Handling Excuses in Jiu Jitsu

Most people are easily able to find their excuses. You know, the ones that help write off why something-some move, technique, or concept doesn’t or won’t work for them. Unless you find a way to move past those excuses, you’ll never find your true potential for using something.

I tend to process my brain on the outside, not in. I think that’s partly why I’ve always loved writing. Sometimes my “on the fly” processing in Jiu Jitsu comes out as “this doesn’t work” (let’s be honest, this happens A LOT of the time; my apologies to my coaches). In my head I KNOW it will work when I figure it out, but also, it just doesn’t work RIGHT NOW. 

My biggest excuse when I first started training (as the only girl and MUCH smaller than everyone else) was that “this won’t work because I’m small.” I used those words to write off a lack of necessary effort towards certain things. The excuse was always easier than the work.

Over time, being smaller became less of an excuse and more of a “how does this work for me?” perspective. It became a lens with which I approached certain things, noting that maybe small adjustments would have to be made when using it with people much taller or heavier than me. It changed how I asked questions of my coach-bypassing the idea that it doesn’t work and assuming that I just need some small adjustments to make it work. That approach resulted in learning things that I otherwise would have missed. It meant I learned things that some would assume smaller people can’t use, and it meant that I became more sensitive and aware to others trying to use the same excuse to write off the same lack of effort I once grasped to. 

My smallness makes me see things differently than those who are bigger. My smallness makes my game what it is, and helps me shape how I personally do Jiu Jitsu. My smallness should be embraced.

Excuses kill potential. If you find an excuse, what is it keeping you from? Because you can, with almost certainty, guarantee that it’s keeping you from something.