This topic comes up with me almost on a weekly basis…..’how do I get better at Jiu-Jitsu?’, or ‘what tips can you give me to improve in Jiu-Jitsu?’. I always say: show up!
However, it’s a bit deeper than a pithy two word answer. I think we all need to back up, and think about what got us started with BJJ in the first place. What was YOUR reason? (self-defense, weight loss, change my vice, to quit smoking or drinking, to meet new friends and learn something new, focus, self-confidence……..)
What changed?
The Jiu-Jitsu didn’t change….
You see, the new people tend to be gung-ho for several weeks or months, and then…..something changes, and they begin to not come to class as often.
Miss a week, miss a month …and….poof…they are gone…The REASON this happens, is that they lost their emotion they originally had when they started training.
How do you keep the emotion?
I believe that you can make BJJ a PART of your LIFE! Plan your BJJ training, just like you plan your meals, your rent payment, your education, your sleep. Make it part of YOU!
Yes showing up is a huge part of getting better. But dig a little deeper into your psyche, and determine what it is that has taken you off of your Jiu-Jitsu Journey.
It’s not for everybody, for sure. But if you had a passion at one time, and you ‘slacked’ a little…..see if you can’t re-kindle that feeling you had before. And when you do ‘re-kindle’ that fire….stoke that fire by making Jiu-Jitsu a lifestyle, over simply another activity.
I have heard dozens upon dozens of my students over the years tell me how “Jiu-Jitsu made them a better person….Jiu-Jitsu saved my life….. Jiu-Jitsu makes life worth living…..I quit drinking because of Jiu-Jitsu,” and a litany of other of these same type comments.
I have yet to have someone say, “My life sucked, until I quit training Jiu-Jitsu!”
Those who have done this (and we all have), get back on the BJJ train. You will be glad you did.
Oss,
LDS