Progressing...(vent)

Ok so i just kinda wanna vent to my fellow 10th planets warriors. Is there anyone else out there besides me that feels like no matter how much you train and watch videos that you will never get belted or even just make it to the next level cause of where your from? Example: I'm from Alma, Mi. Its right in the middle of the mitten Alma is a town of about 9000 people low jobs low money. The closest 10th p to me is in Detroit which is over 2 hours away. Needless to say i just dont have the means to travel to a legit gym when i can i go to my gym that my training partner is a blue belt in 10th p which i hang with all day long. Just feeling down lately about jitz. i wanna some day make it to at least a brown belt level but wonder if thats a reachable goal from my location and money background(meaning i'm poor) is it possible?

Anything is possible-if the dream is big enough as some say! Don't give up, keep at it .

I've been a white belt for three years in the system.
I also live two hours away from my instructor, and yeah it's real hard to get where you wanna go with that disadvantage.
But ask yourself this question if you never got belted would you still do Jiu-Jitsu? Would you still be 10th Planet?
That's your answer.
I sure as shit would, Jiu-Jitsu to me is waaaaaay more than what colour is around my waist (or on my patch ;D) maybe you just need to take a break and assess what you want, and let that hunger to roll set back in.

I suggest finding an open minded submission grappling spot close to you (BJJ, catch wrestling, sambo... lots of "MMA" gyms have no gi grappling) and training there on a regular. Doesn't have to be 10th Planet (even Eddie's said, just do jiu-jitsu is better than no jiu-jitsu). If you're learning techniques from the 10th Planet system online, through books or videos, drill them and test them out at your gym. If you've got an open minded instructor, he'll be cool w/it. I started at 10th Planet San Francisco, but b/c I relocated a few times, I found gyms that suited me. Actually a lot of the stuff I learned there helped me to better understand the 10th planet system and better apply it. Now that I'm back closer to a 10th Planet school I haven't come back b/c I really like my current place. I still work on and incorporate twister side control and my 1/2 game is based on Eddie's. I drill during open mat days and my instructor occasionally will teach techniques similar to ones in Eddies books (even Eddie freely admits most of the moves have existed before he just incorporated it into a system that works for him). But again focus on finding an open minded spot and getting the mat time in, the physical and mental benefits will outweigh the quest for belts (and the belts will come).

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Originally Posted by DavidHamp

. The closest 10th p to me is in Detroit which is over 2 hours away. Needless to say i just dont have the means to travel to a legit gym when i can i go to my gym that my training partner is a blue belt in 10th p which i hang with all day long. Just feeling down lately about jitz. i wanna some day make it to at least a brown belt level but wonder if thats a reachable goal from my location and money background(meaning i'm poor) is it possible?

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so you've got a training partner who's a 10th planet blue belt and you can train with him all day? That's your answer right there; you train with that guy as often as you can and learn everything you can off him. Many guys training in the 10th planet system are so far from a school they rarely get to roll with blues. You've got your own personal blue belt training partner available to you at all times, you need to make the most of that opportunity.

Once you start doing better with him, start dropping in when you can at the 10th planet school,even it's only once a month. Make a weekend trip out of it or something. Jason posted earlier about how far he travels; he and i used to roll together all the time before i got shelved with an injury, he lives further away from the school than anyone i know and he comes down regularly because he wants it BAD.

not "grading" or the colour of the fabric wrapped around your ass will never get in the way of progression mate. Like RayLie said get to a gym, any gym and learn jiu jitsu, doesn't mean you can't study 10p just because your coach doesn't teach it, when you start catching guys out with it they'll come to you for a heads up on it.

Also 2 hours aint that far get down there even once a month, I'm planning on making the journey down to Melbourne to the only 10p gym in Australia it's a days worth of flying and probably only be able to do it once a year but it's better than nothing, and it'll help me sharpen up my 10p skills to bring back and throw on the guys at my home gym.

