my Arte Suave

Toughen up folks

Blah I came away from the Abu Dhabi Trials with a really stupid injury, and it really limits what I do, and really who I am when I do bjj. I don’t believe in taking time off for silly, nagging injuries..I tend to deal, unless I can’t breath or my neck doesnt move, lol.

Someone, yesterday, said to me, “Jr you should take a week off”

My response: “HAHAHAHAHA”

It’s ok, obviously this person cares for my well being. But this is already my week off..No running no lifting just BJJ everyday..is a week off for me. People should read the book ‘Wrestling Tough’ by Mike Champman..See what kind of injuries those wrestlers have to fight through at all levels, like the Olympics, National title matches, with things like bloody matches, broken arms, severed ligaments, these guys wrestled through that. The adversity they have to overcome. It’s nuts, but its the society we live in.

Somehow someway, we should always strive to build our character in this sense. One of Dan Gable students (I will return with the full info), was a phenom his freshman and sophmore year, winning National Titles. His Junior year he ran into a guy named, Mike Mann (I will come back and fix the names, but his last name was Mann) from Iowa State, beat the kid from Iowa in the regular season and for the National Title. They thought this kid was done and that the kid from Iowa State had the kids number.

The Kid asked Gable what do I have to do to be a National champ. Gables response was simple, add an extra practice. Mind you, they were already training 2 times a day, GRUELING PRACRTICES at 7AM and again at 12PM and the afternoon was for resting. So naturally the kid said, ok, what time. Gable had this kid in at 5 in the morning to work. The point of this practice, was not only to drill the move that would eventually win him a national title, but to build character, a toughness.

How can I cry about a nagging injury, stay out of practice? When I want to be the very best, and from what I read out at Iowa, the best train in the most adverse conditions.

Moral of the story, I look to improve on my character when I train.