The words “Desire” and “Commitment” are powerful and emotive words and at first may seem a little out-of-place in the context of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). But let me assure you that they are two of the greatest keys towards the path of mastery in both Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the MMA arena!
The definition of the word Desire is: “A strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen”. Now can you start to see the application of the word Desire to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA training? A strong feeling of wanting to….
– earn your black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
– master your closed guard triangles
– improve your base and guard passing skills
– win a National BJJ or World BJJ Championship
– be stronger, more flexible or have better cardio
– develop KO power in your punches
– develop a lightning fast double leg
– become a UFC Champion
and so on. Desire is the fuel that drives us, our motivation so to speak. The stronger the desire the hungrier we are to work hard and make the necessary sacrifices to achieve our goals! Think about the legends in our sport… or any sport… What they all have in common is a “Burning Desire” to work hard and achieve their dreams!
Take Marcelo Garcia for example, he has been on the mat for several hours a day for over a decade to develop the devastating skill he displays on the mats! He moved out of his house as a teenager to pursue his dream of becoming “Great” in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu! As a kid he would take 2-3 hour-long bus rides (sometimes by himself) and skip lunch just so he could train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with better quality coaches and training partners. His “Burning Desire” led him to seek out the very best coaches and training partners he could find as well as study and learn all he could with the resources available to him.
Georges St-Pierre is one of the greatest UFC Champions because of his “Burning Desire” to improve and be the greatest MMA fighter of all time! He seeks out the very best in each individual Martial Arts Discipline and spends hours working out with them learning from them and adding what he can to his MMA game. GSP trains wrestling with the Canadian Olympic Wrestling team, works his MMA Strategy and Gameplan with Master MMA Coach Greg Jackson, has been working on his Boxing with Boxing legend Freddie Roach and trains with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Legends Renzo Gracie and John Danaher. All of these guys are masters of their crafts and possess a higher level of knowledge and skills in their areas of expertise yet GSP remains humble enough to seek out the best and continue to evolve as a fighter and athlete!
Now for the second word, commitment. Commitment is defined as: “the act of committing, the state of being committed, a pledge or promise; obligation”. Again self-explanatory! It is kind of hard to really have one without the other. If you really have a “Burning Desire” to achieve a goal, it is imperative that you make a commitment to yourself and to the realisation of that goal or dream! I personally like the words “pledge or promise; obligation” to define commitment. You make a pledge or promise that you will do whatever it takes to achieve your goal, you will make sacrifices, you will work hard, you will succeed, you will make mistakes along the way but you will learn from them and get better.
So how many of you have really made a commitment to your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or MMA training? What sort of commitment have you made to your Coaches, your Training Partners and most importantly Yourself? Are you holding yourself accountable and what sort of commitment have you made to really living your dreams? How many of you have the Desireto achieve greater things in your life be it a BJJ Black Belt, a Devastating North South Choke, Becoming a UFC Champion or even just becoming a well-rounded Mixed Martial Artist?
If you combine a “Burning Desire” with unwavering Commitment there is nothing that can stand in your way. Anything is possible, we all have virtually limitless potential and are powerful beyond measure. So why not take it to the next level. Make a commitment now to yourself on what you “WILL” achieve over the next 6-12 months. Start small, gain some momentum and keep picking up steam. Before you know it you will have lit the fire of a “Burning Desire” and will things to happen in your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA journeys!
Good Luck With your Training And Happy Rolling!
Felipe Grez
P.S. For those of you that noticed I kept using the phrase “Burning Desire” and are wondering where it came from or just want to learn more about the power of Desire please check out Napoleon Hill’s world famous best selling book “Think & Grow Rich”. This book really has the ability to change your life! I highly rcommend you read it! 🙂
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