All jiu jitsu players know how humbling of a sport it is. At the beginner levels, it takes a long time to learn a technique, longer to “kind of” understand the concept of it, and “forever” to get to a point where you can actually perform that technique in a live roll.
When I was just beginning as a white belt, I expected to suck. I was brand new to the sport and didn’t know jack! But after a while, I started to learn a few things. I competed in some tournaments and lost embarrassingly in the first couple. Then I started winning some matches and my confidence started to grow….. that is…. until I got promoted to Blue Belt.
I went from feeling pretty confident, straight back to getting smashed in tournaments. The biggest difference here is that I wasn’t a noob anymore…. I didn’t expect to suck like I did when I was a beginner. I can definitely understand why so many quit at the blue belt level. For most, it’s easier to walk away from adversity than it is to face it and keep going; picking yourself back up after each loss and trying again is tough.
I’ve been competing in Japan now for about a year and a half, and have lost every match. Some of them, I was submitted, some were very close and good matches; but still, I lost. Last week I talked about how I couldn’t get motivated for the De La Riva Cup in Tokyo Japan.. Well, I’m proud to report that I have finally turned the corner. I won my weight division
(even though there was only one other person in my bracket) in the De La Riva Cup. I fought open weight and lost my first match to a 0-0 score Referee decision. My teammates say I should have won but hey, they’re my teammates, they should be supportive. You can decide for yourself. Open Weight Match
I have a long way to go and so much more to learn and grow. I’m not looking to get promoted but this tournament has opened my eyes to the fact that I am easily a couple of years away from Purple Belt, but I have finally started to fight through The Blue Belt Blues.
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