Most people who start BJJ begin with a great deal of enthusiasm. The worst afflicted declare with great fanfare, “I’ve found my sport!”, promptly get a jiu-jitsu tattoo and pepper social media with #bjjlifestyle and #livetoroll posts.
Far too often that enthusiasm burns out and they are absent from the next club photo day.
What happened? You might say that it is simply the law of averages at work and the ratio of new students who quit versus those students who continue is always going to be slanted.
What are the factors that make some people stick with BJJ?
One of the factors that is within one’s control is being consistent. BJJ is not a quick fix and the rewards come only after sustained efforts. No consistency translates into no progress and ultimately quitting.
Here are three things that will help you maintain consistency in your BJJ.
Make smaller goals.
Persevering through the valleys is easier when you set smaller goals for yourself. A blue belt might be impossible when you are struggling in your early efforts. A small goal might be as simple as being able to do everything in the warm up, or it might be getting a handful of moves that you can perform with some skill. It might also be recognising a mistake and resolving to correct it the next roll.
Look for small victories from week to week.
Get a training buddy.
Training buddies are essential. When you feel accountable to show up to class to work together with your training partner, you are more likely to make the extra effort to get to the academy.
Frequently the toughest part of training is overcoming inertia and getting off the couch to head into the academy. Once you are there, you pick up on the energy of your training partners and you are good.
Great training partners will encourage you to come train for the simple reason that they are fun to be around.
Friendly rivalries with your buddies also fuel your motivation. I’ve witnessed more than one BJJ student say, “I can’t afford to miss class and let Mike get ahead of me!”
Get organized.
Organization makes things easier. You are going to get some days where life seems to conspire to keep you from jiu-jitsu. If you have packed your gym bag ahead of time and have it with you, that is one less time consuming trip. You avoid a trip through traffic home to grab your gear.
The same planning can be applied to your diet. Observe how bodybuilders cook multiple portions of healthy food in advance so they can easily bring meals with them throughout the day. If you have prepared nutritious meals ahead of time, it will pay off when you are busy and really need to eat something to have enough energy to think about training that evening.
What are your little hacks to stay consistent?
