“It’s not about who’s good, it’s about who’s left. It’s hours on the mat. If you put in that time, natural athlete or not, you’ll be a black belt. You are going to be somewhere in ten years, why not be a black belt? You just can’t quit.” Chris Haueter, “Roll: Jiu Jitsu in SoCal” Documentary
I just got back from SBG Spring Camp. This year it was in Birmingham, AL. We have a camp twice a year in the U.S. for all SBG members that can make it. It happens annually in Europe and Canada now as well. I started attending when I was a white belt and got more out of the experience than I realized at the time. The camp I went to happened to be at SBG headquarters in Portland, Oregon. I met Matt Thornton, the head of SBG and the many of the other instructors and students from across the globe.
I loved the city. There was so much art, great food, and music everywhere. There is also a very deep Jiu Jitsu scene there. I went to my first amateur MMA fights and watched athletes from our gym fight, pushing their bodies and minds to the limit. We all went out as a team afterwards in Portland. I was hooked.
The camp has been a tradition for me ever since, regardless of whatever else is going on in my life. These events are part of what embeds our gym culture across the organization, the “One Tribe, One Vibe” mantra is real. Each camp, long term bonds are renewed, great mat battles are waged, and new friendships are formed. Everyone is welcome.
This year as the camp was winding down, we finished with the traditional Q and A session. A student posed a common question to the black belt instructors as a group, “What advice would you give to a white belt, or someone newer to the sport? What did you wish you knew when you started?” Their advice they gave was very succinct and valuable. I wanted to pass it on. I was writing as they were speaking so the following quotes are a bit paraphrased.
“Make friends, be part of the community.” Chris Connelly, SBG Alabama
“Spend more time drilling and less time sparring. I have a lot of damage from hard sparring rounds and I could have gotten better without it.” Paul Sharp, SBG Boise
“Don’t rush, enjoy the process, both in terms of learning new things and in getting to the next belt.” Matt Inman, SBG Manchester
“Focus on getting better, not just on winning.” Gus Nolte, SBG Missoula (MT)
“We tend to normalize to our environment and can begin to become bored. In this situation we begin chase short term gains and wins rather than building the foundation for long term structure. If you build a Jiu Jitsu game that is scalable over time you will not have to retool things as you get older.” Steve Whittier, SBG East Coast
“You have to like Jiu Jitsu more than you like winning in order to progress.” John Frankl, SBG South Korea
“Find your tribe and take care of your body. It doesn’t make your Jiu Jitsu better to be sparring hard all the time. “Focus on what not how.” By which I mean, focus on what you’re doing in the moment, not how you’re doing overall in relation to everyone else. Matt Thornton, SBG Portland (Founder)
“Find people that value the same things that you do in the art and train with them.” Salome Thornton, Yoga Instructor and Blue Belt, SBG Portland
“Trust your coach when they give you advice on your journey. It is easy to discount this advice if it seems contrary to the way you thought things should work.” Ray Price
“Allow yourself to fail, but never accept it. The two best teachers are failure and pain.” Marco Sanchez, SBG SoCal
My own advice, in addition to the great suggestions above, would be to find a qualified strength and conditioning coach that understands you and your sport. Really start to strengthen your body. You will be injured less and if it does happen you are in a far better position to recover. Prehab is always easier than rehab.
Stay on the mat. Just don’t quit.
Rolling Under The Big Sky 