There is no magic pill

[John Roderick]

Good morning Nibiru brothers and sisters. I just wanted to post something that's on my mind; the apparent belief by many that there is a "Magic Pill" or "the Best Gym" in town. Here's the thing; there is no magic pill, diet, training regimine, instructor, or method to get a short cut to being "the best" or "great". The truth is, very, very, few people achieve the level of excellence say, Anderson Silva, or GSP attain. They are pretty unique. There are many great athletes and Martial Artists, but it takes days, weeks, months, and years of training and THOUSANDS of reps/sparring/rolling to get any skill. I see a disturbing trend, and it seems to be an unfortunate side effect of the success of the UFC, certain competitors, and the TUF show-a lot of younger people are under the impression that they can become "great" almost overnight.
The most difficult thing as a coach/instructor is getting a kid to calm down, slow down, and drill. Sure, rolling is fun and you can try a lot and you can do 2 thousand arm locks, but if you don't practice those reps for the arm lock CORRECTLY with good guidance, it will never be perfect or even close.
So, some advice to many of you young guys and girls on the forum: take the lead of say, Gabby Bella and Connor "The Machine" and SLOW DOWN. Put in your time. Be humble. Keep your ears open, and your mouths less so. Ask good questions, and be prepared to not like the answer. It would be nice to take Gabby and Connor around and show some schools the right way to be, but that's not possible. So please-make use of this forum and other resources to become friendly with good instructors and martial artists. Keep an open mind, and above all: be patient and don't worry about the "Magic Pill". It doesn't exist.

[Steve Schumer]

well said

[Nate Hollyfield]

I think its a mindset of America, mostly because we have so many "shortcuts" to success, like reality shows where people can get famous overnight. I dont know if its a false sense of entitlement, or what, but it has been bugging me for some time too.
Good post John.
+1

[Aab]

A lot of people realize this after they have trained for a bit and then they just give up. It's the love for something that drives you through all the hardships.

[Ehsan_Karam]

Not true, I got stem cell/ nano bot pills and I ain't sharing.

[bobby rivers]

Please.

[Brandon Mccaghren]

A lot of people realize this after they have trained for a bit and then they just give up. It's the love for something that drives you through all the hardships.

this

[Enzo]

Quote from some where - "Success is bulit on what you do when no one else is watching".

[VJ Bella]

In the case of younger kids (and some men I think its all about learning to handle your own ego. The ego is a poweful force that can either tear you apart and be your demise or will you to train harder and win when everything seems lost.

Gabby is a prime example of a typical young kid who had a lot of success and had to learn this lesson the hard way. She barely trained for the summer NAGA last year, talked some smack to a girl she had beaten soundly before, and fully thought that she could just walk in to a womens advanced div. with minimal training and walk out with the belt. Not only did she lose...she was embarrassed (0-4 on the day). It was a life lesson she had to learn. No matter how good you think you are...there is always someone looking to knock you off your perch. You cant win without hard work and training period.
She said to me after the matches that she never wants to feel that way again. And she will do whatever it takes. I just told her it has to come from her...she has to be the one who makes the sacrafice if that is something she truely wants. She has since righted her wrongs...she is training wrestling 5 days a week despite starting at a new school an being the only girl on the team. Shes been training bjj with me on the weekends and working super hard. Im excited to see what she can do in April at GQ Beast of the East.

I think every young kid goes through this...its a battle of the ego...being able to admit to yourself that it does take hard work and dedication, being able to submit yourself to the instruction of your coaches (no...teenagers dont know everything there is to know about bjj and life!!). Your 100% right John...there is no magic pill...steel is forged in the fires of battle. Its the only way to do it.

[Chris Herzog]

Good morning Nibiru brothers and sisters. I just wanted to post something that's on my mind; the apparent belief by many that there is a "Magic Pill" or "the Best Gym" in town. Here's the thing; there is no magic pill, diet, training regimine, instructor, or method to get a short cut to being "the best" or "great". The truth is, very, very, few people achieve the level of excellence say, Anderson Silva, or GSP attain. They are pretty unique. There are many great athletes and Martial Artists, but it takes days, weeks, months, and years of training and THOUSANDS of reps/sparring/rolling to get any skill. I see a disturbing trend, and it seems to be an unfortunate side effect of the success of the UFC, certain competitors, and the TUF show-a lot of younger people are under the impression that they can become "great" almost overnight.
The most difficult thing as a coach/instructor is getting a kid to calm down, slow down, and drill. Sure, rolling is fun and you can try a lot and you can do 2 thousand arm locks, but if you don't practice those reps for the arm lock CORRECTLY with good guidance, it will never be perfect or even close.
So, some advice to many of you young guys and girls on the forum: take the lead of say, Gabby Bella and Connor "The Machine" and SLOW DOWN. Put in your time. Be humble. Keep your ears open, and your mouths less so. Ask good questions, and be prepared to not like the answer. It would be nice to take Gabby and Connor around and show some schools the right way to be, but that's not possible. So please-make use of this forum and other resources to become friendly with good instructors and martial artists. Keep an open mind, and above all: be patient and don't worry about the "Magic Pill". It doesn't exist.

Preach on Brother John!