Have you ever felt so STUCK under Side Control or Mount that you actually considered giving up, even though your opponent had no submission hold in place?

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t breathe, claustrophobic, and thought about quitting Jiu Jitsu all together?

I know I have…

I went through that many times during my White and Blue Belt days, specially when I was paired up against heavier and more experienced players. Weighing around 165 lbs, I was always one of the smaller students in class.

When I started Jiu Jitsu, in the 90’s, Jiu Jitsu was catered for the tough guys. There wasn’t “Flow Roll” or “training light”, it was a WAR everyday, every single roll. Tough guys getting even tougher, training like savages. No beginner classes either, you would join the gym and get thrown to the sharks.

But I made it, I survived, and eventually I got promoted to Black Belt by one of the best guys in the business, Fabricio Werdum. That type of training made me not only a tougher Jiu Jitsu practitioner but also toughened me up as a person. But I knew that craziness wasn’t meant for everybody.