How many of us have that Jiu-Jitsu dream of earning their black belt and opening a school? You wake up early in the morning and unlock the door to a school with your own name on it. Then you flip the light switch on, illuminating the mats to get the training sessions for the day started. I am definitely on that list of dreamers. Competing so much has kept that dream at the forefront of my mind, that and working a dreaded day job.
What does it take to make that happen though? While some might just see an entrepreneur, with a passion for grappling and business; you see and feel the thousands of hours of training and grinding that it took to make this dream come true. Not just on the mats, but off the mats as well. Lost relationships, physical sacrifice, mental stress, financial strain for some, all of these and so much more go into paying those dues.
What it really comes down to is how bad do you want it?
Is it worth saving up for years, going through all the physical pain and suffering, and spending time that you will never get back in order to achieve a level of knowledge worth paying for? To me it absolutely is all worth it, that is why I trust the process and follow the grind. To some though, I feel the dream either fades or it gets harder to see over the years of training. You quit training, life gets in the way, or sends you down a road you didn’t anticipate. Ten plus years of one goal can be very hard to stay focused on, but well worth the reward.
Whatever your Jiu-Jitsu dream is, don’t give up on it. IBJJF World Championship? ADCC World Championship? Or just be in shape and know how to defend yourself? It doesn’t matter how different it is from other’s dreams, all that matters is you never give up on it.
IBJJF No-Gi Pan-American Championships are coming up next month. Its going to be a tough camp and a slightly steep weight cut to light-feather. More details for that coming soon!
Next week I will be interviewing Ashley Webb from Team Rivas BJJ. She is an IBJJF World Champion, purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu, and an awesome training partner. Stay tuned for that!