Keys to BJJ success
It is a combination of consistency and perseverance. The Black Belts may not have seen great results straight away or had much success at first, but they trained consistently, turned up for classes regularly and worked hard to reach their goals. Be consistent. Set a weekly training schedule and stick to it. If you miss a class, do an extra class to make it up. Individuals who train consistently will always perform better than those who train sporadically. You shouldn’t give yourself excuses for missing training. Make sure you pack your training gear the night before and take it with you to work or school. Plan your week around the training sessions you’ll attend. Do the 7pm class instead of the 5pm or 6pm class if you are stuck at work late. Be a good training partner. Be the person in the room who everyone wants to pair up with because they know they’ll benefit from the session and won’t get injured. Pay attention to the instructions from the coach so you’re partner doesn’t have to explain it to you again. Be a safe training partner who doesn’t go crazy and uses too much strength in sparring. By doing this you’ll find the other experienced members want to work with you and help you and you’ll progress faster. Don’t expect it to be fun all the time. BJJ can be a tough sport and you’ll go through classes or even periods of weeks where you don’t feel like you’re making progress but you really are. These times aren’t much fun but as an adult, we can’t just stop doing something that we know is beneficial for us just because it’s not fun. There are many benefits that come from your BJJ training. Fitness, confidence, the ability to defend yourself, and much more. It’s not worth throwing these away. Everyone can make progress and develop BJJ skills given the correct training environment. I have seen some of the most un-athletic people become talented grapplers just by sticking with it and following the system. BJJ is almost like a magical recipe that will allow anyone to be more effective at fighting regardless of their ability of level of talent. But this magic will only work if you do your part. That means training consistently. HOW TO STAY CONSISTENT IN YOUR TRAINING • Plan for your coming week on Sunday night make a firm decision about which classes you are definitely going to attend for the next week. • Commit to training a certain number of times per week and stick to it. • Keep track of your training and monitor it to make sure you aren’t slipping back into bad habits • Don’t make excuses or give yourself any reasons to fail and not achieve your goals SET GOALS AND STICK TO THE PLAN. DON’T RELY ON MOTIVATION. The truth is that you cannot rely on ‘motivation’ to get you to the gym. If you are serious about maximizing your potential in martial arts it will take years and years of consistent training, you will feel motivated maybe ten percent of the time but it will mean turning up to train on the other 90% of days when you don’t feel motivated. If something is important to you, you’ll find a way to do it. If something isn’t important you’ll find a convenient excuse so that you can avoid it.