Remember Why You Started

I had a chat over the weekend with a couple of lads about the early days of MMA in Ireland. I was telling them that when I started in the early 2000s, all I wanted to do was learn how to fight everywhere- standing up, taken down, wrestling and so on. I didn’t care about having an MMA career or becoming a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt or any of it.

Fast forward a few years and I began coaching, and suddenly all these people were coming to me with careers in mind. Some to be pro champions, others to win amateur titles. I got swept up in that for a while, but after a few years I got very tired of it. I just didn’t enjoy being around pro fighting any more. I couldn’t put my finger on why I wasn’t enjoying myself any longer, but then it hit me one day.

The new MMA scene, with all of the bells and whistles, belts and promotions, talk of money and contracts, was far from what I’d wanted when I started- to learn how to fight and to get the confidence I knew it would bring me.

Learning Martial Arts gave me discipline and focus. It made me more assured physically and mentally. That confidence crossed over into the rest of my life. When I went to Jiu Jitsu, I found something EVEN better- a martial art that was technical and mentally stimulating. Learning to think while fighting was the great gift that Jiu Jitsu gave me.

So now when I’m teaching, I try to tell people not to get caught up in competition too much, or to get too bothered about what cool new moves are out there. Remember why you came here in the first place. What was the spark? What got you started in the first place? Stay true to that, and remember where you came from!

And if you haven't started yet, don't forget we've got a new course. Check out the details about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Foundations.

See you on the mat!

Barry