I know that every instructor out there has had a student say to them, “That’s not how I learned to do that” or “I learned to do it like this.”
Every submission and set up is a little different from one person to the next. There are many ways to do each submission. Catch-as-catch will have a different grip or angle for a move than BJJ but it doesn’t mean that one is right and the other is wrong.
There are a million variations to each move, so yes, you may have been taught it one way. Now shut up and learn it the way your instructor is showing you. It’s good to have variation; everyone needs to play to their own attributes.
I have a hip injury and find it hard to do certain things so I have adapted to work around the injury, so the “right” way doesn’t work for me. I spent a lot of time with Larry Hartsell, he was great at showing a move and then four or five variations of it and letting you know what style they were from.
It always amazed me at how similar they were but how each one “hit” a little differently. Erik Paulson is another guy that will show a few variations and tell you where they come from.
It makes training a lot more fun and I enjoy the history lessons involved with this. You may find that you like catch-as-catch better then the BJJ way or the Sombo way better then the Catch way.
Please don’t argue with your instructor or tell your training partner a different way of doing something while you should be drilling the technique that your instructor is teaching you. I bet more often than not, your instructor knows the move you are showing and will show that version some other time.
Open up your mind and learn the other variation; after all, isn’t that what you are paying him for?
The other students don’t appreciate you wasting their time and taking away their training time trying to show how much you know. If you have a version of something that you think is something your instructor doesn’t know then show him while the others are drilling and not while he is teaching.
This way he can show you or explain to you why he chose to show the version he wanted instead of the one you know. If you do know a version he didn’t, then I’m sure he will be happy to learn from you. I know all self-assured and schooled instructors are always open to new techniques and ideas, and know that they too can learn from anybody.
You should “master” a couple of moves from every position, but you should know as many techniques as possible so you can at least see what the other guy is setting up. Keep learning. The study of submissions never ends.
By: Ron Dayley
Ron Dayley is a trainer, manager, promoter, and owner of SSF Submission Academy.