Character Check

Take a moment to think about this:

You are known by how you train.

As a teacher I have met and trained alot of different people. One thing that I have learned is that you can learn alot about someone by how they train. During your martial arts journey you come across so many obstacles and situations. Your character can be easily assesed by how you deal with these obstacles. For instance, it is common in jiu-jitsu to get stuck in uncomfortable positions. In this situation you have the choice to panic or be calm, fight harder or be relaxed, get frustrated or be patient. If you say your a patient person, well, it is displayed right there. Your actions in the fire do not lie. So you can learn alot about someone's character or your own by how they or you deal with different intense situations.

You can also learn to display or train your character when you are in control. Am I a gentle person? I don't know. Let's see how I treat my sparring partners! You might say or think you are gentle but I guarantee that your sparring partners are the ones who know the truth. Even if you can be gentle sometimes your character is displayed by it's consistancy.

I could go on and on about how you are known by how you train but I think that is enough to get the point across. Think about it. Remember jiu-jitsu is an art and art is an expression. What do you express when you train? How are you known?