Commandment 5:
Thou Shalt Have fun!

Today’s commandment is a pretty easy one to follow but it can be one of the most difficult aspects of rolling. I have mentioned a few times that rolling should be fun. For most of us the main reason we got into Jiu Jitsu was to roll. I don’t know too many people who sat in their living room watching the UFC and said “Man…I really want to sign up for Jiu Jitsu and drill and drill!”

So how do we ensure that rolling stays fun? Make it fun. Don’t worry about tapping out to someone else. Don’t worry about hitting that new flashy move you saw on Youtube. Worry instead about making sure that you are the best time ever when you are on the mat. Put aside your ego and external influences for the next 5 minutes and just worry about doing the best that you can. If you win awesome! If you lose….awesome! Did you have fun? If the answer is yes then awesome!

Once we stop having fun in Jiu Jitsu we get burned out. Burn out leads to not wanting to come to class. Not coming to class leads to eventually quitting. Quitting leads to you not reaching your goal of receiving a black belt. If you are not having a fun time rolling you may want to review Commandment’s one through four or talk with your instructor. Most instructors have been in the same situation you are in and can offer some sage words of advice. I know when I have felt like I was having no fun on the mat I wanted to quit. When I start to feel this way I’ll make sure to immediately have a chat with Coach Alder and by the end of our talk I feel better about Jiu Jitsu and want to get back out there and roll some more! Sometimes just talking is all we need to recharge our batteries and get back out there.

So that’s it. Five commandments that we can all follow to ensure good training! If you want to learn more about Jiu Jitsu  or MMA please stop by 10th Planet Van Nuys and say hi!