Do you turn down sparring requests?

I don't but I train where few people wish to roll. I'll tap a 14 year old kid with an armbar and then go and fight for triangles and omoplatas against a guy 25lbs heavier
 
The only time I turn down sparring requests is if I'm trying to leave and a lower rank asks, if I'm trying to leave and a higher rank asks well then I get home late.
 
I am glad our instructor pairs us off for every roll. There is no turning down rolls ever by anyone.

I have had several guys groan at having to roll with me (because of the size difference- I am 200# and a "rough" roll- or so I am told). Most days I am average size or even small, our gym is full of big guys. But some days I am the biggest guy there, and if we had to pair off, I would never get a round in.

Also, my mentality would be wrong, I would always seek out guys better than me. The instructor pairs us off so we all get a good mix of big, small, inexperienced and experienced.

It is the best way.

Oh, and no way I would ever turn down a roll based on size or being tired. Being gassed is a horrible excuse to turn down a roll. That's when you should be rolling. At our school, our instructor will often pair the spazzes off with each other and then put them with the tougher guys in later rounds to demonstrate a point... why are you so much more tired than the guy you are rolling with? Whose fault is it that you spazzed in rounds 1-3? Now you have to pay the consequences of spazzing.
 
only 1 person. long history with him, and he is an extremely disrespectful guy, who has an easy 70lbs on me, and has gone out of his way to try to hurt people to "teach them a lesson" so I just stear clear. If he asks why I always seem to avoid him, I just say "it does just SEEM that way" and I leave it at that. Mind you, I have never been on the receiving end of his rage, but his sheer lack of respect for others, seals the deal for me to never engage with him.
 
I've only turned down rolling with someone who didn't participate in the class and wanted to roll with me after I had already done two rolls that night. He was obviously trying to angle so he could crush me while I was exhausted.
 
I don't roll with dudes who don't wear shirts on nogi nights.
 
HardEight said:
I don't roll with dudes who don't wear shirts on nogi nights.
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Aw man, I hate that shit. I will tell a guy to get a shirt, but usually my instructor will say something before I have to.
 
when i first started i gave up during sparring because i was so fucked (yeeeeeeears of blazing, sheesha, no cardio, etc)
then someone else told me that its disrespectful to quit half way through sparring.

now sometimes when im sparring im so fucked i can hardly breathe, and all i can do is just lay down and literally watch as they take mount. then all i can do is just lay there and catch my breathe while i try to defend my neck etc.

a lot of the time i ask the instructor if i can sit out a round of sparring (ive cut down smoking, and started to do some cardio) and they say of course, sometimes they even give me a break when they see how fucked i am.

when im tired, but i can still breathe, ill go for the next one though.

as for turning down a sparring request, i dont think i ever have. even if i am fucked, i will still let the other person train on me. there might be a reason or he has something in mind he wants to work on or whatever. i just tell them im completely fucked (not that it isnt obvious)
 
The idea of martial arts is for a smaller, weaker person to be able to beat others with skill. Ducking people because they are bigger or more athletic goes against this. Ducking more skilled people doesn't make any sense either because there is plenty to learn from them. While it's not a good idea to always be training with people who roll dangerously, it can be a good test once in a while. I feel that the only good reason to roll with someone is outrageously poor hygiene. Getting sick from rolling with someone isn't worth it.
 
If I don't feel like rolling, I just don't roll. I have never picked a partner out of my own choice, so I roll with everyone regardless of size or belt. I just don't like to roll with people who have injured me before.
 
No, not really. But I'm not under a situation of unlimited training partners and limited time. If one of my teammates wants to roll with me I always say yes, regardless of size, or even if it's a white belt. I view that as a teaching experience to give to the newer students. From my own perspective, I'll seek out the most skilled training partners to roll with, also regardless of size.
 
I dont remember ever turning down a roll. I like rolling with all types of people and when I feel gassed I always try to go one more to test myself. The only exception would be two days before a tournament. If a blue belt or higher wants to roll I ask them to flow roll and if a white belt asks I'll roll normal.
 
I don't turn down anyone... which sucks because we have some big people in class.
but....
Looking back i was "the spazzer" but i've calmed down alot since i've been deployed doing jujitsu so hopefully when i get home people will see that and roll more with me. I was just a guy who out cardio people then put pressure on them.
 
I never turned anyone down since I started BJJ, but after 3 injuries this month I am wondering if I should start. Two of the injuries were from rolling with the same guy.
 
At our school, our instructor is a BB under Carlson Gracie Jr., we kind of have the same mentality of roll with everyone. However I am easily the smallest consistent guy that shows up at 165-170lbs besides the instructor. The next smallest guy has about 30-45lbs on me except for some of the MMA guys whose weight can fluctuate greatly depending on a fight coming up but either way not lower than my own. At times I will be asked to roll by one of the guys that weighs 290 or so, so we are talking serious weight and if my body just isn't feeling it due to just normal wear and tear ill decline.

