Everyone has something to teach. This is such a great, understated truth; understanding it and embracing it can improve your skills so much faster than when you allow your ego to hold you back. Unfortunately ego is something we all eventually have to learn to rein in! No competitive person likes to lose, but if we don’t discover where our weaknesses lie and learn ways to improve them, how will we ever progress? At Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach, we have a structured learning environment that fosters cooperation among the students, with everyone supporting one another and helping each other progress by building fellow students and working together, not by simply dominating those who are weaker.
My husband, George, recently returned from teaching a grappling seminar in Latvia, and one of the students present was a Sambo World Champion. (For those of you unfamiliar with Sambo, it’s a martial art developed in Russia that, in its sport form, focuses on throwing, groundwork, and submissions). At 5’10, 200lbs, and incredibly strong, the man could have been a nightmare to have at the seminar, but George was struck by how humble and unassuming the champion was. He was far more open minded and interested to learn than instructors of lesser abilities that George had encountered on his European tour. The champion asked intelligent questions, worked hard, and made every session; afterward, he told George that he had learned a new arm bar, and he said that if he could learn one new thing from a seminar or class then it was always worth the time. The ability to control his ego in order to learn new things is probably a large part of why he’s been so successful.
Everyone has something to teach…keep this in mind when you’re training and you will progress much more quickly. Whatever martial art(s) you train, whether it be Muay Thai kickboxing, MMA, Kali Silat, Jiu Jitsu, or Krav Maga, eventually you will practice at a sparring pace…this is when it’s important to remember to stay calm and humble. Tempers can flare and egos get challenged, but learning to overcome your weak spots is essential to improvement. So take a step back. If someone is better at something than you, then learn from him or her so that you can progress. And also remember that you have something to teach someone else. In fact, teaching and working with your partner will not only improve his or her skill set but your own as well.
One final thought: At the Latvia seminar the youngest participant was a 16 year old boy, and the rest of the men picked on him and gave him a hard time. At one point George taught a technique that the boy was too tall to do successfully, so the boy modified it and figured how to make it work in a way that none of the very experienced people in the room (in addition to George and the world champion, a Sambo European champion was also there) had ever seen before. Don’t think that your lack of experience means that you have nothing to offer, and never believe that you are too experienced to learn something new…make an effort to put your ego aside and be open to new things. After all, it’s not only how we grow on an individual level but also how our martial arts’ systems evolve over time!
~Katie T.
