Comments on: Know when to shut up

By: joelsnape

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 18:31:02 +0000

That is awesome. Thanks for the reply!

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By: Jade Barbee

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 17:41:08 +0000

Great article. I echo your approach, especially not making the task more “hard or special” than it has to be. It reminds of when I quit smoking (after 5 years, Dec. 20, 1993). In my case, I made the commitment to myself, but I didn’t tell anyone I was quitting. Not only did it relieve the pressure to perform, it became my reality in a way that, in retrospect, was much easier. While I was ready to make the decision at that time, I supported myself best by not making an announcement and quietly making it my reality. In April of the following year, someone asked and I remember saying “I don’t smoke.” And it had become true!

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By: joelsnape

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 14:00:50 +0000

Thanks Sally! Both of those are excellent ideas, I’ll have to try them out. One thing that’s always stuck with me in BJJ is that my original teacher, Carlos Lemos Jr, said that even when you feel like you’re dying, you shouldn’t show it on the mat – save your moaning for the changing room. I find that it’s really easy to convince myself I’m absolutely exhausted in situations where, realistically, I can just get on with it.

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By: Gubernatrix

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:50:46 +0000

Great article, Joel! I also love that quote from Twight, have it written in a little book so that I can consult it from time to time.

At my gym Bethnal Green we had a rule two weeks before our last big competition that no-one was allowed to moan about anything. So no saying ‘I’m tired’, ‘I’m stiff’, ‘it’s hard’. We found that a) we had nothing much to say and b) therefore got on with our training in a much more focussed way.

It’s hard to keep this up for a long period of time so when we are not so intense, we go back to our usual moaning ways; but it’s a good discipline to get into.

Another friend of mine who is a coach has a good routine for competition days. On comp days, everything is a good thing. ‘I’m sore’ – ‘that’s a good thing!’. ‘I’m nervous’- ‘that’s a good thing!’. ‘I need some chocolate’ – ‘that’s a good thing!’. Sounds weird but it does work.

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By: joelsnape

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:24:31 +0000

Thanks! Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for ‘Unfuck your head,’ that’s pure Mark Twight. Check out gymjones.com or his excellent book, Kiss Or Kill, for more wisdom.

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By: Just Jj

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:15:50 +0000

Excellent post. :o) I’m a real eye-roller when I see great plans being announced on every social platform, followed by a few days of glittery-eyed enthusiasm, followed by excuses and eventually self-loathing. Thank you also for the phrase “unfuck your head”. I shall be having this spray-painted in letters a foot high across every wall in my house.

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