I've been I white belt for 6 years :cool: Once you start tapping higher ranks you'll quit caring about it. Train hard and learn everything you can. You'll notice your knowledge of 10thplanet will open up a ton of opportunities on the mat. People that don't train it will give you stuff all day. Cats will get hip to your game and want to know "what the hell was that";)

First thing you need to do is ditch that cancerous negative outlook! Next is to realize if you want something bad enough you have to work your ass off for it. Then you can focus on making the appropriate scarfices in order to make it happen. I've never had money and still don't ( I make a "living" on teaching, and some months I don't get paid at all if the gym is doing poorly) however my training, next to my family, is a priority. If you want it bad enough, you'll scrape pennies, and before you put that next soda, beer or extra sandwhich down your throat you'll look at as and extra dollar in your training fund. My first trip to LA took me over a year and 1/2 to save up from doing privates, cutting back on personal interests, hanging out with my boys, taking my wife out on dates, etc. 2 hours is a fucking jog compared to the distance some people travel to train with their instructors. I wish I only had to drive 2 hours to train with my coaches. Making excuses only perpetuates the problem. Don't find ways to continue to hold yourself down, start coming up with solutions. Start a change jar and label it with your goal and start filling that bitch up!

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Originally Posted by Chris Herzog

First thing you need to do is ditch that cancerous negative outlook! Next is to realize if you want something bad enough you have to work your ass off for it. Then you can focus on making the appropriate scarfices in order to make it happen. I've never had money and still don't ( I make a "living" on teaching, and some months I don't get paid at all if the gym is doing poorly) however my training, next to my family, is a priority. If you want it bad enough, you'll scrape pennies, and before you put that next soda, beer or extra sandwhich down your throat you'll look at as and extra dollar in your training fund. My first trip to LA took me over a year and 1/2 to save up from doing privates, cutting back on personal interests, hanging out with my boys, taking my wife out on dates, etc. 2 hours is a fucking jog compared to the distance some people travel to train with their instructors. I wish I only had to drive 2 hours to train with my coaches. Making excuses only perpetuates the problem. Don't find ways to continue to hold yourself down, start coming up with solutions. Start a change jar and label it with your goal and start filling that bitch up!

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^WORD!!^
A year or so ago I was feeling the same way as you David. I was making excuses for myself and just felt down about my progression, until I realized a few things.
First: In reality the belt color doesnt mean shit. As long as you can put your ego aside and don't need the recognition to advance then you'll be fine. Just because you don't have a higher belt rank it doesn't stop you from learning all you can and applying it the same as any blue or purple belt would.
Second: Distance can definately be a pain in the ass sometimes, but it could be alot worse. Personally, I don't have a 10th planet moon closer than 10.5 hours from me. But as Zog said, you scrape and save for as long as it takes to make it happen. As long as you want it bad enough it will all be worth it. With a moon being only 2 hours away just try aiming for a trip once a month or something like that. In the meantime, since you have a 10th planet blue belt at your disposal every and all day, Id be taking full advantage of that. Im sure theres others like me were they are the only nibiru warriors around, so to have someone always around like that is huge.
Pretty much the main point is that most of the time you are your own worst enemy. It took me a bit to figure that out but once I did it was easier to let myself progress regardless of what color fabric is hanging on my wall.

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Originally Posted by Chris Herzog

First thing you need to do is ditch that cancerous negative outlook! Next is to realize if you want something bad enough you have to work your ass off for it. Then you can focus on making the appropriate scarfices in order to make it happen. I've never had money and still don't ( I make a "living" on teaching, and some months I don't get paid at all if the gym is doing poorly) however my training, next to my family, is a priority. If you want it bad enough, you'll scrape pennies, and before you put that next soda, beer or extra sandwhich down your throat you'll look at as and extra dollar in your training fund. My first trip to LA took me over a year and 1/2 to save up from doing privates, cutting back on personal interests, hanging out with my boys, taking my wife out on dates, etc. 2 hours is a fucking jog compared to the distance some people travel to train with their instructors. I wish I only had to drive 2 hours to train with my coaches. Making excuses only perpetuates the problem. Don't find ways to continue to hold yourself down, start coming up with solutions. Start a change jar and label it with your goal and start filling that bitch up!

