Do you sometimes find yourself daydreaming about BJJ, Youtubing escapes because you're determined not to let the big guy keep you under side control again, only to get to the gym and you are second guessing why you came?
Do you find the most nerve-racking part of the martial art is fitting in?
Do you hate coming face-to-face in your personal space with a sweaty someone?
Relax.
It's fine. You're fine.
Although BJJ is a brutal sport to the casual observer, it's actually pretty tame once you get past the preliminary shakes and speed bumps.
There are a few ways to feel more at home on the mats and as always we are here to help.
- Socialise with your teammates.
This is the first point of call when trying to become more comfortable with your surroundings. Especially as the people in the gym are the ones who are going to excel your rate of development.
If you find yourself in a spot of bother with a technique or concept you can rely on the relationships you've made with those around you. Who knows, you might even enjoy them as a person and they could feel the same about you!
- Get hammered.
Not drunk or anything like that....... Get into bad positions against higher belts and just hang there if you have to. If you get tapped, so what? Finish the roll and ask yourself: "Am I okay? Am I hurt or is my ego hurt?".
Chances are you are fine and the feelings of discomfort come from within you and not from your partner.
- Keep showing up.
Yep, this is yet another answer to yet another question. The more you show up, the more you'll get more accustomed to the people and expectations of rolling. The less you show up, the more you'll find yourself getting disheartened because you're always heading back to square one on the mental conditioning scale.
Get friendly, get hammered, show up and you'll be on your way to beating the BJJ nerves.
