Being Lucky....

We had several new guys on the mat tonight, including one mma guy who described himself as being close to black belt level in jiu jitsu....When asked where he trained and with whom, he replied here and there and with a bunch of guys... I then offered to grapple with him to see where he was at.... He was fast and strong for his size and he was going all out trying to get me but he had very little ground game... I reversed him numerous times and tapped him with a RNC and a Darce Choke. If he had been less sweaty and I had been feeling better it would have been even more one sided... Then at the end he told me that I was lucky that he had worked all day and was somewhat tired.

I laughed... Knowing that I have a bruised tailbone, shoulder impingement, and have been sick all weekend. I was gassed by the end of our two matches but not to the same extent as he was. Seeing where someone is and submitting them when they get wild is part of a teaching and learning curve for many of us in BJJ. He is not to blame for his ego as he has never learned or been taught any better... He does have a lot of potential and if he can learn to lay the ego aside, I will teach him to the best of my abilities...

I did explain that it takes time to progress in BJJ, I have been a personal student of Carlos Machado for well over three years and I am still a blue belt... Guys it's never about the destination, it's about the journey. Some of you didn't have enough classes to test, well that just means that you will have a better test next time. But so and so is getting ahead of me... Really? Does one belt rank really mean that they are that much better than you or are you getting hung up on the belts themselves? It's not the belts, it's the knowledge, the sweat, the tears, the blood you shed on your journey.

I then reflected on the mma guy's statement about me being lucky... He doesn't know how right he is... I'm lucky that I had to wait an extra months to test for my first black belt, I rocked the test! I'm lucky that I ended my relationship with one of my instructors, I now save a lot of money and I am not stressed out about trying to teach what he wants me to teach. I'm lucky that I met Carlos at the Supershow over 3 years ago...I'm lucky that I have friends like him and Vincent and others to push me. I'm lucky that Ms Christine started training with me 7 or 8 yrs ago. I'm lucky that I can call and talk to people like Tom Callos on a weekly basis. I'm lucky in that I have gotten to train with some of the best, Royce Gracie, Relson Gracie, all 5 of the Machado brothers, Mike Swain, GM Song, Master Steve Seo, and many others. I'm lucky that I get to get up every morning and work at something I love and share it with others.

Stop getting hung up on the belts, focus on yourself and don't worry about your classmates. Your time will come, your star will shine, if you practice, practice, and practice some more.

Peace

Chris Holmes-Master Teacher