A lesson in what good technique really means

In my last class, I was rolling with a young lady. She’s a white belt — physically strong and with very good technique.

I had already rolled with her twice before, maybe one and a half or two months ago. At that time, I remember telling her that her technique was better than mine, but I was stronger. She was constantly trying things, but I could defend most of them with maybe 70% of my strength.

But this time — this time was different.

I had to tap twice within a five-minute round.

She improved her technique significantly. What she was only trying before, she can now actually finish. She submitted me with an armbar so quickly that I didn’t even have time to react.

She’s one of the candidates to receive her blue belt by the end of this month. And honestly — yes, she already looks like she’s at that level.

We don’t have a stripe system in our academy, so promotions go directly from one belt color to the next. But what I saw while rolling with her reminded me that if you work hard, you can improve a lot in a relatively short time. And I know she trains a lot.

Otherwise, my training wasn’t bad. I rolled five rounds of five minutes each in total.

My shoulders are still a major limitation for me, although they are improving little by little.

But that round was a good reminder: technique catches up quickly — and a good lesson in what good technique really means.