During the last two plays of my high school American football game in 1987, the coach put me in the game, as a tight end and not as a linebacker which was the position that I usually played. It felt right. As the game played, I clearly realized that I was better suited for a position other than linebacker. I always knew deep down that I was playing the wrong position, but I didn’t advocate for myself. From the first day to the last two plays, I was always full of tremendous self-doubt, lacked concentration, full of negativity, had poor self-confidence, and suffered because of an inability to let go of mistakes. I always felt like a stranger on the team. Mental toughness, I sadly admit, was something I didn’t possess.
I had a much better time when I practiced Judo as a kid and when I was on my high school wrestling team. Then I enjoyed the grueling practices, had great coaching, didn’t feel like a stranger there. I liked the matches and when I won, I felt like I had won a million dollars. I had a mental toughness that I lost when I played football.
So, what is mental toughness? It is being able to overcome a problem, a bad situation, an attacker, a competitor, or a competition, by staying positive and focused through the challenge. It is an ability to bounce back from an injury, emotional trauma, and change. It is the ability to go through training and keep coming back. The good news is that mental toughness isn’t something your born with, it is something you can develop via a process. The process is removing the negative thinking and putting positive thoughts in its place.
Here are some suggestions to help improve mental toughness for Jiu Jitsu practice and for your life:
Try and not view sparring as a competition. There isn’t a winner, nor a loser. Analyze what occurred after the match and try to make yourself better for the next session.
When things go wrong on the mat or in life, instead of complaining, try to find a solution and focus on it.
Before going to bed, rehearse previous lessons in your mind.
Listen to music before class. Music helps improves attitude.
Try to give 100% dedication to whatever you’re doing. Don’t hold back. Go all out.
Never take yourself totally serious.
Visualization. This is how you should visualize yourself. Relaxed under pressure. Focused. Not wasting time on unimportant aspects. Thick skinned, meaning, able to rebound from errors, bad habits, and failures. Be able to handle last-minute self doubts and negative thinking. Confident. Positive attitude, I can show them.
Thank God everyday. Try to do something good, for others.
journeyjjbluebelt 