Hey Ari

[Tallsilkyslim]

Ive got a question for you and if you have any advice that would be great. Ive been training JJ for about 3 years now and seem to be in a rut. I also train in Kempo at the same school, but for the last few months, my heart hasnt been focused on the BJJ. My instructor is great, he trains under Pedro Sauer and Matt Strack and hes a wonderful guy. I was going to fight in the cage out of Team Davis, but a few months ago I had an awakening that has changed the way I look at BJJ and MMA. I took a second to look around, and realized that everyone in my area that fights in the cage is either a thug, a wrestler, or both. Now Ive always considered myself a martial artist first and a fighter second. But it seems to me that the name now should be changed to mixed thug arts. All the guys in my area that fight are not martial artists. They couldnt share with me a single technique. Now my question. I used to love training in JJ but since ive had these feelings its been hard to get motivated. Have you ever felt like you are in a rut so to speak? If so, any advice to get me back on track would be great. thanks

[Ari Bolden]

If you train, M.A.R.S (martial art rut syndrome) is something that you’ll encounter at least once in your career. Sometimes it happens when you are injured and can’t practice. Other times it happens when you’ve been ‘stuck at a belt level’ for a long time. Or when you like one art over another or other. Or when your personal moral code is put to the test.

You’re feeling ‘down’ because your moral code is being put to the test here. You can’t understand how the art you love can attract so many undesirable people. It seems that BJJ (MMA) is about fighting, winning, pride, and money. All the things which you were told (and understand) are the furthest away from martial arts behavior.

Understand that BJJ is not MMA. Unfortunately, that line is being blurred today a bit. BJJer’s are some of the nicest guys and gals around. But, any art which focuses on competition will have ego attached to it. No one likes to loose. So, winning and loosing creates this up and down ego ride. In the old arts, it wasn’t about winning or loosing. It was about survival. Ego had nothing to do with it. If you lost, you were dead. I have lots of my students that train JJ that will never compete and that’s just fine by me.

As MMA becomes more popular, it will attract more people. The mystique about MMA is now gone, because there are no real surprises left. Everyone trains the same arts. It’s now the athlete and ‘camp’ that produce the better fighter. When rules are applied, a martial art becomes a martial sport. This is the case with MMA today. When the UFC first hit the landscape, everyone would watch ‘wondering what would happen.” Today, we sit in front of our tvs, with our fighter profiles, looking at odds and wondering who’s gonna get the choke? It’s all nice and packaged now.

Now, MMA does attract a lot of bad people. Go to any MMA event, and the seats will be riddled with biker gangs, drug dealers, bullies, tough guys and fighters. Why? Because violence attracts the less sophisticated clientele. While there are many of us who watch the sport because of the beauty of the art, there are many more who just watch to see another person get KOed, hurt, broken, and choked out. It’s not about the art to them.

I know of LOTS of fighters that have criminal records, have bad coke habits, hang around gangs, and have spent years in jail. You’d be amazed how many fighters in these shows fall into this category.

According to old martial art codes (I’ll speak from a Japanese point of view), Budo (martial training/way) was not taught to criminals or anyone who would use the art for bad intentions. There was a code (bushido) which was instilled upon its practitioners. The main purpose of the arts was to train people to protect the weak (professional soldiers). If you performed an action which put your Ryu Ha (school) into question, you’d be kicked out and marked as a pariah. If you dishonored your school, you more than likely would be killed by one of the other students or head master.

Now, to answer your question: You’ve got to train for you, not for them. When you get on the mat, it’s your time and you are training for your own reasons. They’ll always be bad people in the arts, especially in today’s MMA scene because that is how our culture is pushing it. Don’t get pressured to fight in a cage because everyone else is doing it. Don’t let an instructor tell you that you have to compete in order to be the best. Ultimately, you are taking the martial arts for your own reasons. JJ is a wonderful art that can teach you some of the best skills for self defense.

