If you are currently training or thinking about training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, be sure of one thing: it will be a very long journey, so try to enjoy it as much you can.
Be patient, the time you will take to get from white to black belt is the same time that a person takes to do two university degrees. Some people will make the journey to becoming a good black belt faster than others.
Here are few tips to make your journey to Black Belt more enjoyable and faster:
1. Try to pay attention as much as you can when someone is explaining something to you. Jiu Jitsu is quite different to the other martial arts and there can be important details missed if only looking from one angle. Move around and try to grasp the little details as they will make a big difference on results.
2. Jiu Jitsu is a human chess game. The more you move your pieces the more opportunity will be generated for both sides. More opportunity means more knowledge exchanged between you and your training partner. If you lock the game or try to lock the positions you will also slow down how much you are learning.
3. Always stretch after training, as when we wrestle we put tension on the muscle and joints. Stretching will release a lot of this tension and will also get blood flowing back into the muscle and joints to repair soft tissue. This helps to protect you from injury. Also having good flexibility gives you increased options in attacks and defences in the Jiu Jitsu game.
4. Practice a lot of drills and repetitions, condition your body for the movement. Work on getting the mind and the body working together. Make sure you do at least 100 repetitions a day of a technique you like, that is if you are expecting to be good at it. Don’t expect to repeat it 5 to 10 times each side and to then be catching everybody. Also, avoid wrestling hard all the time. That will increase your chance of injuries and not necessarily build your skill level.
5. Eat well. Avoiding processed foods and sugar drinks full of preservatives and additives. Drink plenty of plain water. This will help to keep you functioning better and will help to reduce inflammation in your body. A healthy body is less prone to injuries and less injury means more time enjoying your journey to the top of your game.
Daniel Lima
Fight club Australia
www.fightclubjiujitsu.com
