Not being allowed to drink water when training?

**Romp** · Posted On: 2/05/2009 12:29am

Today was my first day on the matts in about 5 years. I've decided to take up BJJ again and get my fat ass back in to gear. I also recently (2 weeks ago) kicked my 14 year smoking habit. I'm still getting craves - but they are manageable.

Anyway, I went to the new BJJ gym, signed up and went at it. I had this blue belt guy with a rather large ego telling me what to do which was kind of annoying but managable. It was only warm ups anyway.

I noticed a few things he teached were significantly different and sometimes possibly even wrong from the information I was made aware of at various royler/rickson/barra seminars from back when I did used to train - but as it's been so long I did what I was told and shut up. It was amusing when the brown belt came in and told this blue belt guy he was doing something wrong - could see his ego hurt visibly in his face. He'd then tell us to do some stupid amount of anything to make up for it - anyway :

After about 30 minutes I was sweating more than I ever remember sweating before. I'm not sure if it's because it was 41 degress with no air con or because I am a whale compaired to my old self, but it was horrible. We were made to do 250 crunches, 50 squats, 50 pu's, su's and then jog. This is fine - no complaints to somebody that's capable and ready but I'd just walked in to the place. I was dead. I couldn't talk because my mouth was a desert. I needed a drink and my response was "No, not for another hours and a half". I was so dizzy I felt sick.

I was forced to dehydrate for what I am told was the purpose of "Endurance" but as far as my understanding is water enables a lot of stuff in your body to actually function properly when you are drinking it. Putting your body in to shut down mode just seems like a bunch of ****. I could have easily pased out.

Is this practise normal?

**Ka-Bar** · Posted On: 2/05/2009 12:46am

**** that. If you're that thirsty, go get a damn drink of water. What are they going to do? Make you do some push-ups? First of all, you were probably dehydrated to begin with, so make sure you drink plenty of water in the days and hours before you go back, but not too much too close to class. But if you ever feel that way again, apologize to your rolling partner, the instructor, etc. and go get some water. Nobody's ego, including your own, is worth getting seriously ill or injured over.

**LI GUY 1** · Posted On: 2/05/2009 12:58am

No water is retarded. If you are thirsty, get a drink. My bottle is always on the edge of the mat and I frequently take sips in class. Just don't make it an excuse to sit out of class and hang out on the sides.

you are a grown ass man! You want watr? Get water. If an instructor has a problem with it, explain to him nicely how the policy is retarded, then continue to drink your water.

**recourse** · Posted On: 2/05/2009 1:32am

Yeah I would quit a gym that tried to tell me when I could get a drink or not. You are the customer. I can understand if its in the middle of a 3 round sparring match but durning class? Whatever.

**codo3500** · Posted On: 2/05/2009 1:37am

I can understand not getting a drink during class, we aren't allowed to do that, too many students, and it causes too much distraction, we do however get regular water breaks.

**fanatical** · Posted On: 2/05/2009 1:54am

This is nonsense. The "no drinking" during class thing is usually maintained when an instructor has worked in drinking and rest breaks in between sessions of "studying". Some instructors do this on purpose, to keep everyone focused when you're supposed to learn, instead of 20 guys running around looking for their bottles at every opportunity.

But denying people water out of some toughness speech is bullshit. Anyone who has a brain knows this.

**Romp** · Posted On: 2/05/2009 2:53am

Thanks for the opinion guys, I seriously figured as much.

Here's wondering weather I should forward this thread to the guy that runs it and let him know about his annoying little pseudo-instructor egotist blue belt that likes to deprave his new students of the very thing that keeps them fucking alive.

**Lily** · Posted On: 2/05/2009 4:01am

Uh, no...unless you want to be a douche bag.

Man up. Turn up to training, keep your water bottle in an accessible place and go have a drink when you need to (I'm sure you have enough common sense to do it quickly and get back on the mats). Would be interesting to find out where you train but since Sydney is a pretty small place in terms of BJJ instructors you might just want to give the training a chance before burning your bridges.

You're in SYDNEY?!!! Come to the next Throwdown!

**Romp** · Posted On: 2/05/2009 4:40am

Originally Posted by Lily

Uh, no...unless you want to be a douche bag.

Man up. Turn up to training, keep your water bottle in an accessible place and go have a drink when you need to (I'm sure you have enough common sense to do it quickly and get back on the mats). Would be interesting to find out where you train but since Sydney is a pretty small place in terms of BJJ instructors you might just want to give the training a chance before burning your bridges.

You're in SYDNEY?!!! Come to the next Throwdown!

It was in Bondi :P I don't want to name names but that makes it pretty obvious.
And no, the head dude was not there, I'm sure if he was things would have been different as I've met him before and he's an amazing guy with an awesome personality.

I'm not going to burn bridges, I can't afford to. My only other feasible option is Manly and being that I'm in Newtown there's just no way I can get there.

I told this guy I was going for water and he said "No, you're not" - I said "Yes, I am" and he said "No, you're fucking NOT - Got it?".

Put yourself in my shoes. I wanted to flat punch this joker in the teeth. I snarled at him quite obviously and did the crunches he immediately told me to do. Al 250 of them.

He was a douche from the moment I walked in there. I think it's just one of them guys that needs to prove something.

What was funny was him trying to break my fucking jaw in a side-guard and asking me to "Try and escape" and I escaped instantly. Not a credit to my skill, a credit to his stupidity.

I'm ranting. I need to get over it.
Here hopes tomorrow is better.
I've been invited to a comp at Sydney uni on Sunday, is that the place you mentioned Lilly?

**Lily** · Posted On: 2/05/2009 4:48am

Good luck at the training, it has been so freaking hot in Sydney lately no instructor should be denying their adult students a quick drink of water. Even if you can have a chat to the instructor before class and mention that you're just getting back into training and hopes he doesn't mind if you have a quick drinks break between rounds etc.

Not the place I mentioned but are you competing or just going to support your club members?