Mental Barriers By Patrick Donabedian

Physically, it does not take much to become a master of Jiu-Jitsu. You just need four limbs, decent fitness, a problem-solving brain, and mat-time.

Mentally...that’s a whole other story. Negative thoughts and false beliefs can take you out of the game long before any actual technique matters. In fact, more than 50% of beginners quit because of this.

Below I’ve listed the 9 most common mental barriers to look out for before getting started. We’ll address ​ ​ these by articulating the full problem, separating truth from fallacy, and finding actionable solutions.

Read below and choose just 1-3 barriers that have tripped you up in the past. Then complete the homework at the very bottom of the worksheet.

Age Barrier

Irrational Problem: “I’m too old to keep up with guys in their twenties. What’s the point if I’m just going to keep ​ going downhill?”

Truth: Age does have its drawbacks--more soreness, less speed/strength, busy with career and family ​ ​ ​ responsibilities. But none of these stop you from becoming more coordinated. You didn’t choose a brute force sport like Rugby, you chose Jiu-Jitsu to become a technician.

Rational Solution(s): -Soreness: Take rest days off from live-rolling. Drill instead to sharpen your technique so it requires less strain when you do it live. -Less speed/strength: When rolling live, Narrow your strategy (which is what the best competitors do anyway). Focus your game and become a master at one subsystem of jiu jitsu. While young guys are running in a million different directions becoming ‘well-rounded’, you’ll force opponents into you’re world, where they’ve spent very little mat-time and you’ve spent a lot of yours. -Busy: Pick how many days/week you can reasonably train. Then multiply that number by 4, write that number down and keep a tally. If you come up short one week, you can make up for it with extra training the next week. If you hit that number for the month, think about adding another day/week for the next month. Ex: 3x/week; 12x/month

Flexibility Barrier

Irrational Problem: “I’ll never have a good guard off my back because my legs and back are not flexible ​ enough.”

Truth: Some people are naturally more flexible for a variety of reasons-- they don’t sit at a desk all day, they ​ have an everyday stretching practice, they are less muscle-bound. Mobility is more important than flexibility. This can be trained. Also, an elite guard is more reliant on creating multiple points of attachment to your opponent, than flexibility.

Rational Solution: Identify the one part of your body that hinders or pains you most (usually hips). Find solo ​ drills and exercises (@lustrengththerapy) to incrementally improve your mobility and dexterity. Soon, your feet ​ ​ will be as coordinated as your hands.

Strength Barrier

Irrational Problem: “I’m not strong or fast enough to defeat my opponent.” ​

Truth: Strength and speed are vastly less important than the following: staying a step (technique) ahead of ​ your opponent.

Rational Solution: By learning systems and spending vast amounts of live rolling time within those systems ​ you’ll be a step ahead of any opponent no matter how strong or fast.

Street-Fighter Barrier

Irrational Problem: “That wouldn’t work if the guy could throw punches” or “It’s rarely done in the UFC, so it ​ must not be really effective” or “I don’t want to be a butt-scooter”

Truth: As with any technique, if you’re bad or inexperienced, it won’t work in a full fight. It takes time to develop ​ specific punch block skills. You will get hit if you are a stationary target. You will get hit if you don’t control your opponent’s arms when within range. You will get hit if you don’t clinch when in trouble. You will get hit if you don’t manage distance.

Rational Solution: There are multiple learned skills you can develop to defend against punches and slams. ​ Ex: kazushi (off-balancing), clinching, head/hip movement, opposing force control etc. If you know you’ll be in a fight within the next month or two, a Jiu-Jitsu class is the last thing you need. Instead I’d suggest anger management, buying a gun, or contacting the authorities.

Ego-Comparison Barrier

Irrational Problem: “He’s been training for just 6 months, and I’ve been training 12 months. What’s wrong with ​ me?” or “I can tell other students learn faster, are better at certain moves.”

Truth: It’s true, some students can learn a wider variety of techniques within a shorter time frame. Some have ​ athletic backgrounds like wrestling or football. Some simply have a higher IQ.