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Coach Zog with some great knowledge. Well said.

Much wisdom everyone as far as the blue belt i do train with him regularly but its to the point were i teach him things and can submit him about 50% of the time. He was ranked mostly off of his wrestling credentials not the his jj. I have slowed down in the past 2 weeks now that gas is high going there and back is about a $10 trip in gas a day so it adds up fast through out the week. I dont feel i'm being negative just asking a real question. Its not about the belt so much but someday i do wanna train other people. Its gonna be hard to do so with out a belt ranking. I just wanted to know if anyone else is in a situation like me and how they handle it. And Coach Zog i agree with about making a way to find stuff happen If i could have a job lined up i would either move to Cali or to Rochester I am that serious bout all of this. I dont ever plan on stopping i will never do that just wanted to vent about being frustrated I think about it like i been training for 3 years almost and that if i would of been at a legit gym i could of been so much further than i am now but i still deff am happy were i'm at now just hungry and want more :)

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Originally Posted by Chris Cabral

^WORD!!^
A year or so ago I was feeling the same way as you David. I was making excuses for myself and just felt down about my progression, until I realized a few things.
First: In reality the belt color doesnt mean shit. As long as you can put your ego aside and don't need the recognition to advance then you'll be fine. Just because you don't have a higher belt rank it doesn't stop you from learning all you can and applying it the same as any blue or purple belt would.
Second: Distance can definately be a pain in the ass sometimes, but it could be alot worse. Personally, I don't have a 10th planet moon closer than 10.5 hours from me. But as Zog said, you scrape and save for as long as it takes to make it happen. As long as you want it bad enough it will all be worth it. With a moon being only 2 hours away just try aiming for a trip once a month or something like that. In the meantime, since you have a 10th planet blue belt at your disposal every and all day, Id be taking full advantage of that. Im sure theres others like me were they are the only nibiru warriors around, so to have someone always around like that is huge.
Pretty much the main point is that most of the time you are your own worst enemy. It took me a bit to figure that out but once I did it was easier to let myself progress regardless of what color fabric is hanging on my wall.

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You got it brotha!

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Originally Posted by DavidHamp

Much wisdom everyone as far as the blue belt i do train with him regularly but its to the point were i teach him things and can submit him about 50% of the time. He was ranked mostly off of his wrestling credentials not the his jj. I have slowed down in the past 2 weeks now that gas is high going there and back is about a $10 trip in gas a day so it adds up fast through out the week. I dont feel i'm being negative just asking a real question. Its not about the belt so much but someday i do wanna train other people. Its gonna be hard to do so with out a belt ranking. I just wanted to know if anyone else is in a situation like me and how they handle it. And Coach Zog i agree with about making a way to find stuff happen If i could have a job lined up i would either move to Cali or to Rochester I am that serious bout all of this. I dont ever plan on stopping i will never do that just wanted to vent about being frustrated I think about it like i been training for 3 years almost and that if i would of been at a legit gym i could of been so much further than i am now but i still deff am happy were i'm at now just hungry and want more :)

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I understand that your frustration, however venting is not a step in problem solving. Unless you plan on making changes, the problem continues to exsist. Change your mindset and start seeking solutions. Set Goals, and start working towards them. Don't sit on it, start today.

