Ego, one of the most dangerous things in Brazilian JiuJitsu. Ego has led to many defeats and countless injuries. When it comes to ego in BJJ is it better left at the door. There is no place for ego in the academy, it can severely hinder your progress in BJJ through many ways. In the following, we will take a look at certain types of egomaniacs you will find in your BJJ community and what makes “The EGO” so dangerous, especially with beginners like yourself. If you have been training for a while, it’s hard to believe that a beginner could even be egotistical when they themselves don’t have an understanding of the basics because there is just so much to learn. But it happens more often than you think.

STREET FIGHTER

There a certain types of people that join BJJ. All walking different paths, living different lives. However one day, that path led them to a Brazilian JiuJItsu Academy and they decided to give the “Gentle Art” a try. One of these types is the “StreetFighter”. A self proclaimed bad ass with over 100 streetfights and 0 defeats. Looks tough and talks the same. This person’s ego is so big, he has to turn sideways to enter the door. Only thing is, once on his back, like a turtle, he is completely clueless on what to do and tries to constantly come up with excuses as to why he/she is losing. “If we were on the street, it wouldn’t go down like that.” “I can’t strike you or it would be all over.” They spew out excuses from that hole in his/her face like the vomit from the exorcist. Truly sad at times. Learn and accept defeat. Break it down, learn from your mistakes. Don’t make excuses as to why. Find the answer how and use it. Streetfighters come to see very quickly that they are not as good as they thought they were. After that realization, the ego tends to fade and the learning truly starts to take place.

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THE 4TH STRIPERS

Another type of egomaniac you will always encounter at your Academy are the 4th Stripers. These are all the Players with 4 stripes on their belts. The ones right on the verge of obtaining that new rank they have been chasing for a while, and there is no way they will let anyone that is 3 stripes and below, submit them. This Ego is almost the worst. This is where many injuries and setbacks may occur. When they are rolling against anyone right now, they always feel like they have something to prove. They feel like they need to prove to everyone why they have 4 stripes and why they are about to get promoted. They will put Bullseyes on newly promoted belts they are chasing and 3 and 4 stripe similar belts in rank. These egomaniacs attack and defend using 100% of everything they have. The end result is not a pretty one. Someone, if not themselves, will end up with an injury that will take some time to heal. Perhaps they tried to defend too long against a submission and ended up taking some unneeded damage. Or they tried to power out of a submission and tried to hold out to see if the other person would tire. If they would just put that ego to the side and just tapped, reset, and went again, they wouldn’t be hurt and wouldn’t have to take time off of training because of an unnecessary injury. Don’t let that pride get in your way. It will only lead to negative effects and won’t do you any good on the mats.

THE CLASS BAD ASS

One of the last types you will find is one that every class has. The Class Bad Ass. There is always that one guy or gal who beats everyone in class. The one that has all the fancy, cutting edge moves, and just tears up everyone on the mats. Hard to believe that one this talented could have a huge ego since he/she would understand the struggle they endured to reach that level. Unfortunately it happens many times as well. One thing you have to understand about the class bad ass. They are accustomed to Winning at everything. Dominating position, shutting down attempts to sweep or passes, and subbing when they feel they can. When someone is able to challenge their game and they start to encounter a little more resistance than they expecting, the Ego may come into play. They may turn up the pace to try and get ahead or may even revert to using dirty tactics to gain the advantage. All because you have become accustomed to winning and have lost sight on how to take your lumps like everyone else. The Class Bad Ass has to remember to stay humble at all times. It took a lot of work to get where they are at. Lots of Wins and Loses to figure out what works and what doesn’t for them. You can’t win them all, everyone has good and bad days. Learn to take the good with the bad. Adapt, Evolve, Conquer.

CONCLUSION

After everything we have discussed, it is pretty simple. Do your best to keep that ego in check and be on the lookout for these types of players at your Academy. At times when you are doing well and you feel like you are on a peak, these are the times to remember to stay humble and continue to work hard. Just as you are on a peak, you can ascend into a valley and have to fight your way back up. Come into BJJ with an open mind. Dont assume you know everything and don’t be afraid of losing. Accepting defeat and learning from it will do you way more good than harm. Avoiding the struggle is the wrong thing to do. These are the stages where character is made. These hardships will be a reminder that ego is not your friend in BJJ and is only looking to sabotage your progress. Be vigilant and persevere through it all. Keep these types in the back of your head and be on the lookout for them. But most importantly, make sure you don’t become one too. Train Hard, Stay Humble and have a RollBliss Day. Oss

Chris IronMan Hinojosa

Brown Belt

Austin Submission Fighting

Rafael Lovato Association