There are so many ways to learn technique from people. Today I was thinking about some of the differences technique is learned when two people are rolling.

There are only two scenarios where people would be rolling with one another. Practice or competition. The spirit we engage with each other during these two activities are different, and therefore reveal a different mode of learning.

In practice, you help improve one another by sharing your best stuff. You practice your best moves over and over again. You do this knowing that your training partner will learn what you do, and even adapt to learn counters to the technique. That’s expected and respected. You might even tell your partner what you are trying to do, and help them stop you from completing the move successfully. It’s also acceptable to ask your partner how they did that great move. Practice is where you share your stuff and help each other grow.

In competition there is no sharing, only stealing. You’re not trying to help the other person, you’re trying to beat them. If someone does a great move on you, you should try to steal it. You might need to go watch video or ask your coach, but you need to reflect on what happened and figure out the move if you want to steal it. Until you figure out how to do the move and / or stop that move, you will most likely fall to the prowess of that move every time. High level competitors will even hide their technique in competition. Sometimes they won’t use their best stuff until the semi or final match, sometimes they will wait for the perfect timing or opportunity to attack, sometimes they will use a different set up to disguise and eventually engage the same attack. Higher level competitors and athletes can adapt very quickly, from match to match, minute by minute. Therefore, they will intentionally hide what they do.

The two scenarios exist because the spirit of each situation is different. In practice where technique is shared, mutual growth is healthy. People are united by the bond of the team which develops respect for one another through mutual collaboration. Respect that come from helping one another learn, not from who won or lost. The expectation isn’t who can beat who but how did I challenge myself and my partner to grow.

Unlike practice, in competition, technique must be stolen. Individuals gather as a group to find out what team or academy shared best with one another during preparation. The top prize is awarded to those who figured out the best way to prepare and execute.

Through this understanding, it’s important to know what spirit we practice with. Are you training with a team or are you training with a group of individuals? Know the difference between these two and you should see a difference in your ability to improve. What are my intentions? Knowing the answer to this question might help how you train.

What if I’m training with my friends at open mat or cross training at a different school?

I would ask, what are your mutual intentions? Sharing or stealing? The difficulty is that you can’t read the other persons mind. And you can’t do that in an organized practice either but at least a coach is there to help get everyone on the same page.

In general it’s good to keep in mind how practice and competition are different. It’s also important to remember what your intentions are in training. In practice the expectation to share, leads to deeper respect, collaboration, and appreciation. In competition the expectation to not share your best stuff leads to the top prize.