You Can't Become a Black Belt Overnight!

Happy New Year!

I wanted to post a spacial note regarding long term goals today. It's a fact the vast majority of students who will enter a BJJ or any martial arts gym in the next 30 days will quit within weeks or months, never achieving much of anything in the art. Even more students will earn a Blue Belt or Purple Belt and then advance no more. A handful will train and focus long enough to achieve Black Belt. And a precious few will earn additional rank above Black Belt. But why is this?

I think one of the biggest detractors from martial arts success is first; "sacrifice". There is always a cost for success and it's name is sacrifice. You will give up certain things in life to make gains in other areas. Be sure to understand what is gained and lost in any situation before dedicating your time and effort to your goal.

Second a goal may be achieved; thus the drive to succeed further is lost. Some people begin martial arts study to learn to fight, win a championship or perhaps learn to teach their own classes one day. Everyone enters the studio with different goals in mind, well most students have a specific goal in mind (Do you?). I believe some students stop training because they feel they know enough, they won enough, they learned enough to get by. So it is important to support your long term goal, you must first create, write down and share your long term goal with others. This will create your why and help sustain your energy and focus your mind in trying times.

In my first year of training and competition I was injured in a no gi competition, I badly tore my shoulder. I could barely lift my hand above my shoulder and it was obvious major muscle damage had occurred. My training came to grinding halt but I still visited the studio weekly to watch and learn while I rehabilitated my shoulder. It took more than three months to get my shoulder working well again even longer before I could do a full push up once again. But I knew my long term goal was to earn my Black Belt and open my own school so I kept taking baby steps toward my goal even though I could not give it 100% physically, I still gave a 100% mentally.

This is the primary sibject of my post. Regardless of what your why is in this martial art you need to focus on the daily baby steps you take toward your goal. Jim Huling one of my favorite authors and bloggers writes about it this month. Jim calls it "consistent progress". It's my baby steps I take daily toward my ultimate goal.

I'm not going to earn my black belt over night but I might as well enjoy the daily routine and focus I give Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. If not I may wonder and stray off my path and lose sight of my goal. It's in the small things we learn to achieve the great things in our lives.

Over the last three years I have learned it's always the tiny nuances of a technique that make it work, a grip, a leg or foot position, your balance or your opponents balance. Learn to enjoy and relish the small things in yoour daily routine toward your ultimate goal.

Happy Training.

Kenneth Knapp
Owner
www.SanSooKids.com

Instructor - Children's Class
www.kungfusansooriverside.com

Student - Blue Belt - Two Stripe
Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu - www.bjjtraining.com