By Head Coach Travis Davison
When people think of the benefits of jiu jitsu, they usually think about getting fit, stress relief, or self defense.
They usually think about winning a fight with other people, but they may not think about winning a fight with themselves. They may not think about how it teaches you to overcome adversity.
When Kisa and I started the gym, we were both unemployed, and I was collecting unemployment. It turned out to be the best thing that happened to us.
You may be going through your very own adversity right now and wondering, how did we do it?
I started jiu jitsu to learn how to win a fight. I was already fighting people before I knew jiu jitsu, and then I went to jiu jitsu with my brother. We joined on the same night.
That willingness to face myself and what I didn’t know is what kept me coming back to the mat. That willingness to face myself taught me true fighting skills and made me the man I am today.
That’s the beautiful thing about jiu jitsu. That’s why you hear people say, “It gets rid of your ego.”
You either quit because your ego gets in the way and you can’t deal with the fact that other people are better than you, or you dump your ego and say, “Okay, I’m ready to learn.”
That’s one of the greatest benefits of jiu jitsu. You accept the fact that you don’t know it all yet, and you’re ready to be better.
You’re going to have days when you life bad and days when you life good, bad and good, and over and over again. And hopefully at the end of your life the graph moves up.
That’s what makes jiu jitsu great. It puts you in positions where you are forced to face your frustrations, limitations, and yourself. You’re forced to face what’s not working and take action to improve it.
I would have never guessed 10 years ago that the adversity we were dealing with would bring us where we are today.
If you’re struggling right now that might actually be a gift.