Read a few books about the art you study (kempo or BJJ). Reading about the history of an art can often reinspire you. Why? Because you get understand the trials and tribulations of the people who came before you. You see than everyone from Ed Parker, you Helio Gracie, to Morihei Ueshiba to Gichin Funakoshi all dealt with questions like yours.

When I get MARS, I think about all the good times and all the amazing things I've learned. I look at white belts and see the utter amazment on their faces when they discover a move. What seems so simple to us never occurred to them. In order to get back to a right mind, you've got to have Shoshin or beginner's mind. A mind that is open and free learns more. When I feel MARS, I pause and look around to see what I've been missing. I've done an armbar many thousands of times. I go on automatic when I do them. However, if I pause and study what I am doing, I always pull something new away...every time.

Many paths…one goal…but some get lost on the way….

Peace
Ari

[Hadaka Jime]

Ari reading that whole 'story' above i really understand how intelligent you really are, not only can you break down over 100 techniques were someone with no Jiu Jitsu back-round can understand and execute after 1-3 watchings of a 2 minute clip... but you can also understand people and emotions... mainly i think because you have been there before and...

tallsilkyslim Ari has been around JJ for a while and take what he says here to heart because he's been there and he knows that times can be bad and all the things he said i wish i had known when i had MARS when i was stuck on my purple belt... I'd been stuck there for what seemed like 10,000 years but in reality it was just a really unmotivated year or so, but man trust me when you get to your goal it is so worth all the down times... and even if it takes a long time to get to were you want to be or the art doesn't seem as fun anymore you will have a great time if you work hard and get better because when your good at something it makes it so much more fun

and don't let thugs bring your like for a sport down... look at the NFL and NBA about 30% of these guys are criminals and like 95% are all for money and fame, and the 5% is what i think makes them good, guys like brett favre who loves the game of football and plays because he loves it and money and fame are not the prime reason he does it, it's like an art you should love and enjoy it and not let people that are in the art for the wrong reason, i love BJJ and thought i liked MMA but when i got to MMA i did very well and got to 15-0 in a small MMA league and quit and have no intention to go pro or compete in any MMA form again, i LOVE love love BJJ and when i did MMA i took focus off what i loved to get better at what other people were going to do (Muy-Thai for striking and a lot more Judo for throws) but i didn't like the fact of why i was doing the Muy-Thai even though it was fun... i was doing it to try and be able to survive in the game other people do in striking, but striking is not where my heart is and i have passion in BJJ so i quit MMA because i want to work in only BJJ for BJJ not competition because it is really a beautiful art to me and i want to master it as i grow in it and my goal is to become a 9th degree black and or red belt in Gracie Jiu jitsu

and i am not at all saying you should stop doing competition martial arts i actually encourage people to do it to test there skills against other opponents and have a competitive twist to making the art more interesting to some... but you should not let people like thugs ruin your love in the competition you should train hard in having better technique and beat thugs in your game and don't allow them to think less of your art because they are unorthodox and are in the game for the wrong reasons... just know your here for your love of the art and your passion in it and not in the game to hurt people like the thugs are.. beat them in your game, don't do the art for the wrong reason and don't let other people bring your life and your game down, stay positive train hard and beat the people who are in the art for bad intentions

just a side note to ari and any other JJ people who have read any of what i wrote about my status

I just got My brown belt Today!!!!! never been more excited... my test was rough but i was way over prepared and i could have taken it a lot sooner and blew it away and my instructor told me "I've never given a belt like that before... when you began the test there was no doubt in my mind you were going to get it right away" I'm so happy and Tom i may be ordering a pair of belt shorts soon for practice at other closer places than the Gracie academy i train at! and i quit my MMA career at 15-0 never went pro... don't want tom GJJ is where my heart is and I'm glad it's what i'll be training for the rest of my life... so no more MMA for me, Just a lot of GJJ and some Judo tossed in there:) so far i'm very happy with my choice and hope to learn more and more about the art i love and want to open my own BJJ center when I'm a master of the Art

sorry it's kinda long I'm just excited that i've found my path and i think tallsilkysmooth it is so worth sticking around because things like getting the next belt or winning a tourny or understanding and nailing a technique make JJ so great... so good luck with all you martial arts and i hope that atleast one thing me and ari mentioned help you get out of the rut and let you start to enjoy what you do again:cool:

