Your Number One Job as a Gracie Barra Lakeway Jiujitsu Student

Jiujitsu is hard.

I’ll start off with this very important fact because the reality is, as soon as you embark on the jiu-jitsu journey, you’re in for a very exciting, albeit very challenging journey ahead.

At first, you’ll start off with enthusiasm. You’ll learn as much as you can learn to the point where you’re drinking water [jiujitsu information] from a firehouse. It’s almost too much, too soon and things seem insurmountably complex.

When people get lost, they get discouraged.

“Jiujitsu isn’t for me.”

“Professor isn’t helping me with XYZ”.

“I’m stuck and I don’t have help.”

These are all common issues with EVERY jiu-jitsu school. No jiu-jitsu school is immune to burnout, negative feelings and in extreme cases, toxicity. These negative issues exist for ONE PRIMARY reason –You forgot the most important thing…

There’s an incredible book I read (multiple times) called the “Secrets of a Millionaire Mind”. It’s an incredible book on mindset disguised as a financial guide. And in that book, there’s a quote that will FOREVER stick with me. And this quote is my guide for how I solve EVERY problem whether jiu-jitsu or non-jiu-jitsu related.

“If you are not where you need to be, there’s something you just don’t know.”

Read that again.

If you are not where you want to be, there’s something you just don’t know.

This is the truth for EVERY jiu-jitsu practitioner. Not just people struggling with burnouts, plateaus or even ill-feelings about their teammates and training partners. This is also true for the students who are enjoying themselves, having the time of their lives. Let’s face it, when you know what you need to know, life is on easy mode.

That is until, you discover the next problem. And you when you discover this next problem, your number one job is to learn something so that you can figure out a solution.

In jiu-jitsu, as in life, solutions to problems are discovered through knowledge. Either A), you execute existing knowledge or B) you acquire knowledge so that you can execute.

In both cases, knowledge requires executions in order to effectively break through barriers. But, in jiu-jitsu, just as in life, solutions to current problems always open up new opportunities. New opportunities require new solutions to problems… And so goes the endless cycle of leveling up in Jiu-jitsu.

Gracie Barra Lakeway Jiujitsu Students First and Foremost Responsibility: To Learn

 

So, that brings us to the most important part of being a jiu-jitsu practitioner (and not just a Gracie Barra Lakeway Jiujitsu practitioner). The one thing you need to ALWAYS PRIORITIZE is being a student.

Being a student is the single most valuable tool you will ALWAYS have in Jiu-jitsu, whether at Gracie Barra  Lakeway Jiujitsu or elsewhere.

If you are not where you need to be, THERE IS SOMETHING YOU DON’T KNOW.

 

Each and every problem you encounter will revolve around solving a particular problem and you won’t solve that problem without the right knowledge.

So, how do you attain that knowledge?

First off, show up to class. The more classes you make, the more knowledge you attain. Training volume is the single most important thing you can do to gain more knowledge and while being able to execute in live situations.

Secondly, ask questions.

I have problems asking for help. As I grow older, I realize that in order to solve my own problems, I need to ask for help.

“Closed mouths don’t get fed”.

This is an important concept to consider.

If you’re not asking questions, nobody will know you have a problem. Your ability to effectively communicate with your teammates and your instructors will move the needle exponentially in the direction you want to go.

SO ASK QUESTIONS!

On this note of communication, if you want to maximize your learning, communicate with your training partners about ways to maximize your knowledge during a training session.

Tell your training partners your goals: “Hey, I want to work on XYZ” or “Hey, I’ve been having trouble with ABC, can you try doing this so I can figure it out?”

When two training partners are on the right page, the whole world opens up with new opportunities to maximize your training.

Student First Philosophy at Gracie Barra Lakeway Jiu-jitsu

My philosophy here at Gracie Barra Lakeway Jiujitsu is to create an environment where students prioritize learning above all else. When you are lost, when you feel stuck, when you don’t understand a concept or technique, ask yourself, what do you need to learn to overcome this particular problem?

When you prioritize learning, EVERY SINGLE challenge in your journey becomes much simpler.

Just remember… If you’re not where you want to be….

There’s either something you do not know OR something you ALREADY know but are not applying.