The Dragans mind..

Quick reflection on Jiu Jitsu.

The levers, springs and coils that make up this martial art, work in a weird, head-scratching way. The more you train, the more self-confidence you gain, the more ego you deflate. The more you train to physically control someone, the more humble and less arrogant you become. You train to not be better than anyone else but just to be better, and often you train hard and feel like you are going backwards. When you are awarded a belt, you did not win it, you did not have to better someone to receive it, so why have my blue and purple belts been for me two of the most hard-earned and satisfying things I have achieved in my life? It still makes me smile and I did not have to win anything. I just had to beat the self-doubt; trust my training partners and get on the mat. There is no premiership at year’s end or a grand final to win, yet it is physically and mentally very tough, sometimes ridiculously so. What is the point? What can you gain under mount, having the life crushed out of you, where the last thought passing through your brain, as you tap is, ‘why the hell am I doing this?' Because hopefully, you become a better person. All be it with bad knees, sore shoulders, stiffened fingers and funny toes.