Is training twice a week enough? Rickson answers

Sticking with a new activity can be tough, and BJJ is no different. Maybe you're a beginner who heard great things, but you're not sure you "get it," and waiting to reach the next level can feel like looking at the hour hand on the clock, waiting for it to move. 

Regarding this, one good piece of advice from Matt Serra is to measure your progress month to month. More good advice came from Rickson Gracie as he was answering a student who asked whether training twice a week was enough. The master said:

"Jeremy, the consistency of your training gives you the results. Somebody who trains every day will have different results from somebody who trains twice a week. But somebody who does it twice a week is 100 or 200 percent more than somebody who doesn't do it. 

"So the practice will be in your life not to give you pressure, not to give you some sense of 'Oh, I'm losing,' or 'I should be doing...' No. You do whatever you can do to improve. If you can do two times, then your improvement will be a little slower than the guy who does it every day. 

"But my advice for you is: stick with two times until you're able to go for three times or four. But keep doing two times instead of one; keep doing two times instead of quitting. Two times is great for you at this point, but I hope to see you five days a week at the school maybe in the future — as a black-belt."