The MOST important lesson from my trip to Brazil.
In the spring of 2019 I traveled to Brazil with Master Pedro Sauer, David Porter, Hannah Davis, and The German. I met some great people there, we had a couple adventures, and we did a lot of training.
Every day we met a new coral belt or red who would teach a session. But the introduction of several is what piqued my interest. Master Sauer would say, “Hey my friends this is so and so. We used to compete against each other…” There was often an interesting story about how they couldn’t train with each other back in the day. Their schools were sworn enemies and cross training was among the worst offenses.
Yet here we were 40 years later, standing in the same room, sharing ideas, and learning from one another. All the machismo of youth didn’t matter as much, or at all. The only thing that mattered was preserving the art. Showing it to as many people that would see it. So maybe in another 40 years a piece of your work survives you.
If you’re training Jiu-jitsu, or most anything for that matter, avoid all these preconstructed barriers about who you can and can’t train with. Ignore the trash talk about other academies and gyms. Don’t be too tied to your “ancient lineage” as you’ll find most of it has been embellished in the century since it really happened.
In 40 years the stories will only be told by the people who are left. The 60, 70, and 80 year olds will laugh and talk about how dumb their academy rivalries were.
Have a home academy, be proud of your school, but don’t ever let that stop you from learning from every single person who’s willing to show you something.
About the Author: Bill Jones is a 3rd degree black belt under Master Pedro Sauer and Tony Rinaldi. He operates Top Level Martial Arts, a highly successful academy located in beautiful downtown Cuyahoga Falls. If you’re ever in the area, Bill says to feel free to stop in to train!
The post Your Instructor Won’t Allow You To Cross Train in BJJ? Learn This Lesson from BJJ Red Belts appeared first on Bjj Eastern Europe.