In Jits We Trust!

Everyone loves analogies, well I do anyway and the coolest analogies are Jiu-Jitsu related. I think bjj teaches us so much more than just how to pull off a fully sick reverse De La Riva sweep. (see below)

"Life is a lot like Jiu-Jitsu. You never know what ya gunna get." 

Forrest Gump.

There is so many life lessons being learned every time we hit the mat. I think we just need to place them in the right context of what's going on in life off the mat and you have the answer to most of your problems right there. Thanks Jits!
In life, just like in jits, If you work hard and smart at something you are passionate about (eg.. deep half guard.) you start seeing improvements very quickly in that area. Everything starts flowing. You start getting shit done, pulling off some nice techniques. Things are going in the right direction at a good pace, you're as happy as a pig in shit..... then boom!... Out of no where come the dramas.....  it could be as simple as not being to able to pull of your go to sweep for some reason. Or as extreme as a major injury or something else that stops you from enjoying the position. Some problems can spiral. Personnel conflicts, injuries, illness, stress, frustration, finances, not knowing the answers and feeling hopeless. All these things can make you think, is it worth all the effort.

Injuries and Illness suck massive donkey balls. I may need to have surgery on a Inguinal hernia. Which is basically my stomach trying to escape through a hole in my abdomen. I think I initially injured it when I first started doing Jiu-Jitsu. Back then I was 125kg and over exerting every time I rolled. But it has only became a real problem over the last 2 months. The surgery can take up to 6weeks to get over. So depending on when the surgery is I won't be able to train or compete for at least a couple of months. Which stuffs up my plans to compete as much as possible this year.

On top of this I just found out that I have Ross River Fever. It has really knocked the shit out of me. All my joints blew up and I was covered in spots after training Friday night. I couldn't do much physical activity that night and the next day. If I did I would get head spins and have to lay down. So I got blood tests done and boom.. Ross River fever. Apparently it can take ages to get over and some people have recurring bouts of it all there life. So that sux balls!

Money is always an issue in this society we live in. With out it, it's real hard to get shit done. I've overspent already on my little gym. I really want to get some more stuff done but I have to curb my spending. While all my focus has been on getting the club going, my main business has been a little bit neglected and needs some work put in to it now.

So yeah, I'm feeling some stress, but I'm not being a whiny little bitch about it. I'm handling it pretty good. I think I have BJJ to thank for how well I'm handling it. These problems are inevitable but how we deal with them is what truly tests us. My natural reaction is to either blame and resent other people and other things for my problems (known as 'spazzing out' in bjj. It leads to giving up your arms and getting tapped) or, crawl in to my shell and hope it all goes away (the BJJ equivalent is you go limp and give up fighting in the middle of the roll).  I've learnt that spazzing only gets you submitted and giving up or hiding from the guy that smashes you when you roll is for pussy's.

In grappling if a problem occurs while you're rolling you don't panic, you relax and go with the flow.. even if your head is being tea-bagged by a 90kg sweaty dude trying to rip your arm off, you remember the position. Then you break it down later on in your head and try to work out why there was a problem. Then you start taking action to fix that shit. You ask your coach and training partners for some help with the position or you might have to do some research of your own. Then you have to drill it and next time you find yourself in that same spot... boom! You execute the correct move like a ninja.

My new B'fast, bit better than a  flat white

With my Jiu-Jitsu right now I physically can't train but I was on the mat last night helping my team mates as much as I can and I'll be there every night we train.  Hopefully I'll have a gi back on next week, depending on how I feel. But I'm taking the time off, as a positive. It has enabled me to have a better look at how my team mates are rolling. I think I can really help the guys out by focusing in on my teaching right now. Same goes for all my other problems.
While I can't do much manual labor, I'm working a lot smarter. It's forced me to step back and have a look at what techniques I'm using in all the different areas of my life. I'm seeing some holes in my game. So I'm doing some research and asking for some help from my family, friends and team mates. Even though I'm not 100% physically I really feel like I'm still moving forward and kicking arse like a Diaz brother. What bitch!!

I think life/Jiu-Jitsu throws problems at us for a reason. To teach us humility and make us better Jiu-Jitsu players. Things that come with no obstacles or no problems aren't worth getting any way.

C u on the mat.
Rex