Every time I go to the gym, I get to see where I stand among my peers. Am I gonna submit so-and-so today? I better watch out for such-and-such. He’s on a terror lately. Admittedly, I’m not a very competitive person but somehow a modicum of this line of thinking always creeps back into my mind.
I think some people are more upfront about their competitive nature but I think it’s a good thing. Competition by nature makes you better. There’s a whole murderer’s row of dudes that I have a not-so-secret rivalry with at the gym.
There’s the people whom I’m chasing, my immediate peers (especially Ian), and those who I’m trying to elevate. I had people take me under their wing and I find it only proper that I reciprocate it with the white belts. One of my favorite occurrences in this framework is watching a white belt make the transition from noob to contender. You find that people whom you’ve helped along the way have now made it into the ranks and you’re no longer going easy and giving them advice. I think that this is the great bond of jiu jitsu gym culture.
I’m not condoning clique behavior of the “in crowd” but we all have people we gravitate towards more than others. Isn’t that just life?
This guy Josh (right) is seriously scary. He started training not too long ago and he’s already making waves and having epic battles with Brandon. I was teaching him the D’arce choke the other day and suddenly in the middle of my lesson, I realized how much I would regret giving this monster the right tools. He’s a super nice guy but as soon as you bump fists, it’s on. Super stoked to have him around the gym.
Update 5/4/18: Josh just got his blue belt at the podium after winning Gold at Worlds. What a beast.
