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Nov
18
Tapping sucks—I don’t like to make a habit of it, but it’s something that I do from time to time. Last night for example, one of West Side’s outstanding blue belts, Grayson Greener, made me tap with an armbar—it sucked (the tapping, not the armbar).
The competitor in me hates to tap and takes it personally, but the instructor in me is elated with the signs of progress. Tapping one of your instructors is a milestone in your progression as a student. It is one of the greatest feelings in the world; at least it was for me.
I remember when I tapped my first instructor; it was fantastic. It was something that I had hoped to do for years and just wasn’t ever able to even come close. Then one day, it happened, I caught him, I was so excited I didn’t know how to act, so I tried to be calm, play it cool, like it was no big deal, but inside I was going bananas. It was a big deal only because I respected my instructor so much and had finally caught him with something.
It still makes me happy thinking about it. I carried that memory around with me for years, like a little piece of happiness. Now I’m on the other side of that milestone where your students are getting good enough to tap you, and I must say, I feel good about that.
I’ve got to admit, I had the same feelings you did. It only took me two and a half years to catch you, and I fear it might be another two and a half years before I do it again. I believe my record against you now stands at 1-∞-0.
Grayson, I just want to assure you I did everything in my power to escape, it just boiled down to great technique. You and a lot of the other guys at West Side are excelling at an alarming rate, and I think it’s a combination of your different instructors, your training partners, but most of all your own desire to learn and improve. Good job.