Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Mat Burn, and Life Lessons Part 1

The following statement is 100% true. I absolutely love Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I thank God for the opportunity to train. It's not unusual for me to tell people when they inquire about it that taking up BJJ is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I would also say the only thing I regret is not starting sooner, but the more I think about it I've decided that's not really true. As strange as it is to say I feel like on a day in May 2013 at 32 years of age, and in some of the worst shape of my life I picked the perfect time to start. Before I go any further I think a little bit of background is necessary here just so you can see where I'm coming from. First where I train is Stout Training Pittsburgh which is an affiliate of Team Renzo Gracie. The Gracie name is synonymous with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Renzo is an absolute legend. The man would take on any challenger regardless of the odds for or against him. The head of our academy Warren Stout earned his black belt from Renzo, and on top of being an excellent teacher was/is one hell of a competitor in his own right as a Division I collegiate wrestler, and high level BJJ practitioner. I met him by chance at work, and later met some other members of the academy, and desperately wanted to join myself. I even told one of my good friends about it who wound up joining up long before I did ironically. It took me roughly two years to actually finally begin my training. The reasons (excuses) I had for not joining initially sounded valid. The class times didn't work with my work schedule, I wasn't sure if I could afford it, I wanted to try to get into some sort of shape before starting because you know...fat guy over here. That's what I would tell Warren, and my friends who knew how much I wanted to try it, and they'd believe me. The fact is I was lying through my teeth. I was scared to death of looking stupid, and failing. However 2013 turned out to be a year of changes for me, and one of them was facing the fear and choking it unconscious (that was a semi subtle BJJ reference). I actually look back at my first day and I have to laugh at myself. I couldn't finish the warm up, and by the end of the class I was so exhausted I needed help to stay upright and get off the mats. One of the instructors saw this and said "come on man don't die you'll be alright". Fast forward a few weeks and I'm sorta kinda finishing the warm ups it's taking a while but it's happening. Thus begins the first life lesson BJJ has been teaching me that being perseverance. The word Perseverance means "steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success". In our culture we're always looking for the shortest easiest path to success, and in some instances that's not a bad thing after all nobody wants to deal with unnecessary complications. As you grow wiser though you start to realize their are no shortcuts in life. In the context of learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when it comes to technique and position you have to drill it until you get it. At times a change in approach will become necessary, but the fact remains you won't get it unless you work at it continuously. Some people will get it faster than you do but that doesn't matter. You can't worry about that you have to do whatever it takes for YOU to get it. If you have to drill 1000 times what took your teammate drilling 50 times to learn then just do it. What matters is that when it's said and done you got it. I've begun to take this same mentality into work with me. I'm learning several new job functions, and I want to be good at them now, but not all of them are coming easily for me. However I'm sticking with it I'm doing what I need to do in order to master these task. In the same way I'm confident that in a fight between me now, and me in May 2013 the me now would win easily. I know that compared to when I first started learning my new responsibilities at work I can do them way better than that first day. That's just a small example but it's a nice segue to my next point. I don't have the specific numbers or anything but I think it's still safe to say when most people say that they do martial arts they mean Karate. I'm not going to get down on Karate don't worry I actually have a special place in my heart for it and respect anybody who really sticks with it. In most cases those who stick with it go from white belt (beginner) to black belt in around two years or so. That's true in the USA anyway home of the McDojo (C.S. Kim anyone). In some of the more traditional dojo's it will take a good bit longer than that for most but they are the exception rather than the norm. In BJJ it is quite the opposite. Unless your name is BJ Penn it will most likely take you anywhere from ten to fifteen years if not longer to earn your black belt. Of course there are some amazing people like the aforementioned BJ Penn who earn their black belts in a shorter time period but they are again the exception rather than the norm. In BJJ it's all about the journey so be patient, stay humble, and enjoy the process. Let me repeat that last phrase be patient, stay humble and enjoy the process. This society is very goal oriented, and I don't think that is really a bad thing. From the time you start primary school you're told to set goals for you life then you're asked what you want to be when you grow up, or where do you want to be by the time you're 30, and so on and so forth. In my experience though I think too much emphasis is placed on the goal itself, and not enough on the process it takes to get there. I also believe that when you meet said goal it's not the end but the beginning of the next part of your journey. With each milestone in BJJ or life it's a good thing to look back at what you did on your way there right and wrong just take stock of it all. That can be very hard to do especially revisiting what you've done wrong in getting to where you are. I know personally I've struggled with wanting the rewards without having done the work. I'd get upset because it seemed so easy for other people. To use another BJJ related example I look at one of the other instructors at the academy. Mike Wilkins on top of being an excellent instructor is a professional Mixed Martial Artist. The two fights of his I've watched have one thing in common, and that's the fact that he made it look easy. Despite what he may tell you, since Mike is a bit of a comedian, he didn't wake up that good. Those performances are the sum of countless hours in wrestling practice growing up, BJJ practice, boxing practice, strength and conditioning, dieting, and sacrificing time with his loved ones. When you take that into account it doesn't sound so easy anymore. In the workplace, and in life those who really make a difference tend to be the ones who put in the work. It may look easy on the surface, but perhaps that's the problem. We only see the fruit and never take into account the labor that went into producing that fruit. I know I've spent too much time in my life wishing I could do things rather than putting in the work, and doing them. Now though I'm driven to improve, and exceed even my own expectations in BJJ, and in life. I could go on forever about these lessons, but I think I've made my point. Not too mention there are many many more lessons about life I'm going to learn during my BJJ journey. So stay tuned because I plan on sharing them all as they come. Now if you would rather learn firsthand check out the links below for more information.

If you're in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area (including parts of Ohio and West Virginia) check out
www.stouttrainpitt.com

If you're not in the area, but would like to check out a Renzo Gracie affiliated Academy check
http://www.renzogracie.com/academies/affiliated/

If none of these are in your area then there are many other great affiliations like Gracie Barra, Alliance, and many more that probably are around.

Thanks for reading!