Sunday, February 6, 2011

Changing from Iron to Steel

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.Image via Wikipedia


One Easy Step to Getting Your Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu…

For those of you interested, I have to apologize for the delay in my first entry of 2011.  I sarcastically left a ‘cliff hanger’ ending for 2010 and promised that my first post of the New Year would be my one-step secret to receiving your black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  I sometimes joke that life has a tendency to get in the way of the things we’d rather be doing.  It appears that the ‘New Year’ turned into February before I was able to sit down and get my thoughts typed up.  Ironically, that is sort of the point of my entry today, and how it relates to my “guaranteed method” of getting your black belt.

I know many of you would pay hundreds, or maybe even thousands for this secret… you may want to put away your checkbooks until you finished reading.

How do You do It?

In over 10 years of training in BJJ, this is probably the most common question I get asked.  From time to time former students of our gym will reappear and promise, almost as if they are convincing themselves, that they are going to get serious and start training again to get their next belt.  Some of these people started when I did, or were even higher rank then me when I started.  They’ll look down at the belt around my waist and ask “How do you do it?”  “Do what?” I’ll ask…  “How do you train everyday?”  Puzzled, I’ll just shrug my shoulders and pause for a moment, trying to think of something profound and inspiring to say.  However, all I can usually come with is “I just do it.”  The next part of the conversation usually proceeds with the person telling me about all the obstacles they have in the way of their getting to the gym to train.  Sometimes they’ll complain about the ‘long’ 20 to 30 minute drive to the gym… or perhaps their job… or maybe school… or perhaps a combination of all the above.

I started training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 1997.  I had just graduated college and decided to return to school to receive my teaching degree.  It was during this time that I became addicted to BJJ and here’s what a typical week looked like for me:  I worked 6 days a week at a golf course, doing manual labor on the maintenance crew from 5:30 am to 2:00 pm.  I would come home, shower and change real quick, grab my gi and head out the door to drive in rush hour to try and make it to the gym by 6 pm.  Training was usually from 6 pm to 8 pm every night (I took Friday nights off).  On my "day off" on Sundays I worked for my parents at their restaurant.

During fall and winter I would split my time between work AND school, but still maintained my training routine.  I just did it.

I loved BJJ and was addicted to learning and getting better.  I trained everyday because I wanted to.  There was never a question of “if” for me.  Of course things happen and people may have to put their personal lives on hold to take care of personal business, family matters, or other things that are more pressing. I was fortunate that my time was my own and I could do with it as I wanted.  And I wanted to train BJJ, so I “just did it.”  Nike made millions off a simple campaign that told wannabe athletes to “Just do it.”  I guess that’s what they meant.

Changing from Iron to Steel

All of this came into perspective for me a few years ago.  I was reading an interview with multiple time world champion, and Jiu Jitsu great, Saulo Ribeiro.  In the interview Saulo talked about the change in his Jiu Jitsu that made him take the next step to elevating his competition game.  The following was his answer and something that I have kept with me for years:

“Iron is a common element: soft, malleable, and easily broken.  The fire is the years of hard work, and the dedication, and the daily routine of training when you get on the mat, or go to a tournament, even though you might not feel like it.  But when you stay in the fire long enough, it changes you without you really being aware of it.  One day everybody is tapping and then you realize that you’ve turned from iron into steel.”

After some research and reading it seems that I found the statement Saulo was quoting and paraphrasing to fit for Jiu Jitsu. A famous Yogi, Paramahamsa Satyananda, was known to say that his disciples learned nothing if their lives were easy and free from troubles.  An easy life is like pure iron, soft and easy to break down and with no growth.  However, steel is much stronger because of the impurities in it.  Like steel, we need to go experience the ‘impurities’ to make us stronger in life.  The impurities give us confidence as well as a strong mind and spirit. 

We do so many things during the day that we don’t even think of, because we know it’s a necessity… We just do it.  Jiu Jitsu was always the same for me.  It was something that I never questioned “if” I wanted to do it.  I just kept going, there was no thought behind it.  It became a part of my daily routine, like going to school or work.  For me, it was something I had to do.  There were definitely times that I was tired, sore, or injured, but taking time off just seemed unnatural to me and was never an option.  Those are the times that you must push through and drag yourself to the gym.  So, if I could give you one advice for getting your black belt it's this: Just do it... Don't quit.  You must be willing to not only face the impurities but welcome them and the impurities of training consistently.  

These are the situations that create an opportunity for learning and growth, and take you through the fire of changing you from iron to steel. 
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Sunday, December 26, 2010

Setting New Goals in the New Year

Focus on One Area of Your Game

With the new year approaching, it serves as a great time to step back for a moment and reassess your BJJ game.  Like most of us, your gym will be closed for a few days over the holidays and you will be too busy making the cross-town travels visiting family and attending the usual parties with friends.  Realistically, you may not step back on the mats until 2011.  Now would be a good time to take a moment and pick one area of your game that you would like to focus on and improve.  The trick to this exercise is picking an area you are NOT good at already.

Think of your typical sparring session in the gym.  If you are a great guard player, how often do you find yourself pulling your sparring partner in your guard and working your vast array of chokes and sweeps until you are able to finish them from that position.  Only to start again and end up in the same position?  What happens if you are now matched against someone who may have an even better guard game, or is especially great at passing the guard?  You find yourself in an uncomfortable position and unable to work your usual game.  Again, pick an area of your game you may not particularly like to drill from and make it a point to work on it.  That is truly the only way to get better.

I may have mentioned this quote before, but I often think of it when people talk about how great someone is from the guard, or they can guillotine anyone from any position.  Rickson Gracie said something along the following: "You have guys that are great at an armbar from the guard.  They can catch anyone in this position, and they are a 'black belt' at the armbar from the guard.  But once you pass their guard and mount them, they are defenseless."

Allow yourself to learn to become a black belt in every position and situation.

Back in 2011


The Mental Dojo will be back in 2011 and my first entry for the new year will be a ground breaking one...  I will teach you the one secret to getting your black belt.  That's right, you heard it correctly... ONE thing you need to know to get your black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  I could charge thousands of dollars for this secret, but I will be giving it away free for a short time in the new year.