Rational Solution: Do an 80/20 Analysis. Limit your focus to the most important skills/systems. Choose the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ systems/skills you’re willing to bomb. You’ll master the most important things while the “naturals” become mediocre at a bunch of things.

Leglock Injury Barrier

Irrational Problem:“Leg locks are too dangerous. Not worth learning” or “I don’t want to have to injure my ​ opponent for them to tap”

Truth: Like any other joint submission, if you don’t tap in time, you will get hurt. Our knees and ankles have ​ fewer pain receptors, which means you often must tap to pressure rather than pain. Meanwhile, you typically play leg locks off your butt rather than standing--this will load less weight on your knees and ankles, unlike passing and takedowns.

Rational Solution: Gain awareness of pressure by spending lots of time in leg locks with people you trust. ​ TAP EARLY AND OFTEN. As you learn defense, remember that slow methodical deconstruction of the leg entanglement is safer and more effective than quick herky jerky escapes. When opponents do not tap when they should, DO NOT CRANK. Instead, employ a catch and release strategy. Make eye contact for 2 seconds. If they are clearly oblivious to the danger, loosen and release the hold with the personal satisfaction that you “got the tap”.

Extreme-Reach Barrier

Irrational Problem: “What’s the point if I’m not able to train 6-10 times per week?” or “I should be able to get ​ my black belt (or become a UFC fighter) in one year” or “I missed 3, 4, 5 days and lost all my momentum!”

Truth: The more mat-time you get, the easier it is to progress in Jiu Jitsu. The best competitors live on the mat. ​ They do this NOW because they are ambitious and motivated. But they originally did it BACK THEN because it was fun and they were encouraged by incremental learning.

Rational Solution: Instead of sacrificing family, career, and relationships to maximize mat-time, set a ​ minimum amount of days/week you’ll train in your calendar (anywhere between 2-5). In these 2-5 days you’ll come in prepared to only train and improve specific positions. Don’t maximize mat-time, optimize it. ​

Shiny Object Barrier

Irrational Problem: “It’s only worth doing the most modern moves that nobody has heard of”, “I need to ​ surprise them in order to win” or “Maybe I can invent something new and flashy” or “For every position, the best defense is offense”

Truth: The element of surprise is important to win in Jiu-Jitsu. And each passing year of world competitions ​ display new innovations in our young sport. But all of these elite competitors innovated upon a foundation of fundamentals.

Rational Solution: If you spend lots of time mesmerized by technique flows on Instagram, delete the app off ​ your phone temporarily. Trying to invent your own new flashy moves is like basing your income strategy on winning the lottery--you’d be broke and unable to afford jiu jitsu. Instead, be data-driven in your approach--do what massive amounts of other practitioners have proven to work. Then drill it to do it better.

Also, visualize an OFFENSE-DEFENSE SWITCH in your head. You’re switch will quicken with each roll. ​ ​

Fear of Judgement Barrier

Irrational Problem: “My coach or a higher belt in one class contradicted another coach” or “I’ll look stupid if I ​ enter into a leg lock position and then get counter-leg locked”

Truth: Jiu Jitsu consists of many subsystems and multiple routes to victory. As an instructor of many years, I’m ​ still learning new and better ways of winning. Another instructor may have better routes. It can be embarrassing or discouraging when someone says you’re technique is wrong or they tap you out when you thought you were doing the right thing.

Rational Solution: Check your ego and don’t take it personally. Higher belts are often correct, but sometimes ​ they are horribly wrong (even instructors). Remember to ask me about the contradiction. Know that getting countered and beat is the only way to learn. With regard to leg locks, you have to live in the Ashi Garami (Japanese for “leg-entanglement”) world--with all of its wins and losses--to ultimately understand it. Tap early and often and no one will make fun of you. Instead, they’ll give you helpful pointers.

Homework:

By no means are you vulnerable to all of these barriers. We all have unique set of prior experiences and thought processes. Choose only 1-3 barriers that have tripped you up in the past. What action can you ​ ​ ​ take to negate or minimize their effects?

Example: I fall prey to Shiny Objects Pitfall on Instagram (for both BJJ and other aesthetic interests in my life). ​ Therefore, during periods of time that require extreme focus, I’ll keep the app deleted off my phone.