Got Blue-Jitsu?
Every journey has a sticking point, a place where the challenge is greater or perhaps the motivation is just lacking. This happens in all walks of life but perhaps matters most to us when we wake up and find it has happened to the thing we love.
My path in martial arts has been a little over 30 years now, and so I have had a few instances where I have lost my way, even to the point where I said to myself, right that's it, I'm done.
Fortunately I have manage to overcome these obstacles and moved forward to bigger and better things, actually I achieved my goals, all of them.
The reason I am writing this is because I can relate to that difficult period students find themselves in after the moment of elation has long since passed, that time you were promoted to Blue Belt!
Blue belt is synonymous with "a good level of grappling" compared with other martial arts (Judo, jiu jitsu, hapkido, Kudo etc) and still a bit of a status symbol in BJJ as the "breakaway moment". But like anything the excitement wears off and your rate of progression seems to slow, the stripes don't come quickly and those damn purple belts are running rings round you, not to mention that white belt who always gives me a really hard time rolling. Suddenly it's a little bit harder to get to class, things elsewhere are a little bit more important than they used to be and then it starts to slide.
Let me tell you that the point at which people quit is just where they were about to win, to leap up a level, break that plateau, they just gave in and up on themselves too early.
I'd like to say it gets easier, ha ha. For me it never has. I still find myself on brief peaks of "yes I'm getting better" and then deep troughs of "I am so shit at this". Perhaps it is in our nature as martial artists to always seek perfection, something we will never attain.
So a better way I have found is to rationalise your vision of yourself and your art. Ask simple questions - who am I comparing my jits to? (Usually someone who is awesome, like our two professors or a YouTube hero). How much training do they do in order to be that good? (Usually at least 15 hours a week, but possibly 36). Then ask how many hours do I do a week? (Usually 5 but maybe 3).
Now ask yourself what demands are you making for your jits? What do you say when you're fed up or pissed off? I should be able to... I ought to... I want to... It probably also revolves around beating someone else or moving up a stripe/belt.
Now you need to rationalise. Based on how much you train compared to your hero is it realistic to expect yourself to be as good as that other guy? Or is it realistic to expect you are able to pull off x move or beat that person?
Usually I have found the answer laughably is no.
Secondly you then need to replace that demand mindset with one of desire, take the pressure off yourself and start enjoying what you love. It's as easy as saying "I'd like to win .... But I know I can't control what they do, all I can do if focus on my stuff, my hip position and posture', or it might be "I'd like to train more but right now my work and family life is unpredictable, so I need to be ok with doing less training and just be really focussed on improving my knowledge when I am there".
Being realistic with your work load, and what you are capable of based on it, is a big thing to understand. The way you talk to yourself too is very important, be kind!
My last bit of advice is talk to your coach or a senior grade regularly, you'll find everyone experiences those lows, and it's learning to push through them or go around them that will better prepare you for the challenges a head both on and off the mat.
Always remember, if you never quit everything is possible.
Oss