I often get asked by beginners or hear this question asked to one of my three coaches (The Tribunal); “How long does it take to be good at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?”
That is a multifaceted question. I have many questions off of that one question. What do you mean by good? How good are we talking? What are we comparing “good” to?
I have to open up the question beyond the scope of one endeavor. This translates to any skill-acquiring endeavor. When I hear somebody ask this question I infer that they want a shortcut. So, let’s nip that one in the bud. If you don’t stop with silly questions then I’ll turn this car around right now. You hear me? We’ll get there when we get there. So pipe down back there. We only have the road ahead. There are no shortcuts. Your mom and I would have found it if there was one. You need to work hard. So, that answers that. So, let’s move onto time. Is there a timeframe to look at in terms of getting good at Jiu-Jitsu? Grappling takes longer than striking to become proficient in. Grappling takes five years, on average, to be proficient. Now, that level of proficiency means many things for many different people.
We are not all made equal in terms of attributes. Some of us are massive, strong and athletic. Some of us are born small and not athletic. Our achievements really are relative. I once saw a man compete with one leg against my buddy. He gave my buddy hell on the mats. My friend had two legs, and still had trouble winning that one. I would say that the one-legged–man was more impressive than my buddy (and my buddy would probably agree with that). So, we are still left with the same question. How long does it take?
There was a time in Brooklyn when I was a tough customer. We trained MMA at my school, and I didn’t specialize in grappling. I moved to Salem, MA. I joined up with a school dedicated to the specialty of Jiu-Jitsu… those fellas made me look like a newbie. So, I was good, but then found out maybe not that good. I had to go back to school in order to level up. So, this answers another question. There is never a point that somebody arrives. We are always learning, improving, getting schooled, learning more and figuring out where to go next. This is what we signed up for. It’s no different than any other endeavor.
I draw and write. You guys see my work. You can see a difference in my proficiency from two years ago to now. I wasn’t bad per se. I’ve been drawing and writing since I was a kid. I am now finding a groove that I can exploit, and running with it. The same goes for Jiu-Jitsu. I found my game in competition. My team knows what I do. I have a system of techniques I learned from Brooklyn and Salem that work for me. So, that answers another question. You need to find what works for you, and what your goals are.
What do you want out of Jiu-Jitsu? Do you want to be a professional grappler? Do you want to be the toughest kid in school? Do you want to learn the secrets of the cosmos or just make interesting friends? You need to consciously understand why it is you are going on this journey.
I look to Jigoro Kano for a rationale to training Jiu-Jitsu. I believe there are three levels to training. The first level is physical education. It’s about strengthening the body with functional exercise. The second level is about self-defense. The world is a dangerous place; it’s probably a good idea to know how to defend yourself. The third level is about taking the elusive teachings from the study, and then applying it to being a better citizen. That is what I think about the journey. This is the reason. I learn things well beyond just choking a person unconscious. That’s one note in a symphony of knowledge. I would suggest you find something else to do if you just want to learn how to beat someone up. Meatheads need not apply.
We only have so much time on this planet. We can use it as we see fit. You can be a whining kid in the back seat or you can be a grownup, and grab the wheel. We don’t know exactly how much time we have, but we know we are given a chance. We have a chance to explore what it is to exist, and hopefully do good work. We can dwell in the past. We can ponder the future. That’s not really living though. Living occurs now! We have the moment. Jiu-Jitsu hurls us into the present whether we like it or not. You need to confront who and what you are now. That’s why you do it. So, I might go back to answering that first question. How long does it take to be good at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? The answer is who cares! Just do Jiu-Jitsu. It doesn’t matter if/when you get the spoils of the gold medal. It doesn’t matter if you can beat up a guy with one leg. It doesn’t matter if you are proven to be less than you thought you were. None of that stuff matters. What matters then? It matters that you challenge yourself. It matters that you surround yourself with people who also want to better themselves. Getting beaten up or beating someone are both great things. Good is relative. There’s always someone better than you. So, don’t focus on being good. Focus on being the best possible version of yourself in the present. Do Jiu-Jitsu, because you can. Don’t focus on the future. Focus on the moment at hand. If you are not in the present then consider yourself proverbially choked out.