loss of motivation....advice?

[Tant01]

Chop down a tree...

hey guys,

so basically ever since i got my blue belt about a year ago my motivation to train bjj has really started to decline. i used to train 2-3 times a week regularly, now i'm down to less than once a week. It just doesn't excite me any more and I find that I only feel compelled to train to 'keep' what i already learnt and because i feel like i 'should' train rather than because i look forward to it.

any advice or similar experiences?....
.... i've also noticed that the purples, browns and blacks in BJJ are the guys who train regularly because they love to, not because they feel obligated to, and thats why they excel.

so thats my rant. any useful advice? should i just move on?

cheers

Greetings Kidd...

Not to worry or lose any sleep over it. It is often the case that students will at first demonstrate much zeal and a thirst to learn.

At the achievement of some rank one tends think that they have learned enough. It becomes mundane and redundant. You have accomplished your goals.

Go climb a rock. (seriously, it's fun)

Try some judo. Throwing is also big fun and it will compliment your Jiu-jitsu...

Just have fun, you're young. Go play something you want to...

Learn to whittle? LOL

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

agreed. go climb a rock and whittle. emotional catharsis will be yours.

hahahahahahahahahaa!!

actually, climbing a rock would be fun right about now. not big on whittling though. everything ends up looking like something that didn't survive a car accident.

hahahahahahaha!!!

thanks

[Tom Yum]

1. Teach someone else jiu-jitsu; a buddy or a girlfriend. It may inspire you to learn more.

2. Take a week or month or 6-months off and keep up your powerlifting/crossfit regime (dude, I'm interested in the same kind of training!), then come back in better shape and ready to rumble.

3. Pick up taiji. It won't help your combat, unless you take it from an internal fighting arts instructor, but it could heal your body and mind after all the wear and tear from jiu-jitsu.

4. Watch inspiring movies.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

ooooooo. inspiring movies... how about the new jiujitsu movie coming out... called "red belt".

not sure how good it will be. it will inspire you to one of two ends...

one: you shall return to jiujitsu with zeal.

two: you shall cry "aaaargh what a crappy movie" and return to jiujitsu with zeal.

hahahahahahahahaha!! enjoy your flicks.

thanks

[dogzilla]

lorenzo freddy aint gonna do shit to me, im to strong for him.. + i know jason, so ill call jason on him so dont talk smack bro!



cya hahahahahahaha.lorenzostyle

[GQchris]

Being motivated all the time is overrated, feelings change and fluctuate all the time, I would say force yourself to do it, or quit, no use doing something that you will continually just go through the motions. Often times I get tired of doing things like working out, but I do it anyway.

[lorenzodamarith]

lorenzo freddy aint gonna do shit to me, im to strong for him.. + i know jason, so ill call jason on him so dont talk smack bro!



cya hahahahahahaha.lorenzostyle

hello,

THAT'S the spirit!!!!

hahahahahahahahahaa!!

thanks.

[kiddbjj]

i never get tired of working out. i've been doing gym/cardio/martial arts for nearly 10 years and have never gone more than a week without doing some kind of physical training, including when i've been injured.

[lorenzodamarith]

i never get tired of working out. i've been doing gym/cardio/martial arts for nearly 10 years and have never gone more than a week without doing some kind of physical training, including when i've been injured.

hello,

good for you! it is clear you love what you are doing. what systems do you train?

curiousity strikes again!

thanks

[Shoot]

This is totally normal. I recommend going with what feels right. Also, there's certain activities we start to obtain a certain level of proficiency. Blue belt in BJJ is fantastic achievement and means a lot.

If you want to maintain some involvement wiht martial arts while you focus more on general fitness try doing a cardio kickboxing type workout either at your gym or at your house. It's convenient and will supplement your
BJJ knowledge as you know.

I had the exact same thing happen to me with first BJJ which I got what I wanted out of and then MMA which I got what I wanted out of. I took a year off to explore othere interests, weightlifting and general fitness. Now I'm easing back into MMA but this time with just a friend in my spare time.

So, it happens. Don't sweat it and don't force it on yourself.

[kiddbjj]

yeah i think i'm just going to take a break from training for a while (only BJJ) and see if the passion for it comes back.

Basically gym and general fitness has been my bread and butter for 13 years (i'm 28 now). And if i had to choose between giving up gym and BJJ i'd drop BJJ first no doubt. I do the gym/general fitness thing at least 3-4 times a week so before I even think about BJJ I'm already commited to more work outs than the average person does in a week anyway. So adding any BJJ on top is extra time, money and energy that I don't always feel like giving now days. That's why my motivation for BJJ is down.

Basically gym and general fitness is my first love, I do it without having to force myself because it just is a part of my life that i can't do without. On the contrary I do BJJ because I think its effective, practical and is enjoyable to a degree but mostly I do it because i think some self-defence skills are important to have. But the simple fact of the matter is that gym wins hands down if i have to choose.

[whitebelt]

yeah i think i'm just going to take a break from training for a while (only BJJ) and see if the passion for it comes back.

Basically gym and general fitness has been my bread and butter for 13 years (i'm 28 now). And if i had to choose between giving up gym and BJJ i'd drop BJJ first no doubt. I do the gym/general fitness thing at least 3-4 times a week so before I even think about BJJ I'm already commited to more work outs than the average person does in a week anyway. So adding any BJJ on top is extra time, money and energy that I don't always feel like giving now days. That's why my motivation for BJJ is down.

Basically gym and general fitness is my first love, I do it without having to force myself because it just is a part of my life that i can't do without. On the contrary I do BJJ because I think its effective, practical and is enjoyable to a degree but mostly I do it because i think some self-defence skills are important to have. But the simple fact of the matter is that gym wins hands down if i have to choose.

Maybe you can take some other martial arts at your gym. Most gyms offer martial arts classes for just a little extra cash. Cross training and MMA is the wave of the future. It's here to stay.

[suhieb]

One idea which i would suggest for motivation is to find yourself a training partner, that way you can keep each other motivated. I find that when training with someone it makes me more competitive and to try and reach a goal faster and work harder in an attempt to outdo my partner

Suhieb

[Shoot]

I'm like you, Kidbjj. Fitness is my hobby/interest centerpiece. I noticed that most of the MMA or BJJ guys I used to train with who were really consistant with it did not do the bodybuilding/fitness cross-training type training I do. So, it's a lot to manage, and you quickly get overtrained.

I'll say this too. I think the burnout rate in BJJ is extremely high. There's a sport BJJ place I used to train at off and on to supplement my MMA. I'd go for like 6 weeks to gi grapple off and on for about 3 years. There were maybe 12 guys out of the 100-200 enrolled who were there over these 3 years. They used to say that the faces were constantly changing and people would for a while and then never show up again.

It's understandable. I think BJJ burns people out with the constant grappling. Not everybody enjoys getting wrangled around, dirty, and sweated on every class. There's no wonder why traditional MA schools are doing well even in the face of the UFC, MMA, and BJJ when you look at the training differences.

[whitebelt]

All martial arts schools have high turnover rates.