"Oss!"   

 "I beg your pardon?"

As well as the "modest" goal of hoping that me playing an out of tune rendition of "Happy Birthday" on a ukulele will, in some way, raise global morale I have embarked on a secondary goal that is as much mental as it is physical.

I think I've probably be having a bi annual life crisis from the age of about 10 onwards so when I turned 40 in 2016 I was,"Yeah and?"

I've always regretted giving up Judo aged maybe 11? Wisdom shows if I had kept that up even in the most casual of ways it might have led to something pretty awesome. Being a black belt at anything is pretty awesome be it Jui Jitsu,hoovering, or getting the kids to bed before Emmerdale. Being a black belt at a martial art, especially a martial art that has one of the highest drop out rates,is double awesome.

Apparently, 50% of all statistics are invented so make what you want of this.Apparently of all the people that start training Brazilian Jui Jitsu on 10% make it to blue belt. Even more daunting is the statistic that only 1% actually become black belts. I'm presently a blue belt 4 stripe so who knows I could be a purple belt in a year or 2?

Probably quite a lot longer if my teacher sees any of these t shirt designs.

                          


Here is a link to my Print On Demand shop just in case a snigger means you'd like to see more.



At last night's Brazilian Jui Jitsu advanced class every other roll is with a black belt. One of the black belts, after having turned me into a spluttering pretzel in our five minute roll turned to give me the standard post pretzeling de-brief.

One of the things I like most about BJJ is the desire everyone seems to have to want to support each other, especially the lower belts. After my first 5 years this really does seem to be a major part of it.

If you're still around after the 1st year of having whatever ego you started with routinely pummeled into oblivion (which is actually a very good thing if you can endure it only 90% of the planet can apparently) then other BJJ practioners will respect you more.

You could be a heinous human being off the mats but if you're still getting routinely humbled week after week and refusing to give up it's very difficult not to respect that person in some way.


10 ETIQUETTE TIP FOR BJJ STARTERS

Here are a some of the rules I've picked up in regards to BJJ etiquette. There will no doubt be loads more but these are the 1st 10 that immediately come to mind.

1) Always make sure you and your Gi are clean, dry and sweet smelling. I always brush my teeth and shower before each class but that's just me.
2) Make sure your finger nails and toe nails are cut short.
3) Bow out of respect before you get on the mats.
4) No shoes or socks on the mat
5) No verbal or physical celebrating of any kind if you tap someone.
6) No verbal or physical complaining if you get tapped, regardless of by who. A lower belt, a similar belt or the cleaning lady.
7) Summoning a higher belt for a roll is a massive no no.It's bit like slapping a sleeping lion round the face with a pair of wet underpants.
8) Celebrate everyone's achievements.
9) Always wear a rash vest, having another man's sweat dripping into your eyes, nose or mouth is a level of intimacy most people aren't prepared for,especially in this present climate. 
10) If a black belt summons you to roll with them you go and roll with them. Rather than thinking "Oh brilliant here comes another arse kicking! 
try and think 
"Awesome! I'm getting a free 5 minute private class from a pro, I better take notes and try not to drip on them!" 
Being summoned by a black belt, as far as I can see, pretty much trumps any other prior engagement you may have. This includes, getting to work, getting married, a job interview, putting out a fire. You may just about get away with excusing yourself because your wife has just gone into labour.

I suppose in that scenario you have to ask yourself who are you more concerned about upsetting? A BJJ black belt or your wife? The black belt would dispatch of you in a controlled, efficient manner and is less unlikely to give you the silent treatment for a week or make you sleep on the sofa.

Anyway after this roll, which ended not surprisingly 4 taps to nil he gave me some tips and the tone of it made me think about some of my aspirations on a grander scale.

He said he thought I was improving and getting into a better position for a submission, which underlines the whole (position before submission) manifesto. He also said that I don't seem 100% sure of what to do once I get there?
It's taken nearly 5 years but I'm starting to feel more confident. I do now feel more confident at transitioning to positions where I can attempt a submission but once there feel like I'm trying to do buttons up with boxing gloves on.

This resonated with me for the rest of the day and a few after it. When it comes to any goals in my life like financial freedom, if I got to a point where I worked entirely on my own schedule would I be happier than I am now? What do I get from work? Is it literally just the funds required to support a family or is it a sense of belonging, a sense purpose, a routine?

Last paragraph / attempt to provide you with something helpful? Useful? I'd accept "grammatically correct" to be honest.

"Black belts are just white belts that never gave up."

 I've always liked that quote.

Come on you losing the crowd...

With the World as uncertain, unknown and worrying as it is what can you do to keep yourself together?
My way to keep life playful, fun, as positive as I can, is to start a journey. Or if you're like me to start a number of journeys where the destination and time frame to success is ideally completely unknown.

Try and become a BJJ black belt?
Try and develop a Youtube channel?
Try to develop an online shop?
Try to develop a blog?

 If we can maintain the faith and work ethic required to keep doing the doing bit then I think the success finds us along the way.The less glamorous truth about success is that you literally just have to keep turning up because change is inevitable. 

If you continue to turn up you're ultimately turning your "If" I get there to "When" I get there.



I hope wherever you are in the World I hope you're okay and if you read this far, 
thank you.
James


AFFILIATE LINKS

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James Macdonald Copyright 2021

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