I was thinking about my training today and I could not remember what types of exercises or things I use to do to stay in shape before I started training in BJJ. November 1st will be three years that I have been training BJJ at Roy Dean Academy, and since I have been training I have been exposed to a whole lot of different things, good things!

Their are currently 54 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts that are contributing to the forums on the Grapplers Guide.

I just returned from vacation in Mexico, and last night I went to class for the first time in a week. I really don’t like being away from training for any amount of time, but I had a great time in Mexico.

Training in BJJ can be weird sometimes. I have been training for well over a year now, and there are times I feel like I just got on the mat for the very first time. I guess this happens to a lot of people, even the ones I train with.

It’s unfortunate that even Brazilian jiu Jitsu has its politics to deal with. I have read that there are some BJJ instructors don’t like it when their students go to other academies to visit and train at.

That is what I did last month. I took a month off after training consistently for over a year. It was a much needed break. I did nothing for a whole month. No practice, drills, watch any videos, or any kind of physical workout. It was a whole month of doing nothing!

I believe taking the time off was good for many reasons. One, it allowed my body some much needed rest. My body was aching all over and my joints were feeling it too. Second, this time off allowed me to get my mind back, so to speak. Just like any sport, it takes time to develop moves that become second nature. There is the defense game and the offense game, and sometimes your doing both. There is also the mental game as well.

If you have ever trained in BJJ then you know what I mean when I say it feels like you take two steps forward in progress and three steps back. Some days you feel like your doing good, and the next you feel as though you just got on the mat for the first time.

That is why I have titled this blog, “A Journey In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu”. I would encourage anyone who has not taken some time off to seriously think about doing so. Believe me, during this time off I was thinking of all my other teammates and how they were improving while I was gone. That was the ego part of me, but that is also part of the journey as well.

Who cares if they were improving their game. It’s not like they were not going to help me improve when I return. I train with some really cool guys, and it is a good place to train. It was also exciting to see some even compete while I was away. Their game has improved and it is awesome to train with them.

Are you ready to take some time off? Hey, even the best take some complete time away from training. After returning one of my training partners mentioned that I felt stronger to him. That came as a surprise to me, but after thinking about it, that reaffirmed that my body needed the rest. Think about it, and remember it’s a journey, just like life.

When I first started training again in November 1, 2006, I was training seven times a week. It was exciting to be training again and I could not get enough. I think my wrestling back ground and a short nine month BJJ training in 1999 helped my out a lot.

At first, I was soaking up everything that was being taught to me. I was holding my own when it came to sparring, but for a while now I feel that I have not improved much.

I remember talking to a fellow training partner and he made a good point. I was explaining to him that I felt like I was not improving, my game seem to be the same, but he mentioned that, “it is not that you are not improving, but that everyone else is improving too.”

That was it. I train with a lot of great guys that want to improve as well, and are doing what it takes to improve, coming to class, training outside of class, working on conditioning.

Although I do train a lot, it works for me, and I will continue train and stay focused