What Sean Bollinger Accidentally Taught Me
I had a genuinely amazing week training with my new friend Sean Bollinger. The man is an unbelievable grappler and a very talented instructor, something I'm sure no one within the 10th Planet organization is surprised to hear.
What you may be surprised to find out, though, is that he has some of the strongest fundamentals I've come across in our system, despite his reputation as the flexible Double Bagger guy.
I've had a great week on a lot of levels. It has been a huge reminder of how far I've come in the last 10 years, not just as a martial artist, but as a human being. 10 years ago, I was doing "all the right things:" No smoking, no drinking, no sleeping around, no cursing, etc... But I was a very closed minded individual. There was no reason to open my mind; I already knew everything. That guy wouldn't have given Sean Bollinger an opportunity to teach him, much less to be a friend.
I'm very, very proud to say that I learned a lot from Sean Bollinger about forgiveness, second chances, and what it means to try your best. And he taught me a lot about choking other people and breaking their limbs, too, which has been an excellent bonus.
The martial arts have really given to me more than I ever expected or thought possible. I believed I was just gonna do some pushups and learn how to choke a fool unconscious. I've certainly learned that. But along the way, quite unexpectedly, it has transformed me into someone who believes in people and in transformation.
I've learned to believe that excellence is not only achievable for us all, but it is an obligation. I've learned that discipline is not a word, but a choice; discipline is a muscle that becomes strong with exercise, or atrophies and dies away with neglect. I've learned that failure is the most important exercise of all, and that winning consistently actually makes me weak and boring.
I've learned that everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone. Even the most egregious of errors leaves room for forgiveness if we are strong enough to submit to it.
And most importantly, I've learned that true strength lies in the ability to submit, and that power is made perfect in weakness.
You're my boy, Sean Bollinger.
