Without much direction or instruction, this young kid told me we would begin the class by lightly grappling. He explained that the goal was for one of us to take the other person to the ground, control them, and get them to submit by tapping out (where you tap your hand a couple of times on your opponent’s body, signaling you’re calling it quits). He reminded me several times that I could quit at any point by tapping out.

What seemed like a simple task would soon teach me just how challenging BJJ could be.

It sounded straightforward. I assumed my size and strength would easily overpower my opponent, allowing me to quickly submit him. However, I would soon learn BJJ is about much more than raw strength.  He and I slapped hands, bumped knuckles and I immediately attacked him.  I drove forward and grabbed him with all my force and strength.  As I did so, he fell to his back and elevated my body into the air, making me go upside down then land on my back.  He was now mounted on top of me, and I had no idea how this happened. All I knew is I had to escape.  I began to flail and flop my body around trying to escape.  I then pushed him off me in a bench press like motion.  He grabbed my arm, spun around the side of me, landed on his back and arm locked me.  As he continued to put pressure on my arm, I was forced to tap out, submit, and say “uncle”.

Eyes wide and mouth open, I was in shock.  How did this happen?  My shock turned to frustration and aggression as we slapped hands and bumped knuckles again.  This time, I attacked him with more speed, force, and strength.  I ended up on my back again with him on top of me.  I continued to try and shake him off me and this time I turned to my stomach.  As I did so, he wrapped his skinny little arms around my neck and choked me. As my world began to close in, I was forced to tap out again.

That day marked one of the most humbling moments in my life, yet it sparked my love for BJJ. Over the past 15 years, I’ve trained consistently, and for the last decade, I’ve had the honor of teaching both adults and children.  Over my years of training, I have competed in many tournaments, and even have had to use jiu jitsu off the mats a couple of times to defend myself and my family. In 2019, my longtime friend and training partner, Troy Pettyjohn, and I founded NOCO Jiu Jitsu.

Jiu jitsu has taught me many lessons about life, business, and leadership, and I would love to share some with you in this blog. 

But Before we get into the lessons, here is a quick introduction/recap as to what jiu jitsu is.  Brazilian Jiu Jitsu relies on timing, technique, and leverage to outmaneuver opponents. The goal is to bring them to the ground, control their movements, and secure a submission through a joint lock or choke.  An opponent not tapping out would render them unconscious or with broken bones.  The idea of using timing, technique and leverage allows a much smaller and weaker trained opponent to ultimately control and submit a larger and stronger opponent.  For any of you that watch mixed martial arts and UFC, BJJ is what happens between opponents when the fight goes to the ground.  Think of it as a human chess match where your goal is to check mate your opponent.

Here are some of the lessons I have learned over my years of training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

• Starting in business and leadership, like BJJ, begins with a single step. Even without prior experience, taking that step is essential. It may feel intimidating and uncomfortable, but progress only happens when you start.
• The journey will be very humbling at the beginning. My first year of jiu jitsu I felt like a I was thrown into a swimming pool, not knowing how to swim, and had opponents trying to drown me.  I was just trying to survive.  I would come home night after night, beat up, humiliated, embarrassed, and ultimately shown how much I didn’t know.  Leadership and business will operate very much the same way.  As you step into this space, your lack of knowledge, your weaknesses, and your inexperience will show.  Understand that this will happen, and it’s ok! This is a learning process, and you will get better over time.
• Consistency is crucial, both in BJJ and in leadership. Over the years, I’ve seen many people start and stop, but those who stick with it—whether on the mats or in business—are the ones who grow. Regular practice is the key to long-term success.
• You will be both the student and the teacher. Remember, there will always be somebody further along than you are. Ask them for help and learn from them.  Many times, they will be more than willing to show you what they know.  Also remember that as you grow and advance, it is your duty to show others what you have learned and help them progress.
• Never compare your journey to somebody else’s. Make sure you focus on comparing your journey to your journey, and that you are always making progress and improvements.
• You will hit plateaus in your learning and growth. Stay patient, keep training and pushing through them.  It is important here to try new things, ask new questions and look at your journey through a different lens.  As you do this you will experience breakthroughs in the plateaus.
• BJJ teaches you how to handle insane amounts of physical and mental pressure, while remaining patient and calm in doing so. Life, leadership, and business are also filled with many pressures.  Being able to have a way to relax under pressure, and make the right decisions with the appropriate timing, is key.
• The comradery built on the BJJ mats and in the business and leadership space is very similar. Quality people in the business and leadership space want to see others win.  They encourage, support, and help others along their path to ensure they win.  This is very much the same on the BJJ mats.
• Remember the last and most important lesson. Your journey is never ending.  Once you arrive to the top of a mountain, there will be another one in front of you to climb.  Always take time to look back and celebrate what you accomplished. So many times, we are onto the next goal, the next mountain, and the next challenge, and we forget to appreciate how far we have come.

I hope this blog inspired and encouraged you to continue your business and leadership journey.  Please know I am cheering you on all the way!

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