Daily blog #44

Fighting life

Today punctuates an unbelievable weekend of fighting starting Friday with my brother and I in the Fight 2 Win BJJ event in Austin. Yesterday (Saturday) UFC 251 was held on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, an amazing card headlined by Jorge Masvidal against the defending champion Kamaru Usman. Third Coast Grappling also had a tournament that night where 40 year old Roberto Abreu, more commonly known as Cyborg, was crowned the champion. It was amazing to watch so much grit, intelligence and heart displayed in all the events. Fighting always excites me, it’s such a natural part of life, I love to see it expressed in many different forms. Today the topic came up regarding kids and Martial Arts with one of my mentors who has a Jiu Jitsu academy in Fort Worth. We were discussing the importance of being firm with kids and how often many of them have hardly been disciplined which can be quite shocking for them. As a fighter, one of the first things you must learn to embrace is doing things you don’t want to do, for kids it is important for both discipline and toughness. It’s safe to say that all parents want their kids to be confident that they can defend themselves as well as be disciplined and respectful to others. In fighting this is just as important if not more and you will only learn it from a teacher who is strong enough to be hard on you when it is needed. You may be surprised to know that most young kids are actually very receptive to the lessons they learn in the academy and begin to thrive in the environment where they are respected for their ability to fight and exercise the values they learn. As instructors our hope is that the lessons learned will develop a mindset that invites challenge and is based on principle. We are all fighters, this is nature’s way, whether your expression is being a collegiate athlete or being the best mom or dad.