In the midst of uprooting my family to begin our next journey in a country far, far away, I had to stop and reflect on the accomplishments of my teammates in the past week. We had several members of our Zen Martial Arts El Paso, Texas Family received stripe promotions on their white belts. Seeing the first pieces of flare added to fabric, representing such a large life change, is awesome to witness.
“Jiu-jitsu at the end of the day, is the art of expressing yourself honestly. Every time you put on a Gi, you can’t lie.” ~Saulo Ribeiro
https://www.bjjee.com/articles/the-best-collection-of-inspirational-jiu-jitsu-quotes/
There is a certain sense of accomplishment after your hard work, pain, sweat, and determination on the mat is recognized. It pumps you up after that stripe, or next belt, added to your story. There is a euphoric state you enter in the coming days that leads you to endless research on what’s expected of you at that rank, or, what else you believe will be expected of you to reach the next level? Unfortunately, not all academies have the same philosophy on promotions, and you can easily get discouraged.
Inspiration
When I reflect back to the first promotion I received in Jiu-jitsu, all I can remember are thoughts of happiness, joy, and accomplishment. There I was, a 34 year old man, who had been training for a little more than 18 months, receiving three stripes from Professor Jamir Toledo, head Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Instructor at Twin Wolves Mixed Martial Arts, Harker Heights, Texas, in 2016. I began my journey at 10th Planet Kansas City, Missouri, and stripes are non-existent in the 10th Planet System. I’ve already had a number of achievements to be proud of by this time, but for some reason there was something radiating off those small pieces of sports tape that reminded me of how I overcame the numerous times I wanted to quit, feelings of hopelessness against younger, more experienced grapplers; and the many injuries I endured trying to get my body use to it’s new lifestyle.
The amount of time it takes to get promoted in Jiu-jitsu for the average grappler is almost timed perfectly for each individual. It’s often never expected, and when it comes you feel reborn and ready to prove to yourself that you deserve the honor. Sometimes promotions can be what gets you out of a slump. Promotions shouldn’t be the primary focus of your journey, but at the beginning stages of your journey, but it’s often the only tangible thing you can associate with progress.
On the other side of self-doubt comes a confidence from faith in the process. Even though our destination may be a long way off, each day we rise with a subtle smile as if we have already achieved it, because, when we are truly committed to a task, we already have.” ~Chris Matakas, The Tao of Jiu Jitsu
Paying it Forward
Many of the words I write in these reflections are for my family. My wife and kids who are at the beginning stages of their journeys, but are growing in this art alongside me. It’s surreal to see your loved ones accept martial arts into their lives, and you’re often one breath behind them with some sort of encouragement for every sentence they have referencing their experiences on the mat.
I’d like to say that I was the best coach ever until I started training my three-year old son on my own. The battle of wills which casted over our training sessions were epic, and at times we left the gym putting about 15 minutes of work in out of an hour plus of the time allotted for training. The key takeaway from my experience is this — the only expectation I have for my family in Jiu-jitsu is to show up and walk on the mats. This art pushes us in ways we can’t imagine at times and the only one who can make the decision to train our best is ourselves. For this reason, I focus on being a kid on the mats with my children because it will take care of itself.
My son is five now, and his sister, age three, is now on the mats as well, and as you can imagine it’s a lot for one grappler to take on all by his or herself. Luckily, my wife, Claudia, is living the fight life as well, and is now helping to wrangle our little ones during the Baby Buddhas (Ages 3-5 years old) Class at Zen Martial Arts on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Jiu Jitsu is for the protection of the individual, the older man, the weak, the child, the lady and the young woman from being dominated and hurt by some bum because they don’t have the physical attributes to defend themselves. Like I never had.” ~Helio Gracie
https://bjj-world.com/famous-jiu-jitsu-quotes/
I enjoy every moment I spend on the mats with my family and friends, look forward to the many more experiences I will have in the future. The beauty of Jiu-jitsu, as well as other martial arts, is the network you form across the community. However, no matter where I go, I know I will always have three students to train with and to learn from as we move forward.
In a recent conversation with another coach at Zen Martial Arts, I spoke about a priceless moment I hope to share in the future with my kids. To have the opportunity to compete with alongside my kids and switch coaching/competitor roles would be the best form of passing the torch that can imagine. Until this day comes, we will continue to sharpen our skills and work towards being the best version of ourselves with each passing day. One team, one family!