What do I mean by mat fear?
Mat fear is when you are fearful of rolling with someone who you think is better than you. Symptoms of mat fear are: avoiding the days your nemesis comes in the gym, always making sure you look like you're doing something when that person walks on the mat (my favorite, picking at my toes), cruising the parking lot looking for that person's car, always wanting to roll light with said person, and friendly talking before the roll ("be nice to me, you're so good man"). Jokes aside, this is a very serious issue and can really hinder how you perform in class and in the competition ring.
Mat fear does a couple of things to our psyche. It can cause one to question their skill level and abilities, wreak havoc on their mental toughness, and the number one thing...prevent that person from thinking, meaning making the necessary adjustments to their game that could skyrocket them out of their "mono-plateau" (I know I am making up words, but I can do that!) and dissipate the fear.
The mental aspect of this problem affects you at a time where you need to be mentally solid, either at a competition or in the streets. In the local tournament circuit, you are bound to meet guys that have beaten you before multiple times and I know it sucks, but if you allow that fear to creep inside your head, well, you already lost. Not only are you questioning your own talents, but you are letting what happened yesterday affect your today...which I learned in this sport is NEVER good to allow. Believe in your hard work on the mats, and let your moil and toil do the talking.
How do we get better at jiu-jitsu? We have to disassemble our game, and what better time to do this than after a good ol' fashioned beating! That's what most of us don't understand, and in order to benefit from getting your ass kicked you have to look at it from this angle and this angle only. You won't believe how long it took me to figure this out, so listen up. Here it goes:
The guy/girl handing out ass whippings to you like a Jehovah Witness handing out pamphlets (no offense), is capitalizing on an obvious weakness of yours and usually utilizing a strength of his/hers.
Once you realize this, you will start to evolve. It is important that we have people like this in the gym and I will explain why. Jiu-jitsu is a sport of a million techniques, and as you develop and progress in the sport it is imperative that you do not remain stagnant. If you do so, you will have 6-7 of these mat monsters to worry about, and you will probably end up quitting or getting your belt through the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu's online academy. You probably don't want that. So we must adapt and respond to the stimulus.
This adaptation is one of the biggest game boosters, and to me is the reason why we advance up the ranks. Because we all know, once you get past one mat monster, there will be another lurking around the corner...and then its back to the drawing board. Use these opportunities (butt beatings) as a learning experience and a chance to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. When I was stuck in these little ruts, I found that sometimes all I needed to do was switch from a exclusively guard heavy game to a top game. Or maybe I have to go in a different direction when turtling because the other way exposed my back. Think of it this way, if you were beating everyone in the gym you would think you had a perfect jiu-jitsu game...only to find out later at the BBQ that you're not the hot shot you thought you were. Not saying you should actively go searching for beatings, but when they do come...cherish them.
Avoiding and dealing with mat fear sometimes involves careful self-examination. Sometimes the issue can be completely ego based or a intrinsic fear or anxiety that you didn't even know you had. Maybe you don't like sweaty people or you're claustrophobic? Maybe you don't want to show weakness so rather than say, "hey man, you're going to rough I can't handle you at 100%", you get your face crushed...while simultaneously deepening your fear. Either way, there are a number of different steps you can take to alleviate and even prevent mat fear.
1. Put away your ego. Know when to tap, speak up, and/or stop.
2. Check with your psychiatrist. You might have moderate to severe anxiety (like me) or some other issue.
3. Ask questions. The mat monster probably knows exactly what you are doing wrong. If you don't want to ask him, talk to your professor.
4. Know your skill level. If the mat monster is a brown belt, and you are a white belt............I shouldn't even have to say anything. Roll hard with your own level, leave the higher belts for questions and flow rolls.
5. Make adjustments. If you notice the mat monster passing to your left, taking your back, or knee barring your left leg only. Figure out a way to adjust so that it doesn't happen. Best when paired with #3.
I hope I shined some light on a dark corner for some of you. I dealt with this problem for the longest time, and even threw a fit in class one day because a few higher belts were actually coaching my mat monster (gives me the shivers just thinking about it). Don't let it get that far, going home frustrated is the worse thing that can happen in this sport, because you only end up bringing it to class the next day. Remember, when someone is better than you they will always bring out the best in you because you know you have to either adapt, raise the intensity, or both! I hope you enjoyed the read and as always, Happy Training!
