I understand when some people get discouraged about their slow progress in BJJ.
Life gets in the way (or some virus in the case of 2020).
They can’t train as much as they want.
Or maybe they’re training hard enough, but they haven’t reached where they want to reach.
You work on some new techniques, and you feel like you can’t execute them properly.
It’s a common feeling when you’re a white belt.
And when you’re a blue belt.
And when you’re a purple belt.
And… yep, when you’re a brown belt as well.
Will this feeling ever go away when you finally become a black belt?
Nah, it’s going to be the same. You will know how to be OK with that feeling, and you just keep training, though.
If you feel discouraged because your peers seem to be doing much better than you (i.e., That guy got a black belt in 4 years! Those teens are killing seasoned black belts in no-gi competition scenes!)…
I get it, but I’d still suggest you to focus on your own progress.
Competitions are cool, and they are great tools for your growth. But if your sole reason for practicing BJJ is to compete against others and to beat them, you might get burnt out pretty quickly.
Of course, if that’s really what you want, I’m not going to stop you.
But overall, I believe it’s much healthier to focus on sharpening your skills. Because… both the bad and good news is that there’s no end to this process. No one will ever truly master every aspect of BJJ. It’s a journey without an end.
Plus, BJJ will always be here unless you go away and stop practicing it.
(Again, if you choose to stop practicing it, that’s absolutely fine, but my biased view is that it’s pretty difficult to find something as comprehensive as BJJ in terms of what it can offer.)
Keep practicing, and trust me, your skills will improve if you actually care enough about improving your skills rather than just trying to beat some people in your gym.
Once you reach a black belt, that belt is likely to be the belt you will hold longer than other belts.
I will keep repeating this…
… but make sure to enjoy your entire learning process because that’s the best thing about practicing BJJ.
BJJ Will Not Go Away
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