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Mental barriers are a form of self-sabotage. We are all human and we will all run into this in some way, shape, or form. Take note, that if you are a beginner white belt, you will not experience running into these in the fundamentals class, you must leap joining the advanced levels.
There will be a point when you are rolling where you are completely gassed out. Unable to breathe and think clearly, you start giving up arms or possibly letting people submit you due to just being drained.
The days that may have not wanted to be in the gym or the ones where you are not feeling it are a blessing for your growth. When those days come, because they will, here is how you HAVE to approach them to get the most out of jiu-jitsu.
Breaking Your Mental Barriers: Continue to Fight
When you signed up and decided to commit to this sport you chose to become a fighter. Whether you decide to compete or not. Being a fighter is more than just deciding to stand in front of another human and try to beat them up, it’s a way of thinking and living. When things get hard, and they will, you must not give up and continue to fight through.
You have to move forward. There will be times in matches when you are completely gassed and you think you are at the point where you THINK you cannot give anymore, push through the glass barrier and go beyond your comfort zone.
The training sessions where you leave everything on the mats are the days you will look back upon and be proud of yourself. You decided to raise your standard and are taking the right steps to become the best version of yourself through fighting.
How to Force Yourself Forward
Forcing yourself forward means you have to put yourself in a position to fail. This is a deliberate action taken by deciding to roll hard and get the most out of your training sessions.
Chase discomfort or get to the point where you want to give up. Just beyond this area are bliss and an extreme amount of growth that cannot be found anywhere else but in a jiu-jitsu gym.
When you start making an appearance in the advanced levels classes you will run into the training partners that want to coast because they know the class is going to consist of a certain amount of rolling sessions. If there is time for four sessions, roll as if each 5-minute round is the last one of the day. You get nothing out of conserving your energy and not pushing yourself.
Always be safe while doing this and make sure to be a good partner that people want to continue to train with.
Breaking your mental barriers is easy when you deliberately do the tasks listed above. It is not for the faint of heart, to be the special type of individual that embraces the challenges that will be thrown at you. What do you want out of your training? What do you want out of your experience partaking in jiu-jitsu?
Apply these principles outside of jiu-jitsu in your everyday life and you will be a strong positive force in your family and community. Encourage your children to keep going and be an example for others!
Happy Rolling!