So for months I had been trying to come up with a new reason to train. I think that setting goals and having a PURPOSE for your training are imperative to stay motivated. I’ve thought of some crazy stuff. A marathon (nope), a 20 mile road march with a pack (maybe) and olympic lifting competition (not good enough) were all ruled out.
I decided to do something far different and way out of my comfort zone. Rather than come up with an “event” to train for, I decided to just use the fitness that I’ve already acquired. I deci
ded at the young age of 42 that I would start…Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Now, what does any of this have to do with CrossFit? Well.. a lot. Because what I have found is the two journeys (and that’s just what they are) are actually very similar in several ways.
Walking in the door for the first time
To say I was nervous the first time I walked in to Tennessee Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Spring Hill, is an understatement. I walked in just before the 11:30 class and about 5 guy’s heads whipped around to see who had just walked in. They were sitting on the mats, gis (a traditional 2 piece garment worn in many martial arts) half on and sweaty. I thought they might pounce on me and beat me to death right there. This must be EXACTLY how first time visitors to CrossFit feel. Walking in the front door for the first time is STILL the hardest thing that I’ve had to do there. We hear this at Combustion all of the time and literally every one of our athletes can tell you about his or her first time coming in and they can probably tell you what the first workout was. It’s tough to just walk in the door but, what you find is a welcoming and inclusive feeling.
I’m getting better…oops…I suck again…what gives?
In most cases, when people first start CrossFit they will begin to improve in a relatively short period of time. Their nutrition, consistency, coachability and the like will have a direct impact on when those changes start. But, without a doubt (assuming the aforementioned items are intact) a new CrossFit athlete will see marked improvement in 3-6 months roughly. The same is true for BJJ. Show up, listen, practice and you will improve in those first few months. Here is the catch…as soon as you start to improve, the target will get moved. What that means is, as you get better, your coach will make your work tougher (moving from an 18lb. kettlebell to 26lbs for KB swings as an example). In BJJ, the blue belts that have given you opportunities to work new techniques will start giving more resistance as you improve. They will no longer give you superior positions, you will have to learn to take them. It feels impossible at times. In both activities, that “moving of the target” is what makes you better. It keeps you improving through adaptation. Basically, just when you think you’ve “figured it out”, we make it harder for you. This can be a mental war in both CrossFit and BJJ. This leads right in to my next parallel between the two sports.
I think I love this but, I want to quit
Here is what no one is going to tell you: in both CrossFit and BJJ, YOU WILL WANT TO QUIT during those first few months. You show up, you get crushed, your ego gets mauled and you won’t be having much fun in spite of your improvement. It is really a strange feeling. To love something, to want to get better at it but, to be so bad at it that you consider quitting. For me, this happened about 3 months in with both CrossFit and BJJ. But, this is where you grow as both an athlete and as a human. I think that it’s IMPERATIVE that you talk to your coach or fellow athletes when this happens. Chances are that you aren’t the first one to feel this way. Remember, they are further along on the journey than you are. It’s a “been there done that” situation. When they give advice, LISTEN.
I’m starting to figure some things out
It took me a year to even get decent at CrossFit. It took me that long to get some serious mobility (flexibility) issues worked out. At the one year mark in CrossFit, I thought I knew what I was doing. But, once I hit the two, three and four year marks, I look back at that 1 year mark and realize that I didn’t know squat (no pun intended). I thought I knew what I was doing but, I had only laid down a base of knowledge from which to build on. It took TIME and CONSISTENCY to really become proficient.
I’m in that same place with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu right now. I’ve crossed that 1 year mark but, I’m not even tempted to think “oh, I’ve got this figured out”. The reality is, I’m still just a beginner. With CrossFit, I thought I had it figured out at this point but, I have the luxury of looking back and I won’t be making that mistake again. In another year or so, I may be ready to be promoted to blue belt. Because I listen when my coach and training partners speak, I already know what’s going to happen. The purple belts won’t be so easy on me and every white belt will try to kill me. I’m going to be starting all over again. I’m going to get smashed. I welcome it. I know how I will deal with it. Humility, consistency and being coachable will get me through. CrossFit is the same.
Competing will change your outlook
That’s it. Entering a CrossFit comp or a BJJ fight will absolutely change how you see your sport. That is all. You need to experience it for yourself. I am incapable of putting this in to words. You need to FEEL it. and…IT..IS…AMAZING! The winning and losing are immaterial. Put yourself out there. You will learn and THAT is improving.
It is truly a journey
Both CrossFit and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be LIFE CHANGING endeavors. They feed your mind, body and soul. You make friendships that you would never have made. You will have to fight to improve. You may want to quit but, you just can’t. Keep lifting and keep rolling.
*Coach Matt Boyd is a strength and conditioning coach, Co-Owner and Co-Founder of CrossFit Combustion, a USA Weightlifting facility. He is a white belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Professor Ray Casias at Tennessee Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Spring Hill, TN.