Remember the reason you love jiu jitsu

Remember the reason you love jiu jitsu

Remember the reason you love jiu jitsu, that is the answer. Recently, a blue belt student of mine contacted me saying he was thinking about quitting training. Outside stresses were draining him and seeping into his BJJ training. He wasn’t having fun anymore. Recently, I had made a list of 40 fundamental movements of BJJ that I am making all my purple belt and under students take to make sure their foundation is solid and if not, so I can fix it. My student told me that taking this test reminded him of how much progress he had made and made BJJ fun for him again.

Many times during our jiu-jitsu journey, there are going to be bumps in the road. Many, many bumps. Quitting will often creep into a student’s head during these bad times. You will hear your professor or instructor and even your teammates tell you that you have to work through it but sometimes, that is easier said than done. If you are going through one of these times, my suggestion is to try to start to just have fun again. Don’t worry about belts, stripes, how many times you are finished or finished your training partners. The key is to try to remember yourself as a white belt. What was it about jiu-jitsu that you fell in love with? What is the reason that hooked you on this art? That feeling is what you need to recapture and start by doing what you used to do then.

There will be pitfalls

On top of that feeling, try to remember that any frustration that you are feeling about your training is what is so great about BJJ. Training pitfalls and lows spark growth and are what will make you better. Our lows points are a lesson and are there so we can come out of it a better martial artist and person. Our lows tell us what are our weaknesses and what to work on. It is important that we do not avoid these weaknesses. We can never succeed until we fail first, that is one of life’s biggest lessons. Never stop showing up, learn to enjoy every aspect of your journey. Like my good friend Rafael Lovato Jr. says “without the lows, the highs wouldn’t feel half as good.” 

Lastly, remember that BJJ is not a video game, you can never master it. There is always going to be a new position, new submission, new style to learn and try to conquer. The key is to keep the mind of a white belt and have fun.

See you on the mats. oss.