What Type of Blackbelt do you want to be?

14 years into grappling now and over a time period like that, you start to notice patterns and as a coach and now gym owner in north Liverpool, those patterns have become crystal clear – there are two types of students in BJJ: The focused and the flow.

The focussed are right there in the moment, they have a plan, and they use their experiences on the mat to understand the craft deeper and deeper. They are sincere. They are purposeful. They are focused. They push their boundaries and stretch their limits.

The flow on the other hand, well, go with the flow. They show up and put in their time, but with a hands-off, indifferent approach to training. They go through the motions.

From the outside, these two students look the same. They both show up, they do the classes across the week, and they both “train hard”. A massive issue though - mat time doesn’t equate progress.

While both look like they are training hard, only one of them is actually training.

The focused come in with a purpose. They’re committed to improvement. They actively seek problems and solutions. They have a systematic approach. They calculate their actions. They develop, hone, and sharpen skills, and it’s this that creates rapid development.

The focused train. The flow exercises.

The flow moves, sweats, and has a good time. They experience the struggle and challenge of BJJ, but because there is no aim or focus, they don’t head in any meaningful direction.

It Makes Sense

I mean, yeah, it makes sense. Humans aren’t inherently lazy creatures, rather really, really good at conserving energy. We are experts at doing the bare minimum. The issue there is that with such low expectations, we often stumble through, wandering blindly, and haphazardly moving ahead – we flow, not focus.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention something though – any engagement is BJJ is admirable. We, me, I, you engage willingly in a very difficult pursuit to better ourselves. We are indeed unusual, rare, and uncommon folk.

That said, I circle back to my earlier point – yes turning up is admirable, but are you turning up to flow, wing it and just showing up to get the job done, or are you on a path, with a mission, and a specific aim, organised in your efforts, with a purposeful focus, making the most of each moment you have?

Double Edged Sword

Little truth for you – it’s hard being both the “flow” type student and the “focus” student. They’re both difficult tasks when BJJ is concerned. Show up, put in your time, and in nearly every academy in the world you’ll rise through the ranks.

Put in enough time and you will receive a black belt. The question is, what kind of black belt do you want to be?

Are you the flow black belt who showed up for a decade, hanging out long enough to fill the dreaded quoter of “he put in the time”?

Or are you the focused black belt who is striving to master the craft, to work to the highest standard, to master oneself, to strive continually to rid of bad habits, to hold the highest of standards for yourself, and have built yourself into something great?

It’s Your Choice

No one is coming to hold your hand. No help is coming. No one really cares if you master this beautiful art. No one cares about the standard you hold for yourself. No one can see it. You can though. You can’t unsee it when you stop burying your head in the sand. You can feel it.

The question is then, will you rise to the challenge? Will you, when the time comes, tie a black belt around your waist knowing you walked the path right?

Challenge for you…

So, can you make that shift over to the focus student rather than the flow one?

I firmly believe that jiu jitsu can be a proxy for the rest of our lives. The level of commitment to mastery we apply to BJJ we bring to the rest of our lives. If we sleepwalk through BJJ, there is strong likelihood this mirrors your profession, relationships, health, etc. There are no limits to the person you can become. The world needs better people.

You’re reading these words because you’re on the path to your blackbelt, the question is, what kind of one do you want to be?