These Lockdowns have been hard to deal with, from a business perspective and a personal perspective. Last year it was sort of a novelty, we had never had this type of thing happen before so no one really knew what to expect or what we were doing. We did Zoom classes which were fun, and everybody tried hard to stay involved.
Wind Forward 12 months and these last two lockdowns I have seen the difference in our Members. The last one it took a while for the class sizes to build again and then bang locked down again, we haven't had any traction with Zoom classes and even the Bootcamps haven't been full this time.
Yesterday I was chatting to one of our Members and he said to me he was thinking about just quitting Jiu Jitsu because with all these lockdowns he feels like he can't get any meaningful progress. He said every time he felt like he was getting somewhere we were forced into lockdown again and he felt like he was going back to square one every time.
I can understand completely where he was coming from, but you can't have that mindset. I have played many sports in my lifetime but non of them have had the same affect on me as Jiu Jitsu does. It's more than just a sport or an art, it's a lifestyle, it's a mindset. Jiu Jitsu has the ability to change your life. People who have never trained it can't understand that concept but trust me, it's more than just a martial art.
It is human chess, learning under pressure to deal with uncomfortable situations is an amazing experience. It's also an art that is forever evolving, you never get bored. On top of this it takes you so long to learn and develop your game, it's not like most Martial Arts where you can get your Black Belt in 2 years or have Junior Black Belts etc. It generally takes the average Joe 12-15yrs to get to get to Black Belt in Jiu Jitsu. It's so hard to put into writing the power of Jiu Jitsu, it's a lifestyle is my best way to describe it. I honestly couldn't imagine my life without it.
I have been a longtime mental health advocate and the powers Jiu Jitsu has to help with that. When you are rolling you legit clear your mind of everything and just embrace the roll.
Long story short, I find this subject so hard to articulate how strong my feelings are for this art, but you guys that are having doubts about these lockdowns and your progress in Jiu Jitsu. Having self doubts about life in general because of what the World is dishing up to us at the minute, you aren't alone trust me but you need to continue your journey in Jiu Jitsu. Everyone has different reasons form training, different needs in life but the one constant you do need is Jits. I'm a lifer and I honestly hope I am still rolling when I'm 90 yrs old. So it doesn't matter your age, just continue the journey and see where it leads you.
If you have never trained but your kids do or your partner does...please step on those mats and I promise you your life will never be than same.
Nunca Desista de Seus Sonhos - Never give up on your dreams.