A though for those starting their BJJ journey – A competitor’s BJJ journey is long and tough. Those on the journey will be moulded by their experiences, remember you are the books you read and the people you associate with.
This is why the right start is so important. There are many things to consider and skills to learn. Some of these will involve harsh lessons but they will all be valuable lessons, as the hardest opponent we will face is ourselves.
Everybody finds time to focus on nutrition and conditioning. This is only one piece in the puzzle and to my mind one of the most irrelevant. Over the years I have seen many old pro’s in a number of sports handing out lessons to younger fitter models, yes I know they have conditioning from all those years of training but I think we can agree that their best years are well behind them.
They can do this because they have the mental toughness that comes from exposure to the Furness. In short, they have changed from Iron into Steel and this happens in the brain not in the biceps. The key it seems is not to focus on how to fight another fighter but to focus on how you are going to go into battle, no matter who you are against or where. This is much harder than it first sounds, as you will only achieve this if you are prepared to face your own fears and for most of us these fears are irrational. The reality is usually less painful than the fear, through repeated exposure we usually realise this.
If we do this over and over we will gain the confidence to behave like a competitor should and we will inspire others to behave the same. Lastly remember a good competitor is nothing without a good team/family to love and support them for it is that along with nutrition and conditioning that will give us the confidence and strength to be a champion.
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