[Tallsilkyslim]

I really appreciate you taking the time to reply so thoroughly. I do need to keep in mind my goals and personal reasons that I train. My rut is bound to wear off, and in the mean time I will stay focused on Kempo. Its been surprisingly fun not having the pressure on me all the time to perform and be the best at my school which is and was the case with BJJ. Now Ive just been relaxing and learning. But im sure I will get back into the swing of things. I love to teach, especially to someone who is truly willing to learn. Again, thanks for you piece.

Preston

[Ari Bolden]

Hadaka:

Way to go on getting your brown belt! Where is your school located?

[Ghosted3]

Tallsilkyslim, I hope you come to love your BJJ classes again, but glad to hear you are enjoying Kempo.

Hadaka, grats bud, hopefully you have some pics =)

[Tom Gavrilos]

What a great thread!

Congrats on your Brown Belt!~!!!!!!!!! & Ari very very nice write up.

[Dante]

Totally agree with you Out of Control.

tallsilkyslim, I know what you're going through, and you'll pull out of it. Just remember why you first started training, and I'm sure you'll do fine.

Ari, really appreciate what you put down on this thread.

Hadaka Jime, congrats on your brown belt. You're half-way to your goal.
________
Portuguese cooking (http://www.cooking-chef.com/portuguese/)

[Hadaka Jime]

yeah just gotta keep working and it should be a great time because the few days/week before my test I've been feeling better and better about My JJ skills and everything that used to be drill and kill just reps of techniques is so nice now because all the repetition has clicked for me and i've got about 70% of my techniques in just muscle memory where as I'm not even thinking too deeply on how to do the technique and now i can chain attacks much better, because when i don't have to think how to do something and think to do something i skip 1 step and can throw moves faster than ever and people who used to roll with me and dominate me i can beat with ease now... but i think i will be rolling with higher brown belt teachers and lower black belts:D gotta love GJJ!

and i take private classes in the Gracie Academy in ohio (westerville) but i teach some of my stuff to my friends there workout center (i go for some cario and end up teaching muy-thai/judo guys some JJ)

[TheRob]

it sounds like the problem isn't with you but with your training partners
are you saying the guys you trian with wouldn't show you anything?
that's kinda like not training with them

[Tallsilkyslim]

its not that they wont show me anything, its that they cant. they have no formal training to speak of besides "backyard brawling". my first teacher of JJ taught me that you only know something as well as you can teach it. And ive personally found that is also the best way to get better. The more you share with someone, the better you become at the technique. Then the people you train with get better and that makes you become sharper to stay on top. I thank everyone on here that has posted. Tonight, im going to stay after kempo for the BJJ class, which i havent done in about 3 weeks. Congrats on your brown belt hadake. Also so that there is no confusion, where i train now there is some really good people but where i used to t rain is what got me in the rut. The school im at now is great but my rut carried over. Ill snap out of it. thanks again.

[Hadaka Jime]

yeah i also train at various locations... but my main place is so nice... the gracie academies are "jiu jitsu heaven" and i take mostly private classes but when i just go in groups all the people are very nice and have a decent back-round in JJ BUT i have also experienced a bad gym with people who don't have any JJ back-round and are more disrespectful but i have friends there that i teach some of my more basic skills to... but that helps me because when i drill with the basics i get better at them and I've done so many reps between teaching Muy-Thai and judo buddies and straight training at the Gracie academy when it all clicks everything is so much more fun and i think you should stay with the nice gym and get good at either kempo or BJJ and just drill until you've got it down good and when it's muscle memory and you start dominating it's very very fun:D :) :p :cool: