By Head Coach Travis Davison
Every week I get a message from a student who is either traveling out of town or moving, and they ask, “Hey, is there an SBG in _____ .”
This is a funny thing to say. They don’t ask whether there’s a jiu jitsu school. They ask whether there’s an SBG.
This says a lot about SBG and the tribe we’ve created here. When people leave, they look for another place like it to train.
That’s how you know you’ve created a place where people not only love to train but they feel like they belong. When they ask this question they want to take classes at a gym where they feel that sense of belonging.
It’s a scary thing to walk into a new gym for the first time. It’s easy to compare yourself to the people who have already been training there for weeks, months, or even years.
People have this misconception that they need to look healthy and fit when they first come in, or they have to have a yoga body.
Comparing yourself to others is not a fair measure. It’s apples and oranges. You can’t use that as your guide. It has to be you versus you.
The Only True Comparison
If you want to stop comparing yourself to others, ask yourself, “Am I better than I was 6 months ago? Am I better than I was a year ago?” That’s the only comparison that matters.
At SBG, we LOVE working with students who need the work. Our students are by no means perfect and that makes them the perfect students.
When you walk into SBG, you get a clean slate. It’s an opportunity for you to shed your old life and transform into a new person.
We’ve built a community where people can set aside their egos and create a welcoming environment for new folks.
We’ve formed a community where training is as much about improving yourself as it is improving the person next to you.
We’ve created an environment where people carve out time to make their health and wellness a priority and pursue their passions.
We’ve grown a tribe where you’re not comparing yourself to others. You’re comparing yourself to how you were 6 months ago.
So when I get that question from people, I tell them, go into those other gyms and watch a class. Don’t watch what the teacher teaches. Look at the composition of the mat.
Is it all male? Are they all in their 20’s? Is everybody fit?
Or are they people of all ages? Are they men and women? Are they doctors, lawyers, and construction workers?
You will know immediately when you walk into an MMA or jiu jitsu school that you’ve found your tribe.
For more information about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Yoga, Fitness, and Kids Programs in northwest Montana, call 406–752–7244, email at info@sbgmontana.com.