By: Greg Lapin Let me preface this ramble with: I am not a black belt. I am a 41-year-old, past his prime purple belt. With that being said, most would agree that I am not your average, washed up, 41-year-old purple belt. I’ve lived a life in Law Enforcement and Government Special Operations, I am extremely fit for my age and I train under some of the most monstrous Professors and teammates around. The mat is an interesting petri dish of personalities, intensities, respect, honor and humility. What are the rules of the mat? Sometimes they’re clear and others not so clear. This is my take—maybe not the correct one—but what I feel is the ultimate blend of hard rolling, respect and willingness to eat some humble pie. First date: you go visit another gym. All standard formalities are important, i.e. call the Professor ahead of time, show up early, ask about gi/gym policies, bring a white gi, be ultimately humble and respectful. Remember, you are a guest dining around a table of sharks. However, I want to focus more on the rolling/sparring aspect of things. If you’re slapping and bumping into every roll with the ultimate goal of tapping […]