For some strange illogical reason, rolling around on the ground with other grown adults in sweaty pajamas can lead to poor life decisions. Many of these poor life decisions are based around our misguided obsession with training and competing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and doing whatever it takes to stay on the mats. While most of us wouldn’t miss the birth of our own child in order train, we have all likely made poor decisions that revolved around our passion with the gentle art. Here are 5 of the more common mistakes we have all either contemplated or made.
1.I can still just roll light while I am injured: Your doctor told you to stay off the mats for six weeks after tearing, straining, or breaking “body part x.” However, after three weeks of not training, you are getting restless and catching a case of cabin fever. You tried dropping into class to just to watch, but it isn’t enough for you. You miss the stress relief, camaraderie with training partners and the fun rounds of rolling after class. So in week four, you test out your injured body part and despite getting a C-, you tell yourself you are good to go and will only drill and roll light. Sometimes you can get away with this, but there have been times where you wind up having a lingering injury that keeps bugging you for months until you finally give your body a break and let your injury fully heal.
2.I can fight this submission: For an ego-less sport, there are times none of us want to tap. Sometimes that brand new white belt will catch you with a nice choke or arm lock and your first thought is denial. Then you get angry and try to fight it. If fighting and defending the submission fails, then the last step is acceptance of your fate and tapping. However, most of us have been reluctant to tap at some point in our BJJ careers and that led to ligament injuries or getting put to sleep and waking up to the entire class staring at you.
3.Boss wants me to work late, but I don’t want to miss belt promotions: You are about to leave the office to head to BJJ class on belt promotion night, but then your asshole boss stops you in the hallway right at 5 PM and talks to you about a report that needs to be done by tomorrow’s 8 AM conference call. Instead of marching back to your desk to work on the report, you decided to go to class with the hope you might get a brand-new stripe on your belt thinking you can work on the report after class. Then you get promoted, invited out for a beer, and before you know it you are dead-tired and working on your lap top at 1 AM scrambling to get that report done while ignoring all of your bosses texts, emails, and phone calls.
4.I can make this weight class: Every BJJ guy thinks they are too small for their current weight class. So they try to cut down 10 lbs for their next big tournament. Despite cleaning up the diet and giving up drinking for 6 weeks, those 10 lbs are a lot tougher to drop than initially anticipated. The week before the tournament, you have drastically cut back on your calories and water intake and are feeling like shit and highly irritable. That last pound just won’t come off and you are jogging around in a sweat suit in the parking lot of the tournament venue as people walk by eating nachos and eating acai bowls. You make weight and do well in your division. By the next morning you are 15 lbs heavier from all the eating and drinking you did immediately after the tournament ended.
5.It is okay to buy the Gi from BJJHQ.com since it is on sale: Money is tight. You have car payments, your mom stopped paying for your cell phone, and BJJ classes aren’t cheap. You have already cut back on your expenses and you have a budget laid out. Then all of a sudden you get that email or see that Facebook post about the $179 kimono that is on sale for the next 24 hours for $99 on BJJHQ.com. You shouldn’t, but it almost 50% off. Its too good of a deal to pass up and the next thing you know, you are digging between the sofa cushions for loose change to pay for gas.
