You Will Get Better

I had a recent conversation with one of my students and thought I’d share some of my thoughts. I’m going to take some creative liberties here, but the gist of the conversation was about that all too common feeling that no matter how hard you try, you don’t seem to be getting any better.

I understand that just because I tell/show students how to do things, that doesn't mean they'll be able to do it, or even remember that I told them. That's why we go over things repeatedly and I say the same things over and over. Eventually it will soak in and begin to make sense.

Regarding the triangle choke for the longest time I couldn't figure out which foot to hook over. Something so simple, yet the mechanics of it escaped me. I didn't understand how to shift to one side and always got stacked up and passed. Eventually I did learn how to effectively apply the technique. It wasn’t that my instructor didn’t teach me properly. It was just a matter of how my brain processed the information.

One of the interesting things about Jiu-Jitsu is that we all started at the same place. Sure, the senior students walk around now with their fancy belts and awesome moves, but I remember when they all first started.

Just keep doing what you're doing. Take a look at any senior student and see how good they are. They all started exactly as you did. Secondly, you need to realize that if you put in the hours, you will get as good as they are. When I look back at my first year, I couldn't see past the tip of my nose. My epiphany came when I realized that if I just kept practicing, I would be as good as my teachers someday. And when they continued to get better and surpass their previous level, which motivated me even more. Rather than looking at it like I would never be as good as them, I looked at it as a comfort in knowing that one day I would be even better. It’s inevitable. In fact I think it’s the law of Jiu-Jitsu. I realized that in order for me to improve I needed more mat time. It makes no difference how many months or years you've trained in Jiu-Jitsu. It's all about the hours. Jiu-Jitsu time is like flight time, or flight hours. The more you have, the better you are.

Did I tell you I'm learning how to play the guitar? Talk about frustrating! There is no way I'm going to be able to make my fingers bend and twist the way they need to in order to play all the chords. It's physically impossible for me to do it. Those who can have got to be blessed with an innate ability to play. It's downright insane. I've been practicing for almost five weeks and have missed two lessons. I'm not improving much and have thought about quitting. I’ve skipped practicing on some days, with the thought I'll just practice longer the next day.

The bottom line is this. I will not stop practicing. I want to learn so bad that I will continue to suffer through this tough time. People tell me that I will get better, but I just can't see it right now. I love music and listen to my favorite songs all the time. I dream of being able to play many of the songs that I so love to listen to.