In my years of Ju Jitsu thus far, I have seen a lot of people come and go. A lot people who come into the sport for the wrong reasons and find out that its not all what they expected it to be. To be honest, most of those people are men. I'm not saying that women don't join and stick around, they are a small minority.
The people who tend to not stick around are the ones who have the wrong attitude before they even get to the front door of the gym or dojo. They come and are all excited because all they want to do is hit people or choke them out and are unwilling to start with basics. These type of people watch the UFC and think, "I can do that, I've been in a fight before"; but they do not consider the amount of work, blood, sweat and tears it takes to get there. They do not see the endless hours of training, hurting joints, and the lessons learned. They just see people getting their heads bashed in and arms broken and think, "Awesome! I could do that". I'm sorry, but you can't, its not that easy!
Martial arts and MMA are very attractive sports to men, they get to fight and train and it looks like all glory. But you have to have the right mind set first and be willing to lose a lot before you win. Some people come into the gym with a bad attitude, thinking that if they don't tap when they first get arm barred that they will look tough and unbeatable. These types are usually the ones that will go all out, all the time when sparring or grappling. They lack skill so they think that if they go all out or don't tap, they will win. Instead, either themselves or others get hurt, either intentionally or unintentionally. This does not make you look like a good fighter, it just makes you look like an ass! I once overheard a friend of mine and a fellow Sensei say to a guy that this is a gentleman's sport; meaning you can't have an ego. You have to be able to accept a loss. Can you take a loss and be disappointed in your performance? Yes you can, however refusing to tap and getting yourself hurt just makes you look stupid. You'll learn pretty quickly that you're not the best and that you've got a long way to go.
The other reason that people don't stick with martial arts or MMA is that they lack discipline and are lazy. These types of people may be physically lazy, the typical couch potato type who don't want to sweat. On the other hand they may also be lazy in a way that they lack focus and refuse to do the work to reap the rewards. These type of people won't show up for the lesson part of the class but are always actively participating in the rolling or sparring part of the class. These people usually don't improve their technique or skill, they just want to fight.
To progress in martial arts, the person have to be self motivated. Its a sport where the real opponent is actually ones self. The person has to overcome their own doubts and challenges to progress and get better. They have to be willing to put the ego aside and accept criticism from the higher ranks and teachers. They have to be willing to lose and prepared to put the dedication and work. Martial arts is not just about fighting, its about growing and learning as a person to get to where you want to go.
The bottom line, if you have a bad attitude and are not willing to put in the work and dedication, then you really shouldn't join a martial art.
A great quote from one of my favorite martial artists
The people who tend to not stick around are the ones who have the wrong attitude before they even get to the front door of the gym or dojo. They come and are all excited because all they want to do is hit people or choke them out and are unwilling to start with basics. These type of people watch the UFC and think, "I can do that, I've been in a fight before"; but they do not consider the amount of work, blood, sweat and tears it takes to get there. They do not see the endless hours of training, hurting joints, and the lessons learned. They just see people getting their heads bashed in and arms broken and think, "Awesome! I could do that". I'm sorry, but you can't, its not that easy!
Martial arts and MMA are very attractive sports to men, they get to fight and train and it looks like all glory. But you have to have the right mind set first and be willing to lose a lot before you win. Some people come into the gym with a bad attitude, thinking that if they don't tap when they first get arm barred that they will look tough and unbeatable. These types are usually the ones that will go all out, all the time when sparring or grappling. They lack skill so they think that if they go all out or don't tap, they will win. Instead, either themselves or others get hurt, either intentionally or unintentionally. This does not make you look like a good fighter, it just makes you look like an ass! I once overheard a friend of mine and a fellow Sensei say to a guy that this is a gentleman's sport; meaning you can't have an ego. You have to be able to accept a loss. Can you take a loss and be disappointed in your performance? Yes you can, however refusing to tap and getting yourself hurt just makes you look stupid. You'll learn pretty quickly that you're not the best and that you've got a long way to go.
The other reason that people don't stick with martial arts or MMA is that they lack discipline and are lazy. These types of people may be physically lazy, the typical couch potato type who don't want to sweat. On the other hand they may also be lazy in a way that they lack focus and refuse to do the work to reap the rewards. These type of people won't show up for the lesson part of the class but are always actively participating in the rolling or sparring part of the class. These people usually don't improve their technique or skill, they just want to fight.
To progress in martial arts, the person have to be self motivated. Its a sport where the real opponent is actually ones self. The person has to overcome their own doubts and challenges to progress and get better. They have to be willing to put the ego aside and accept criticism from the higher ranks and teachers. They have to be willing to lose and prepared to put the dedication and work. Martial arts is not just about fighting, its about growing and learning as a person to get to where you want to go.
The bottom line, if you have a bad attitude and are not willing to put in the work and dedication, then you really shouldn't join a martial art.
A great quote from one of my favorite martial artists
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