So How Much Effort Have You Been Exerting Lately?

I want you to do a self-assessment of your training habits. Try to recall (in the last 30 days) how much effort you have exerted during training. Think about how much you have taken drills  Let’s talk about how much effort you exert in your training session with your coach. By effort, we do not just mean by the amount of force that you put on pulling off those arm bars, chokes, locks, et al. But how much thoughtfulness, perseverance, thoughtfulness you have placed in every drill, instruction and sparring.

Coach John  Wooden of UCLA has stressed the importance of exerting the right amount of effort. Not just physically, but also mentally.

Mental effort in Jiu-Jitsu consists of the following: decisiveness, top mental acuity, thoughtfulness, and introspection

 

Decisiveness in Jiu-Jitsu is very important. In every move, and in every match, we become decisive individuals. We decide how a match goes and how the pace follows. We decide the outcome of the match. Effort is required into being decisive.

Mental acuity is thinking speed. How quickly we react to every submission attempt is as very important. The greatest competitors always stress on the need to think on your feet. And the good news is, there are a lot of brain games that trains our brains to decide quicker. To be able to think on your feet all of the time will give you an edge over the competition.

Thoughtfulness. Do you often notice how your mind wanders about during training? Come on, you gotta be able to admit that it has happened once or twice during a training session. Thoughtfulness is as important as being physically prepared to take on an opponent. Getting your mind always in the game will always one of the first things that you can help you become the best in everything that you do.

After each match, after the ecstatic jeering, and celebration, take the time to do a bit of introspection. Putting a day off your training schedule to assess your performance is good. It’s like Formula 1 racing team heading back to the meeting room and mashing up new strategies. Remember to list down the things the things that you did great on the mats, and those that you think can be improved.

Activity for the Week

Get a notebook. Use this to have your own journal to list down your effort. How much effort you have exerted. Be honest and true. Write down how much thought you put during training. List down the things that you’ve learned and the things that you need to work on.

Jiu-Jitsu is not just about putting on a gi and sweating it out on the mats. It’s all about self-improvement and taking control of your mind. It’s about change and being better in every time you train. It’s about a path that our black belt professors took to experience change, enlightenment, growth. It’s about connecting with people whose goals in life are in line with yours. It’s about being a notch better because of the decision to exert the best effort.