Short BJJ Thoughts Outside of Class

From the casual practitioner to the seasoned veteran competitor, thinking about BJJ should not stop when you leave the academy. Mental practice is extremely beneficial and important for the development in your jiu-jitsu. Nobody goes to train for the sake of just training, everybody trains to get better in some aspect of their life, whether it be for physical health, confidence, self-defense, etc... It's important that the light bulb does not turn off when you leave the school. BJJ for me is many things, one important aspect for me is, if I'm stressed about my day to day life and I need to keep my mind occupied by something else, I just need to think about a position or technique I need work and right away my stresses begin to dissipate. It's a helpful technique, try it out.

I know I've touched on this before, but it seems to tie in here as well. It's the focus about getting belts over learning solid technique. I have seen a trend where people get so focused on obtaining belts that improving technique is no longer an important goal, the belt is. Thinking about the technique when you leave class rather than the belt will allow you to reach that promotion more quickly than worrying about the color of your belt. At the end of the day, the time you put in on the mat AND outside the academy will get you to obtain your goals.

My wrestling coach from high school always said "If you stay, you will be a champion" and I believe that is true for at least my academy and for many others. If you stick around long enough, put in the time and effort, things will pay off. I'm not saying that you will one day be a black belt mundial champion, but you will obtain benefits far beyond what you believed was possible, and that's the "championship" you will obtain.