That moment when...

[Kevin Hughes]

all i'm sying is south mississippi could use a moon. Getting real tired of seeing gracie united shirts walking around here.

+1 10p4l

[Amir Allam]

That's a really great perspective man! I hope you don't mind me pm'ing you at some point in the coming months for advice.

Of course, I'm always willing to spout my nonsense ad nauseam. Ask me anything you'd like.

And to actually respond to Kevin's initial question... for myself, I have never had any sort of thunderclap epiphany moment about what I'd like to do with my future. I've always simply followed my dao and allowed the future to unfold around me like the protagonist in a Beckett play. I think that anyone who loves the jiujitsu is going to naturally want to share it as much as possible; we preach like any born-again zealot, many of us feeling 'saved' by the gentle art. When I consider the future in a vague way, I imagine that I would probably be happiest if I could teach jiujitsu for free to anyone who wished to learn. Maybe this sounds akin to Miss America advocating for World Peace, but there it is.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with the current standard gym subscription; $80-$200 per month is such a pittance compared to a lifetime of self-discipline, confidence, and brotherhood. Even so, I personally have never felt comfortable taking money from people in order to teach them grappling; as long as I have food on the table and a roof over my head I probably won't accept payment. When I reflect on this, I expect that this bizarre personal inhibition is likely due to the fact that I was taught jiujitsu largely through the daily philanthropic efforts of a handful of my elder classmates: Einstein, Brent Littell, Rhasaan, and Drog (peace be upon him), among others. I would be nowhere without the freely-given knowledge I received every time I trained; this is the beauty of the open and honest atmosphere Eddie created.

My own strange idiosyncrasies aside, I do have some advice for you. Stay on the path of the art, focus on your technique and your knowledge, and study even when you aren't training. When you're driving home or in the shower, think about what you've learned in class, consider what mistakes you made in sparring, and try to recollect your opponents' moves. Do this dispassionately; don't beat yourself up because you were tapped 7 times, as anger and disappointment will probably only hinder you. This is advice I would give most practitioners. In addition, because you want to teach jiujitsu, pay attention to the way your instructors and the ones you see on the internet break down the details of techniques. What styles of teaching seem to work best? How are they varying their cadence? What is the balance of hard-nosed and forgiving that strikes the deepest chords in each student? Analogous to the way you might create variations to a d'arce or invent a new triangle setup, consider the kind of teacher *you* would like to be, consider the tweaks to class pacing you might make, and think about how you can connect to students most directly and effectively. In the same way that you learn to roll, you should learn to teach.

Somebody else will have to tell you about the entrepreneurial aspects of instruction, the constant hustle, the daily grind, the shadiness of gym owners... these are difficulties about which I know little. Teaching jiujitsu for a living is a difficult and uncertain life, but can be greatly rewarding when it succeeds. Or so I've seen.

[Nick Paul]

Wow man, that was really well thought out and insightful. Thanks for sharing that with us

[Kevin Hughes]

Excellent response, Amir. Thank you for your very well thought out post. You bring up some great points, and have really given me a lot to think about that. I truly appreciate it.

[Tori Applegate]

Kevin,

I'm not familiar with the grad school thing, but it sounds like a good idea if the routes I'm about to state are not do able for you.

#1 Have a girlfriend or wife that can support you for two or three years. This is how me and Sean we're able to get 10th Planet gulf shores open. It took a year and a half of work to get open, we have now been a school for just over two years. It is still very hard and a struggle sometimes, but my husband loves what he does and I found after the first little bit that I loved it too. We both teach and work as a team in the business. This has worked really well for us. Sean hasn't had to work a side job. We have been very fortunate. :-)

#2 multiple roommates. I obviously can't relate to any of this from experience, but there are a lot of guys in the system that rent a house together and bunk 3 or 4 guys. Makes for cheap living. This will work really well because your bills will be minimal and will cut down on your work time. Sometimes you can find guys with like minded goals. That would be probably the best option for roommates to be.

I would say plan well, but go for it. So what you're only a blue belt. Doesn't mean anything. Work hard and wow people. :-) I'm a blue belt. Could be a blue belt for the rest of my life. I don't care about that. I have huge aspirations that I'm trying to make a reality right now. I'm in the same boat as you, but to compete more and in better tournaments and I need the travel money. I now need something to support me and the expenses of traveling around the world if need be. Like you said, sometimes you need a plan to support your main plan. I feel you 100% with that.

Keep pushing. Compete as much as you can. It will make you face yourself and show you all of your holes. Work on those holes like a madman..and keep doing that. Get smashed by everyone you can. When you roll with lower belts start working on the upcoming stuff you want to be solid in your game (new stuff). When you get it decent on them start with the blues and up. Work on your control and understanding of positioning. Look into sequencing. How many places can you go from this one position and how fluid is your movement. Over all, become a killer and take anytime you can to teach. When you teach you learn small details that you didn't know were there. Take those details and tighten your game. Also, practice your coaching skills with your teammates. Speak up. As a teacher and coach you will need all of this because you will be the leader. Always set the best example you can.

This is what I know from my three and a half years of being around JIU Jitsu and from my two and a half of training and doing the bit of teaching I do. :-) hope this helps.

[Just Kadek]

Reading all this make me want to do it. When Ever I got my blue belt in 10th planet jiujitsu I'm going back home to Bali and open 10th planet jiujitsu Bali right by the beach. In Bali we don't have a lot jiujitsu school so I think it will be good move. Leaving expense are very cheap. #10thplanetjiujitsubali #10thplanetfreaks

[Andrew Alexander]

Amir well said as usual!

[Kyle Spalla]

"Make Jiu Jitsu your life and don't be a pussy."- Abraham Lincoln

[Aaron Gustaveson]

Its not very fair that Amir get to be big and strong and this smart. Hes the Hank Mccoy of 10thP.

[Kevin Hughes]

Tori,

First off, thank you very much for your time, encouragement and the excellent points you made in your post.

It's been a unique situation for me, because I was with my girlfriend before I started training jiujitsu; she has seen me grow passionate for it and supported me throughout all of my decisions, even if that means staying home alone every night, while I'm out training. She hasn't yet been interested in trying it, but honestly, her support throughout any endeavor is all I really ask for. Your situation is pretty much ideal though!

As of now, we're living in southern Oregon, where rent isn't too outrageous and getting by okay; but, we're moving to Portland in a few weeks and I'm definitely worried about being able to make enough to support my journey. In my mind, as long as I have enough to pay my bills, feed myself and train whenever I please, then I'm set. I haven't quite broken that feeling to my girl though.

You seriously have me inspired. I can't thank you enough for everything. The support and awesome words of encouragement from everyone in this sport never fails to amaze me. Everything you said makes a ton of sense, and I will definitely work on it all. My coach will vouch; I love helping the other classmates with a new technique, or adding a fine detail to a pre-existing move they've been struggling with. And, I'm definitely trying to compete as much as possible; I have Gracie Nationals lined up next and every possible tournament in a 1,000 mile radius after that.

I've seriously been blessed in my short amount of time training to have learned from the likes of Andrew Alexander, Nathan Orchard, Mike Dewitt, Brandon McCaghren, Nabil Salameh, Geo Martinez, Denny Prokopos, Eddie himself and a whole lot more. I've picked up on small details from the way they carry themselves, to how they broke down techniques to new and even experienced students. As well as, their philosophies on the business aspects of running a gym.
The more I see the more I realize this is exactly what I've always been looking for.