Just Keep Turning Up

by Sensei Matt Klein on July 22, 2012

Just turning up is half the battle in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

As I lay in bed at 8 am on my first week of holiday, a very cold Sunday, I fought a pitched battle in my mind. Do I go to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu this morning or not? I felt tired after a full term of teaching kids karate, and was having a very hard time motivating myself. I was losing this battle as I pushed the snooze alarm.

How many times does this happen? When I asked a wise old sensei years ago how to succeed in martial arts he gave me some very good advice. He said, sagely with a gleam in his eye, “Just keep turning up. When you’re happy, keep turning up. When you’re sad, keep turning up. When you’re tired, keep turning up. When you’re ill, keep turning up. If fact whatever else is going on, make training your one point of calmness. Just keep turning up”.

Only four of us turned up that Sunday, but as I stepped onto the mat, a surge of energy washed over me as I was joined by three of the keenest guys in the club. Three and a half hours later, after many drills and rolling, I walked out of there, soaked in sweat. I felt on top of the world, and made a quantum leap that day in my game. I smiled as I walked down the street, feeling the wisdom of ages the old sensei tried to pass on to me years ago. Just keep turning up.

Sharing is Good Karma!

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wyszukiwarka mp3 July 26, 2012 at 2:53 pm: First off I want to say terrific blog! I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing. I have had a hard time clearing my thoughts in getting my ideas out there. I truly do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually wasted just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Many thanks!
Sensei Matt Klein July 27, 2012 at 7:49 am: Thank you wyszukiwarka, I use a strange method. Coffee and loud rock. Gets me going every time. Thanks for visiting. The 10 to 15 minutes are not wasted, you are just collecting your thoughts.
Sensei Matt Klein July 27, 2012 at 7:54 am: Sorry Sheila, but if you were as switched on as you pretend to be, you would see we are the first or second result in every keyword that is important to us. And we did it without the help of any spammy websites, just a lot of hard work!