To an extent I agree that rolling with everyone helps but when you're giving up more than 100lbs you can only do that so often without running the risk of an injury unless you want your opponent to go easy on you and I just hate that.
 
I don't turn down rolls. I have the same mentality as the TS and my current situation reflects part of the reason why. I have to be very diligent in asking people repeatedly to roll with me because (at 200 lbs) people will always say "i'm too tired" (they don't say the "you're too heavy" BS and I appreciate that because I'm a guard player and I don't crush people with KOB. In fact, I soften up my top game on lower belts or lighter guys partially because I have a hard time getting people to roll with me). Right now, I'm preparing for a tournament and I'll have to beg people to roll so that I can properly train. That scenario is not good for you, your training partners, or your school. Everyone should be helping everyone. If you don't want to roll hard, you can agree to do flow drills.

I have trained with guys much bigger than me and gotten smashed and much smaller guys and gotten smashed. As quoted somewhere, the three types of rolls you need to develop are (1) dominate (2) get dominated and (3) relative parity. I don't get enough of 2 actually, but jump at the chance to roll with guys that give me problems. Still, it's a different situation when a higher belt asks a lower belt to roll. I don't think a lower belt should be permitted to turn a roll down unless they're not rolling at all that day (b/c of injury, otherwise).

Oak said:
I never turned anyone down since I started BJJ, but after 3 injuries this month I am wondering if I should start. Two of the injuries were from rolling with the same guy.
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This is my one qualifier where I think it's ok. There's a guy at our gym (blue belt that weighs like 225 or so and is FREAKISHLY strong even for that weight). He is also agile and has popped my ribs before. Sometimes, I will refuse to roll with him but that's about it. I may, if exhausted to the point of puking, say I need to wait a round. I don't turn down rolls.

then again, I'm not doing what Oli is and think that's understandable. If I'm Roger Gracie training for the Mundials and some chump blue belt calls me out, I'm not going to waste my time. this goes back to the fact that a higher belt should have the right to turn down a lower belt, but not vice versa.


For this reason, I like the way that Jacare does it at Alliance in Atlanta. He calls out all the sparring partners. I wish more instructors would do this. "Ian go with X bluebelt" ... what are you going to say? I'm not rolling today. Fine, get off the mats. After class, open mat ensues though and I guess you revert to the same issue, but that's AFTER class is over and everyone's wrecked.
 
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if someone actually fucks you up somehow are you guys too scared to just tell them?

if you have a problem with something someone is doing why cant you just say it?

lots of people are talking about someone who injured them a lot, or injures many people

why dont you just TELL THEM

why cant you just say 'i would but last time you... bla bla bla' (add 'like a dick' if needed lol)

they might not realise it, or they might think they are doing something good.

think about how many small things you never knew soon enough.

if they are on your team youll be helping everyone out, short and long term effects

i think a lot of it might be from your own attitudes

if someone is cranking something maybe you are trying to muscle out if stuff when its too late

if someone holds something maybe you should have just tapped sooner

im not accusing anyone of anything of course, im just saying there are things everyone should consider about themselves first

wouldnt you rather just tap a hell of a lot more, but not be injured? or am i missing something
 
I'd like to thank everyone on this thread.

I went to both judo and sparring today, basically 2.5 hours of pure beatings. The gym was, according to the thermometer, 97 degrees. It was terrible.

I was done with the first few sets of rolls, situational sparring, etc (after the full judo class) and just didn't feel like I had anything left to give. I sat on the wall, hoping I'd somehow not be called for the next groupings. When I was called though, I looked at the guy, thought of this thread for some reason, and kept rolling.

Everything that happened after that was incredible. I was still tired, barely could do anything, but for some reason stuff started to click in a way that it hadn't all night.

So, thanks....I didn't turn down the roll.
 
Jagcorps_esq said:
I'd like to thank everyone on this thread.

I went to both judo and sparring today, basically 2.5 hours of pure beatings. The gym was, according to the thermometer, 97 degrees. It was terrible.

I was done with the first few sets of rolls, situational sparring, etc (after the full judo class) and just didn't feel like I had anything left to give. I sat on the wall, hoping I'd somehow not be called for the next groupings. When I was called though, I looked at the guy, thought of this thread for some reason, and kept rolling.

Everything that happened after that was incredible. I was still tired, barely could do anything, but for some reason stuff started to click in a way that it hadn't all night.

So, thanks....I didn't turn down the roll.
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Nice job man. Always do that. You'll be in better shape than ever. My gym is about 100 degrees, since we don't turn on the AC there. I stay the whole time and never turn down a chance to roll. I always see it as a chance to get better.
 
Jagcorps_esq said:
Everything that happened after that was incredible. I was still tired, barely could do anything, but for some reason stuff started to click in a way that it hadn't all night.

So, thanks....I didn't turn down the roll.
Click to expand...

I find that this is a huge advantage or rolling tired and/or with a stronger opponent... you MUST use technique/leverage or you will not succeed. It forces you to do what you are supposed to.

In terms of not turning down the roll... fantastic.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
 
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