Jiu jitsu on a crowded mat: When I began jiu jitsu the numbers of people per class were rather small. Jiu jitsu was seen a fringe art within the fringe activity of martial arts. The mats we worked out on were always small to keep costs low. As the sport expanded, the mats expanded – but so did the numbers of people on the mats. Most of my career teaching in NYC in my teachers school we averaged seventy to eighty people per class and when big events were coming up that often rose to over a hundred. As such, space was always at a premium. It's very important that you develop a sense of how to train in confined areas with other people right next to you so as to avoid unnecessary injury. When we began we had no sense of this at all and just crashed into each other and kept sparring. This led to injuries and anger. When you perform moves in a crowded mat you must have not only of where you START the move, but also where the move will END. So if you're about to sweep or takedown a training partner, you must mentally check where people are in relation to where your move will finish. Just as a good shooter never takes a shot at a target without first checking what is behind and beyond the target, so to a good jiu jitsu student always checks what's around before engaging a move that will send his partner with force in a given direction. CULTIVATE A SENSE OF WHATS AROUND YOU ON THE MAT. This will make you a responsible student. CULTIVATE THIS SENSE IN THE CLASS AS A WHOLE. This will create a safer training environment. I've been knocked out cold twice in my career by unintentional kicks to the back of the head while sparring in class (both times someone was thrown or swept and slammed feet down to the mat and my head got in the way) and I've seen numerous broken noses, chipped teeth and facial cuts along the way. Not only will this make you a safer jiu jitsu player, it will make you a better martial artist. Why? Because a great fault of many dojo trained martial artists when they fight in self defense is tunnel vision. Developing a keen sense of your immediate surroundings as you grapple with intensity is a great way to train yourself to see more than your opponent.
