Hitting the Wall
by Meaty
There were days when I felt like I absorbed techniques like a sponge, now it seems like I’m a bucket with holes and I’m losing it left and right. I’ve hit a mental wall and it feels like everybody around me is getting better while my Jiu-Jitsu becomes stagnant. I am frustrated by my lack of progress and unfortunately that frustration leads to a decrease in motivation and a lack of focus. It’s a downward spiral that’s hard to pull out of.
But I’ve been here before. It usually happens after an extended period of time without training, usually anything beyond two weeks. Jiu-Jitsu is a skill that needs to be practiced in order to maintain and progress one’s proficiency in it (like playing the guitar or piano). Your technique is a finely honed sword that dulls and deteriorates without the proper maintenance and attention.
There is no “easy way” to get myself back to where I want to be. I just need to suck it up, get my butt off the couch and train. There has been some training days lately when I felt like I was completely beaten down and I have those moments on the mat where I know exactly what I want to do but my body just won’t let me do it. Brain says to Body: “FORWARD ROLL!” Body says to Brain: “Screw you Brain, I’m tired. I’m going to stay turtled up and think about how Hawaii is nice this time of year.”
Nothing feels better than a hot shower and a hot meal after a hard training session, the day after might not be too much fun but I know that it’ll get better the more I train. At least that’s what I say to myself whenever I hit the wall. The only way to get better is to train hard and to train often. So don’t let the “bad days” get you down because if you really think hard about it… any day on the mat is a good day.
See you on the mat.
