When beginning your training journey, whether it’s in Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai or both, you will most likely feel a big jump in your progression. Each new week you might feel your all-around physical fitness and technique skyrocket, yet as you start getting further into your training journey, the joy and satisfaction that brings can be easily forgotten.
You may start to feel a plateau or perhaps even a sense of your technique or skills declining. In those moments, it’s important to go back and remember how your first couple of weeks made you feel.
Training in any kind of martial art, you have peaks and valleys. You may have a couple of weeks, or a good month, where you feel like everything is clicking and coming together smoothly then hit a period where you feel like you’re not retaining anything from classes, and you just aren’t improving at all.
During those “valleys,” it’s especially important to keep showing up. Consistency in your training will not only help you overcome those lulls, but the more you show up, the more connections with people you will make, and those new connections may help you improve your training.
[The Importance of Consistency]
The more consistent you are, the easier it is for people to remember your name and build rapport with you. Some people may be years into their training journey, just starting or somewhere in between. They may be better or more knowledgeable than you in certain aspects of training, and they can help you improve and build up your arsenal of techniques by talking after a round of rolling or sparring.
There can be days that you feel like you won’t get any better and some days it’s a matter of just getting to class and going through the motions. Those days are crucial to stay consistent because even when you’re just going through the motions and you feel like you’ve plateaued, you’re getting better each class you go to. Even if it’s just one percent, it will add up before you know it, and you’ll come out of your slump with a newfound love and appreciation for training.
Consistency will breed new friendships which I’ve found makes showing up to classes easier, more enjoyable and less intimidating — especially when you first start. It makes days where you feel like you’ve hit a wall in your training a lot less of an obstacle. Having someone to help you get improve can also fuel the both of you with a friendly competitive mindset to show up and get better.
While consistency is an important part of training, so is listening to your body and acknowledging when your body needs a break in order to prevent injury. Rest and recovery are very important for your health.
Everyone is different. A break to some people might mean a day or two, perhaps a week; for others, it might be two weeks or longer. Whatever the case is for you, listen to your body and allow yourself to recharge.
I’ve found that whenever I get back from a rest and recovery break, I feel better in my training. It might be hard to let yourself take a break, like you’ll forget everything you’ve been working on or you’ll grow sloppy in technique, but allowing your body to rest and heal will only make you stronger and more eager to learn.
