Have fun...and try to survive!

We had a new student come to class the other day. As I saw them come in, I walked over and introduced myself (it is the nice thing to do). As we were warming up and I was making small talk trying to make them feel included, they asked me if I had any advice. It was my first day back, so I said, "Good news, I am in the same boat. I would suggest you try to survive...and oh yeah, have fun!"

Have I mentioned motivational speeches have never really been my thing? I am pretty good at honesty though. If I had to sum up my first 4-6 months of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in one word, it would be "survival." I am not a big guy and nor am I a natural stud. Needless to say, most of my time was spent mounted or with someone on my back. It was a struggle and I would go home sore and tired.

My mindset during those first few months was to "just get better and it will get better." All I could think about was just getting to the point where I was not being absolutely mauled. Eventually, I got to a place where new guys came in and I was holding my own. Once that happened, things started to get really fun. There were nights during my first 6 months where I came home and said, "what am I doing with my life?" The fun of being successful made the first 6 months worth it. That being said, if I have one regret from my first 6 months it is that I really didn't enjoy it much.

After taking 9 months off, I am really getting to "just survive" again. Knowing where I have gotten from where I came, I can happily state "just surviving is fun." If I could make a statement to myself on day one, I would say, "You have such an advantage over everyone else! You are are freaking sponge and you are getting thrown into the ocean! Soak it all in, you will never be able to accumulate knowledge this quickly!" I would say, "Have fun and enjoy trying to survive."

Oh yeah, if you can train with Jeff Curran and Marcelo Garcia...that makes life pretty sweet as well! 

That being said, it is fun to freak out new people...I will probably emphasize the "survive more than the have fun part..."