Setting goals is crucial if you ever want to be successful in Jiu Jitsu. While it is true that you can improve by coming to class and just going with the flow, I have found that I really see improvements in my self and in my training partners when we set goals for our training. For most of us down at 10th Planet Van Nuys our ultimate goal is to get our black belts. Getting a black belt is very audacious goal that is going to take several years of commitment and dedication. Many people burn out before they ever reach their black belt. So how can you keep yourself motivated, focused, and avoid burn out? Set monthly training goals! Setting a monthly training goal gives you a reason to get on the mats when you are having that internal debate of going to class or sitting on the couch. Setting goals can also help you focus in on certain areas of your game that you would like to improve.

So how do you set a training goal? Your goal at first does not need to be anything crazy. If you are just starting out it’s fairly safe to say that getting your blue belt in one month isn’t going to happen. You can start with a small goal like wanting to train at least 3 times a week. From there you can move to working on certain moves. For example this past month in Coach Alder’s class we worked on guard passes. Maybe your goal for this month is to use one of the guard passes in a live roll.

After you have set a goal make sure that you share it with someone. This can be your coach, your training partner, or even a non Jiu Jitsu friend. Telling people our goals is a way to keep ourselves accountable and by saying the goal out loud it becomes real. It no longer is just a thought in your head. One way that I have been working on my monthly training goals is by sharing my goals with them and listening to their goals. By doing this we are creating a network of people who are trying to help each other out.

If you have a monthly training goal that you would like to share, please leave a comment below or stop by 10th Planet Van Nuys and talk with one of our instructors! Make sure to come back tomorrow as I will be posting my training goals for December.