I am a regular BJJ guy. I am not a world champion. I compete in local and regional tournaments. I don’t cut weight. If I win, I win. If I don’t, I don’t. I am probably like some of you.

I am no Jiu-Jitsu expert, or authority, but I have been in the game for more than 5 years.

Now that I am finished with the preamble, let me explain my philosophy of how I keep Jiu-Jitsu the most exciting part of my life.

There are three factors that I focus on everyday in terms of BJJ. They are #1, fun; #2, injury free; and getting the bronze metal in my philosophy…technique.

Yup. I said it. Here is my breakdown.

If Jiu-Jitsu is not fun for you, then what is the point? This is the key factor that I believe makes most people quit the sport. Some may say that injury is a greater cause to quit, but I believe that not adhering to my philosophy was the cause of most of those injuries.

What kept you coming back as a white belt? You were getting beat up by the entire room yet still wanted to come back. It was likely due to the fact that you were having fun, more than it was shrimping for the first time. If I start some sort of sport or game, and I suck at it, I usually don’t want to play any more after 10 tries or so. However with BJJ, we suck for many months, and still show up every day. It is because Jiu-Jitsu is one of the few sports that are fun to lose.

Now it is impossible to have fun, if you are injured! It is important to learn early on to tap early and repeatedly. It is important to not spaz around, potentially injuring yourself or others. I can’t tell you how many people roll their own ankles, stub their own toes and bend their own knees the wrong way. Take your time. Know you aren’t going to beat too many people early on. Stay calm, relax, and you will be able to show up and have fun everyday!

Now why in the world do I have technique, the holy grail of BJJ, as a third place contender in my philosophy?

Maybe it’s immaturity. Maybe it’s that life can be stressful and I don’t want stress in my stress relief activity.

Am I going to win Pans, the Brasilieros, or Worlds? Probably not. You will catch me at a NAGA or a New Breed though. And you will catch me in the academy everyday; having fun, staying injury free, and getting one percent better each day!

Have a great day and keep on training!

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