We’ve all used the old I’ll-get-to-it-tomorrow excuse, and sometimes it’s actually justifiable because the Jiu-Jitsu academy is, in fact, closed and so you can’t go. However, if you can train today, then train today. I recently came back from a three-year hiatus from training. I remember the night I stepped back on the mat. I was so nervous because I thought it wasn’t a good night to return because I had this and that going on and I was too out of shape and I wouldn’t be as good as I was in my twenties and wah wah wah.
Well, once my coach started the warm-ups, I fell right back into a groove. So many things (like a feeling of self-empowerment) began to happen in my head. I started to feel better mentally and physically. In the midst of this, I asked myself one question: Why in the heck didn’t I get my butt back on the mat so much sooner? In short, I’d had every excuse not to be training, and then when I was back on the mat, I had every excuse to be training. It was all mental, and the way I overcame it was just letting go to the unknown by giving myself over completely to training. As scary as it was to do so, it was the only way, and it was the right way.
My point is that unless you’re mentally and/or physically incapable of training, low on cash, or just plain lazy, then go train today. The only one keeping you from stepping through the door is yourself. The reality is that it’s never going to be the right time to train. You’re always going to have something going on or some kind of physical ailment or mental insecurity to deal with. Guess what? That’s how it’s supposed to be! You’re never going to be one hundred percent both mentally and physically (even when you are training), but you’ll always have your training to feed your soul. Ask anyone, and they’ll probably tell you that some of their best nights on the mat were nights that they absolutely did not feel like going. Training Jiu-Jitsu (and training the martial arts in general) is a funny thing like that.
So, when stepping through the door for the first time or for the first in a long while (or even on a night that you really don’t want to be there), face yourself bravely and you will reap the rewards. A good friend of mine once told me “The first person you have to fight is yourself.” It’s so true when it comes to training, and in my experience, you are the only person that you really ever have to fight. Even when you’re rolling at 115% percent with the toughest and gamest person on the mat, you’re not really fighting with them—you’re fighting with yourself.
Train today because there just might not be a tomorrow to train for. Nothing is permanent. Nobody lives forever. Time is really not on your side, and things happen which actually can keep your from training. So why put it off any longer? You’re probably in a better position to get your butt on the mat than you think. The mats are calling. Will you answer?
About The Author:
Chris Campion is the author of The Jiu-Jitsu Bum published by Northampton House Press. He holds an MA in creative writing from Wilkes University. His short fiction can be found at www.fiction365.com. He holds a blue belt from Gracie NEPA.
