We had a team of 4 competing at the IBJJF NoGI European Championships. We had Isabelly Oliveira in Female Purple Belt category, Lee Heery in the Male Adult Purple belt category, and Reuben Oglesby in the Juvenile Male Blue Belt category. I completed the team in the Black Master 4 category.

I won’t bore you with blow by blow accounts of the matches, you can look on Instagram for all that. What I will tell you is how valuable these experiences are for the young athletes who take part in them.

I say a few things over and over to our Teens and young people.

One is that Jiu Jitsu will show you the world if you are a competitor. Win or lose, you’ll have been in Rome chasing a dream. So many people will be at home scrolling on their phones. Next year you might be in Lisbon, London, Las Vegas, New York, Brazil. Testing yourself.

The second thing I say is that in many cases the difference between whoever gets the gold medal and you, is that they entered and you didn’t. There isn’t a massive gulf in class in most cases. It’s just hours spent competing, learning, winning, losing, and then refining it so you can do slightly better the next time. We are confused by the word “talent” sometimes. To me, talent means a sort of cocktail of willingness, attitude, coachability, and only a smidge of physical ability. It’s mostly the other bits that make it.

And lastly, I tell them about how when I was a young competitor, I thought I would win medals and trophies and that’s all that counted. Instead I now look back on those times spent travelling with friends and team mates, facing the fear of stepping on to the competition mat, the ring, or the cage, and I realise that I was collecting experiences to pass on as a coach. And what’s the number one experience I would like to pass on?

Enjoy it!

Enjoy every second of being young, fit, flexible, and unconstrained by your age. Get as many matches as possible, wherever you can get them. If you’re thinking whether you can afford that tournament entry or that flight, book it now and figure it out later. Train like a beast. Love every second of it. Those peak years are over fast, so maximise your time in them. Don’t waste any more time. It’s running out while you’re sitting here thinking about it.

I’m very proud of the guys this weekend, even if we didn’t hit the podium this time out.

See you on the mat,

Barry