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Originally Posted by DavidHamp

Much wisdom everyone as far as the blue belt i do train with him regularly but its to the point were i teach him things and can submit him about 50% of the time. He was ranked mostly off of his wrestling credentials not the his jj. I have slowed down in the past 2 weeks now that gas is high going there and back is about a $10 trip in gas a day so it adds up fast through out the week. I dont feel i'm being negative just asking a real question. Its not about the belt so much but someday i do wanna train other people. Its gonna be hard to do so with out a belt ranking. I just wanted to know if anyone else is in a situation like me and how they handle it. And Coach Zog i agree with about making a way to find stuff happen If i could have a job lined up i would either move to Cali or to Rochester I am that serious bout all of this. I dont ever plan on stopping i will never do that just wanted to vent about being frustrated I think about it like i been training for 3 years almost and that if i would of been at a legit gym i could of been so much further than i am now but i still deff am happy were i'm at now just hungry and want more :)

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Always welcome in California, I am always down to train with anyone who is willing if you ever find yourself out here in the Bay Area in Denny's neighborhood just send me a message on here and we'll get you into a school. Keep your head up man. Stay dedicated and I know you'll get your blue belt who knows maybe even your purple belt. Just take the necessary steps to reach your goals in your own constructive way, and everything else will come as it needs too.

Flew solo for years and years, repping moves after class at the Kung fu school here in town. Got some of the others there interested and when my teacher turned the school over to me we designed a day for nothing but grappling. Worked out butts off rolling on bare floor (no mats) and when 10th Planet Indy popped up we bought seminars to tighten things up. Other than that we'd each pick a move a week to drill and try to hit a jits school whenever we traveled for work, and we try to make the drive to Indy (2+ hrs one way) as much as we can. This year at least two of us have gone to two seminars from Eddie and one from Herzog. After almost a decade of working and drilling I got my blue a few weeks ago. Belts aren't that important; I've been tapping blues for years now. For me getting blue was important only because I hope to open a hotbox here one day and havin that little notch of rank will make it easier to promote. Other than that I've been thrilled to death just to be able to actually be training at REAL jiujitsu schools and learning from legit jiujitsu teachers.

David,

I feel your pain about your post. I have felt the same way about the rank..If your a white belt people think you dont know nothing...Even if you are tapping fools out..they still dont want to give you the credit that you deserve.
I am also a Michigan boy and am only like 45 min from you...I live in Midland Michigan, and am working on a trip to 10th planet D-town soon..Just working out the kinks... time, gas, money and so on, But if you would like to chip in on the gas and be a fellow 10th planet brother we may be able to work something out...
Let me know what ya think. I'm also lack of rolling partners..so maybe sometime we could get to gather to show each other some new looks.
Our fellow brothers are correct thou. Dont let frustration tap you and get in the way of your dreams and desires.

~Larry Ervans~

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Originally Posted by DavidHamp

I just wanted to know if anyone else is in a situation like me and how they handle it. :)

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I am in a similar situation, or worse. You live in the city compared to me!! I know where I'm at in my JJ, travel/ compete enough to confirm my thoughts on where I'm at and use that to identify growth areas. You shouldn't need to be better or worse than sombody to learn/grow with them. I once had a boss tell me "you should always perform your job like your trying to get your boss promoted"
I would wager that blue belt wants to get to purple someday, do everything in your power to help him, and you will surely benefit from it, even if it is not how you "think" you should benefit.

Larry E do you train at any of the schools over that way New body in Bay City has some beast that are awesome if you ever wanna get together i'm down to train when gas isnt an issue i train in Clare with Spyder subs Brett Sbardella is a blue belt Eddie video promoted him a couple months back. @ greg yea i deff try to help him in no way do i do this for ego or anything i love sharing the knowledge i just want more knowledge to spread. Also Coach Zog you always have something awesome to post i'm actaully gonna drill that anaconda choke that you posted earlier like that way more than the gator roll :) I'm always looking for new ways to improve and grow and hopefully find a way to a legit school to learn from the masters.

[QUOTE=DavidHamp;132223] @ greg yea i deff try to help him in no way do i do this for ego or anything i love sharing the knowledge i just want more knowledge to spread. QUOTE]

Then what is the problem, you have a perfect set up. By helping him, by default, you will have more knowledge to spread. Win, win.

^^^truth