Don't get injuried!

So Many people think that Jiu-Jitsu is a sprint when really it is a marathon. This is especially true for young American men who have taken wrestling in High School. People think that tapping people out is the goal in Jiu-jitsu when really it's about getting better at the game. If you focus on tapping everyone out every time, what happens is you will rely on the same old tired moves and force that you have used before. They think that going full force and using every ounce of strength they have is the key to victory. In Jiu Jitsu we always assume that everyone is bigger and stronger then us. If we keep this in mind we will search for the right leverage points where we can minimize our strength. This is the hallmark of a good purple belt. This will also keep injuries in the school to a minimum. Why do you care? We want to take care of our partners and we want them to take care of us. One bad knee or shoulder injury can set your progress back by months or years and cost you thousands of dollars in surgery. Statistics show that once you are injuried you are 60% less likely to ever come back to class! This stops your BJJ career or your partners in it's tracks! If you have no good training partners you can't improve either. Strength only goes so far and then you either need to pump iron or use good technique. Try to tap your partners out with new moves all the time and most importantly be healthy and around in ten years to get your black belt. I've had hundreds of students who were very good who never came back because of injury. The culprit? Death matches where people where going full force trying to bolster there ego instead of focusing on the getting better. I give you my word. Get better, stay safe when you train, don't wrestle with uncaring muscle morons and you will one day be a jiu-jitsu nightmare!