Coach Tom from The Grappling Academy takes Brazilian jiu-jitsu seriously. After all, it is his full time job.
Still, he thinks there are people in the art who take it far too seriously.
“It’s just a bunch of play,” he tells his viewers. “When someone taps you out guys, don’t take it so seriously. If you get tapped out and your wife notices something is wrong when you go home, or something, or you husband, you’re taking this way too seriously. Just learn the lesson and get better.”
Coach Tom is also critical of inter-gym rivalries, telling them they should just focus on their students.
No doubt some hardcore jiu-jitsu practitioners will be offended by some of Coach Tom’s words – especially when he says, “It’s just jiu-jitsu.”
But honestly, his only message is chill out and have fun, even when you fail miserably.
This is something many people have had to learn. I know because I am one of them. There have been times when I actually went home in tears because I was so embarrassed by my performance. Maybe I was tapped by a lower belt. Maybe someone my rank absolutely dominated me. Maybe I just completely failed to do what I thought I could do. Whatever it was, there were times it almost made me quit.
For me, jiu-jitsu has been as much about learning how to fail as it has been learning to succeed.
I don’t think I’m the only one learning this lesson.
The post Are You Taking BJJ Too Seriously? appeared first on Jiu-Jitsu Times.