I started at 36, and it's hard! Starting later than that is admirable. But it really depends on the school, too. I know in our school, there are quite a few "seniors", as well as young guys. It's a good mix, and while there is always a lot of encouragement to keep going and not give up, there's no shame in tapping because you just can't breathe anymore. Regarding sparring with a plan, I think that's a great idea. I'm going to start thinking about that. I do a little of that already, in that I have a few techniques that I look for and work on in every class.
Thats normal. Since you know so little, most techniques you are learning each step of it is new to you. As you become more familiar with the basic positions and things you do become second nature, it gets alot easier. Curious, how many techniques do you learn in a class?
I think another reason some people drop out is because they see people who have started training at the same time as them advance a lot quicker than them, and it disheartens them because they perceive that they are not progressing at all. Everybody has a different learning curve. Some people catch on quickly, while others don't. I guess it can make you feel inferior. When you think that you've hit a plateau, some people just get so frustrated that they give up. There are times when I have a really bad day of sparring and I get tapped repeatedly, or I just don't perform to my standard, and I get so ****ed that its sometimes hard to work up the motivation to come to class next time. Luckily, every time this happens, I get home and calm down, and the anger leaves my system, and I bust out my training notebook, write down what I was doing wrong, or what I need to work on, and do just that during next class. Grappling is an art that takes many many years to get seriously proficient at it, and is pretty much impossible to 'master'. There are always new techniques/transitions/setups/etc to learn. And there are always better grapplers. It is a lot different than striking arts, where you can train in it for a year or two, and become pretty damn good at it. Some people don't want to make that kind of long term commitment, or they go for a few months, realize that they barely know anything, so they quit.
Maybe my school is different, its small and only been around for about a year or 2. Many guys come to look and watch. They are the iffy ones. Once someone tries a class out though, they usually stick to it. I havent seen many people drop out. In fact I dont hink any have. Theres a little over 20 guys right now. Some have took off for a month or two, but all stay with it. Its addicting. I cant see how anyone could stop forever.
CinMike is right about how some get upset as others pass them on the learning curve. I got my Blue belt on same day one of friends there got his Purple belt. He started like 8 months AFTER me. That is a tough pill to swallow for alot of people. It made me want to work harder, but I know it would have been frustrating for alot of other people.
Hehe. I don't care if someone who starts after me gets their friggin Brown belt... I'll dance a jig naked on a bar stool if I ever get a blue belt. And don't even ask me what I'll do if I ever get a purple belt!
I plan on it. As a matter of fact, I'll be down in your neck of the woods sometime this summer. Austin, right? I'm going to be helping my parents move from Cibilo up closer to Austin. I'm not sure if I'll have any spare time, but if I do I'd love to stop in and check out at least one of the schools in the Austin area. Didn't you say that you and Hedge are in different schools down there?
