I'm Your Huckleberry.

Dealing with tough-guys

If you've trained for any extended period of time, you've ran into someone who comes in, acts tough -- is actually fairly athletic -- wants to prove their self in a setting they're desperately trying to fit-in to. Whether their intentions are naive, innocent, oblivious, malicious... what-have-you, most of the time, they just want to fight. They may get paired up with someone who is less-capable. Someone with less experience might even get hurt by them. Had the instructor known that our new friend was going to spaz out or try to prove something, they would have prevented this pairing... what's done is done. This is where Doc Holliday steps in. He's the guy who's up for the challenge (or lack-thereof). He is oftentimes a guy who's been training for quite some time. A 'Regulator', if you will. This isn't his (or her) first time at the rodeo. The instructor has a discrete way of letting Doc Holliday know that the person they're rolling with needs to be put in their place. It's a look, a nod, a wink... a gesture made with their hand(s)... even verbal, sometimes. Whatever the form of communication, it's universally known, throughout the gym, that when the instructor says so, our new friend is about to get a new understanding of what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is. It's not a beating or hazing; it's not done with ill-intent and is very controlled; there won't even be a grudge held. At least not from Doc's perspective. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is, remember, "The Gentle Art." We have ways of getting the point across without actually hurting someone. No lasting damage, aside from maybe a bruised ego, needs to be issued. Will the recipient of our gentle nudge informing them of what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is all about come back? If they do, great! They'll more than likely be more open to learn and less likely to hurt somebody. If they don't, perhaps they weren't ready.