The man in the mirror: Have you ever sparred with someone whose game was almost identical to your own? We spend so much time developing our own unique style of jiu jitsu – what happens when we run into someone whose game is almost a carbon copy of ours? It is actually a fantastic learning experience, albeit sometimes a frustrating one! It gives direct insight into the strengths and weakness of our own game, particularly in the area of our vulnerabilities to attack. In all my coaching experience I have never seen such closely matched grappling games as those between two former rivals, Georges St-Pierre and Jake Shields. Their styles are so closely matched that if they concealed their faces and wore identical clothing when they sparred, it would be a struggle to tell them apart! The whole thing looks like a computer chess program playing itself! For both athletes it represents much more than just a tough sparring session- it's a great way to look deeply at themselves and their game in the continual quest for improvement. Here both athletes relax after another tough session in preparation for their upcoming events
