Win or Learn in Jiu-Jitsu
Win or Learn in Jiu-Jitsu
Win or Learn in Jiu-Jitsu is a statement by one of our Grandmasters, Carlos Gracie. For many it’s just a saying but it is indeed a way of life in BJJ that can be very beneficial if followed. When it’s over, focus on the why of the session. When sparring or a match is over, it tempting to just let emotion fill your mind. Joy if you performed well, sadness or frustration if you lost. That’s fine initially, but at some point you want to go into ANALYSIS. In order to improve, you must eliminate the mistakes made in previous performances. Even when you win you make mistakes. But the focus shouldn’t be about winning or losing, it should be about learning and your own personal growth. NEVER compare yourself to others, your journey is your own. This is a strong message we teach at Savarese BJJ (www.njbjj.com). Continual improvement is more about elimination of error than it is about addition of new moves or tactics. Learning new moves takes substantial time, eliminating mistakes can in most cases be done relatively quickly. Just as it’s easier to make a car go faster and perform better by making it lighter than it is to put in a new engine in order to make it more powerful, so too, removing errors is easier than adding new moves. Next time you’ve had a grueling training session or match, take the time afterwards to analyze your mistakes so that tomorrow you can begin the removal of errors that lower your current performance.
