Why Marcelo Garcia Wins

[brent_littell]

Can't we love to do it without being the best in the world. I know I'll never be a world champion. I still train 20 hours a week

[Kyle Spalla]

Can't we love to do it without being the best in the world. I know I'll never be a world champion. I still train 20 hours a week

Brent Littell World Champion 2013.

[bjjminded]

Yes, when we do it for the love we can't go wrong

[kying418]

I wasnt even basing my comments on the article. (In fact I dont even really agree with the main premise of the article...that Marcelo's success is just based on his love for bjj)


Of course we can love doing bjj without being the best in the world.

However, I think something that should not be discounted (just like Brent said we shouldnt overlook a champion's unique athleticism), is the amount of time these champions put into the mat.

I really think that if you train 35+ hours a week, for 5+ years, you will be super successful at BJJ. The Miyao brothers are the popular champs at the lower belts right now. These guys live on the mats (actually sleep on their academy mats). There looks to be nothing physically special about them- same can be said for many other champs.

IMO, if you take 1000 kids, aged 13 years old or so, and tell them they don't have to do anything except train for 35+ hours a week, for 5 years...I think maybe .5% of the people would stick to it.

Almost every academy has one of these kids- they train their asses off until around blue belt, and then without fail, they quit or cut way back on their bjj, as they get more involved with girls, school, work, life.

I think that is what factors the most in making a world champion...enduring the grind of training day in and day out, when nobody else is....for many years.

[bjjminded]

The point is that it is the love that allows for the necessary dedication you are talking about. The people who love it the most are lesslikely to be distracted, and more likely to put in the necessary hours.

[bjjminded]

Love is the most powerful motivator. More potent than any external motivator - such as money, medals, belts. To use MG as an example, if he is motivated by love (as he says he is) and his world class opponent is motivated by a title, or a medal - my $ is on Master Garcia.

If the ordinary person is motivated by love of Jiu Jitsu, there is a good chance they will still be training in 10 or 15 years. Another person who is motivated to train Jiu Jitsu so they can defeat wrestling in their burgeoning MMA career probably won't ever reach black belt