Posted on by leticiamedeiros

GB Values: Be grateful to be able to train!

As around the GB Network, many Gracie Barra schools have been given the okay by local government to reopen with precautions, Jiu-Jitsu students are eager to get started again. The timing may vary depending on your location, but there is optimism for reopening in many places and yours is coming.
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At different times in our Jiu-Jitsu journey we will be prevented from going to Jiu-Jitsu class. In addition to the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, there are other life factors that can prevent us from getting to the GB school. Students may have to suspend classes temporarily in order to focus on studying when exams approach. The same applies to periodic spikes in your monthly or seasonal work demands.
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And there are also periods when due to physical injuries or illness, we are prevented from getting on the mats at all until that injury heals. These can be frustrating times as we feel as though our hard won skills are melting away as we sit idle. Additionally, without the outlet of a physical workout, we feel mentally restless and have no way to release our stress. Life’s problems always seems more manageable after a few rolls doesn’t it?
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It is at these times that we feel that we most miss Jiu-Jitsu and miss how going to class makes us feel.
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It is important to remember how we feel grateful to be able to train at other times during our Jiu-Jitsu journey.
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What does this mean?
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In our regular lives, we must balance many different responsibilities: school, work, family, relationships, appointments, running errands and a million other things that most of us deal with. At times, training can feel like an obligation. After a hectic day of running around and putting out fires, having to drive to bjj class and train at night class can seem like another grim duty.
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“Ugghh. Now I have to go train!” Your shoulders slump and binge watching Netflix seems to be a more attractive option
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In those moments our motivation can be very thin. And it is at those moments, instead of sighing “I have to go train” we remind ourselves “I get to train today!”
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Recall the times when you badly wanted to get your gi on and couldn’t. This feeling might be particularly acute now after having spent several weeks in quarantine. You might even feel a little silly about times in the past where you skipped training because it felt like an obligation…and now you would do anything to get in a few rolls with your favorite training partners.
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Use that experience to change your attitude in the future to motivate yourself. Remember that there have been (and will probably be in the future) times when you want to train and can not.
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If you catch yourself thinking “Oh, I have to train today” reframe it and say “I am grateful to have the chance to train Jiu-Jitsu today.” That is a whole different attitude to going to Jiu-Jitsu!
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If you have been inactive for a period of time, NOW is the time to fill your gym bag and check the class schedule at your Gracie Barra school. Everyone else will also have been away and eager to get back in the swing of things. There is no better time to make a return to training and support your school and see your Jiu-Jitsu friends.
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Credits: Mark Mullen
Gracie Barra Black belt based in Asia