This to everyone who wants to go to your gyms open mat but doesn’t know what to do there, also to everyone who hangs out on the mat after class that does’t drill or roll or work out in any fashion. Use your time appropriately!! The schools mats are not there for you to socialize, do that off to the side, they’re meant for you to train on.
First let me talk about open mat. I’m sure your school has them a few times a week, here at IveyLeague MMA in Annapolis we have plenty of open mats scheduled. You may say to yourself there won’t be anyone there to train with, well I assure you that if the gym is open their will be at least one person there to train with. You may ask yourself I don’t know what I want to drill or work on, easy work on your schools curriculum. I know some people don’t like to test as white belts, I’m one of them, but it doesn’t mean you don’t need to work on those moves. If they weren’t important they wouldn’t be on the curriculum. Also, you can always do basics if your interested in getting good you’ll never stray away from the basics. If all else fails ask you coach, I do it all the time and guess what? He tells me what I should work on. Now lets say you’re the one holding the open gym and no one shows what do you do? I can tell you I do a lot of solo drills; Double leg shots, triangle shots, bridging, shrimping, etc etc.
For those of you hanging out on the mats, I understand you just got done a hard workout all you want to do is talk with your teammates. I get it and encourage it, I love my FAMLI. But there is a time and place for it. I was having this conversation with a black belt at the gym and he told me he used to have a sign up that read If you have nothing to do don’t do it here. It stuck with me, as should it with you. If your not ready to leave the mats grab someone and drill. Don’t be shy just ask if you can try something out on them, they’ll say yes.
