Once, Rickson was asked what is the most important behavior a white-belt must heed in their first few training sessions. From the height of his more than 50 years of experience, and taking off his gi, the master summed it up:
"The most important thought a beginner must have is to completely forget concepts like victory or defeat, winning or losing. The secret in the first training sessions is to not get excessively tense, and strive to feel relaxed, comfortable. The path to reaching this is to adopt the attitude and mindset of a child who is starting to learn something. Keep your heart open, ask whatever you want, and don't hesitate in asking to stop. With time, you will feel that you are at another level, naturally."
Yes, a white-belt is crawling in BJJ like we all once did, and the most important thing is to have fun, even if their knees get scraped a bit.
"The beginner must not start out in Jiu-Jitsu with the mindset of competing; nobody is training there to beat a big monster in the next few days," Rickson added. "The goal must be simply that of understanding the movement, learning how to breathe and maintaining your calm, paying attention to the correct angles and to the correct timing to react. As well, of course, as the pleasure of the exercise."
So enjoy your first few training sessions, and don't forget to savor some nice watermelon juice, or something else to your liking, afterwards. That taste will be unforgettable.
Comments
Even as a black belt this is a good reminder for me
Great advice as I jut started a month ago .
So many schools have forgotten this important concept. Thank you