful higher belt and the roll included some coaching, I add: "I appreciate your help", or "thanks, and btw, your help with {insert technique} was great".

    I think honesty is the most important thing, and a thank you shows respect. People will know if you mean it. And I can't see anything wrong with saying "it was fun" (which I've been known to say, too).

    Chris

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  2. You should say something along the lines of "any pointers?" That's what I always try to do after rolling. Sometimes you'll get a blank look, but more often than not, I've gotten some really useful advice.

    E.g, one guy kept getting an Ezequiel on me, so after the roll I asked if I was doing anything wrong. He said I kept lifting my head under mount: I stopped doing that, and stopped getting repeatedly tapped by that choke. ;)

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  3. Chris - That is the one thing I am always sure to say, even if I was completely and utterly destroyed to the point it totally sucked for me, or if we are in a hurry.. Whatever the case, I always say thank you... because I am thankful they took the 5-10 minutes to grapple me, when I know it can be considerably less fun then someone of their skill level

    Can - I'll ask what I was doing wrong if I happen to get caught in the same submission a few times like you mentioned. I've been training with these guys about 4 months now, so I am learning who will help me if I ask, and who will look at me like I am a moron. =) And there are the few guys who will offer their pointers whether I ask or not, so I love to roll with them. I always learn a lot.

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  4. You do too know a good roll -- look at your earlier post about rolling with Rhino. ;)

    I don't think saying "That was fun" is condescending. Jiu-jitsu is a game; it should be fun. I like having a partner who plays with me (instead of crushing me or trying to rip me in half), and I want to let them know that I enjoyed it and that that level was quite appropriate.

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  5. Thanks Leslie. You are probably right, and I am just over thinking it. =)

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  6. I prefer... "Um... is that my arm over there?"

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