This past week I had the honor of chatting to James Gemmel who is a black belt jiu-jitsu athlete. We will learn more about Jiu-Jitsu & Mindset. James also owns the Gracie Barra facility in Illovo. I have done quite a few of these interviews now and I am amazed at the insight that each person brings to the conversation.
“Let’s Chat” is an interview that I host and share on my YouTube channel. These conversations are unscripted and are genuine chats people from all walks of life.
There were so many awesome things shared by James so let us have a look into the chat…
What is Jiu-Jitsu firstly?
Jiu-Jitsu is primarily a grappling martial art remarkably like judo. Its slightly different when the fight hits the floor as this is where a jiu-jitsu athletes specialty lies. Striking does not really form part of the syllabus or curriculum.
But we do cover on how to defend from a strike, so you know if someone is trying to punch you how to not get hit. So, it is primarily a self-defense martial art
“Unofficially, it is considered one of the hardest black belts to get in all martial arts, and it’s not something you just rock up twice a week for three years and you get a black belt. Or you have to do any specific type of Kata”
“It’s an unknown journey. There is no real timeline. There’s a rough timeline…”
Mindset & Jiu-Jitsu
When speaking to James he had the following to say about the mindset aspect.
What did you have to do for your blackbelt?
“There was nothing I had to prepare or nothing I had to do. With jujitsu it is more about mindset compared to some of the other martial arts. It’s not how well you can do on the day that determines if you get a black belt”
“With jiu-jitsu it is not about for instance going for a grading and if you do well then you get it. With jiu-jitsu the grading gets looked at more holistically. It is not just about arriving and performing flawlessly on the day but the entire journey of getting there”
“Uhm, whereas in jiu-jitsu we look at your whole time spent at the previous belt holistically. So, did you come to class continuously?”
“Were you a good person? Did you help those lower than you? Because as you get closer to Black Belt, it is not just about the technique, it is about the person and your, your mindset, your attitude towards the sport. Not just the sport but your gym, the people in and around that you see every day.”
Do you want to just share with us when you speak about mindset?
What is it you referring too?
“Yes, so that’s a nice question. When I say mindset in in jiu-jitsu, you know obviously in any sport or martial art, you get people that are gifted and talented. Naturally maybe more athletic, faster, stronger, more flexible. Jiu-Jitsu was designed and it was created by a gentleman who adapted it from judo. Judo is extremely focused on strength. It’s also more power based so its naturally easier for someone that’s athletically gifted and talented”
With jiu-jitsu it does not matter how big you are, your skin color, sexual orientation, or religion. You can just dedicate 2-3 hours a week to start. It is about consistency
“I love the phrase, consistently consistent”
“Everything else takes care of itself, and that’s not just something at the gym. It can be everything on the mat off the mat, but if you just show up when you are feeling bad or you show up when you’re feeling good, just you show up”
James goes on to explain how important the showing up is and the mindset behind it.
So, it is a journey?
“Yeah exactly, it’s a journey”
That is awesome.
What James shared was remarkably interesting because this is what we have been saying when it comes to mindset. Firstly, it is a journey and working on your mindset is a daily practice. The thing with mindset is that you also need to work on it consistently.
I love what James said, “being consistently consistent”
Tony Robbins speaks about this often that showing up is half the battle already won. I am sure you have experienced this where you do not want to go to gym. You eventually get there and then you are grateful that you got there. Sometimes you end up having a splendid work out even though you initially did not want to go.
Consistently consistent.
Consistently, consistent, that is awesome, Tony Robbins that speaks about this as well, and he mentions that 90% of your results is just showing up.
Can you explain the idea of just showing up?
“Yes, there is an old adage in Jiu-Jitsu that says a black belt is just a white belt that never gave up, that’s all it is”
James says he has a lot of people come up to him and ask how they can get to his level or be like him, his answer:
“firstly, you don’t want to be like me”
“Secondly is just show up, I have never been the fittest or the strongest, I have no special talents, I can’t do backflips but the thing that I did was always show up. This is where Jiu-Jitsu & Mindset come together. Most people do not want to hear that like you said they just want to go on a Saturday course and learn everything. They just want to pay and know the secret”
A fascinating thing that James pointed out:
“I can see, or I know when the mindset shift has happened. It is when the person is standing there and complaining because it’s cold. They have had some personal issues, or they will be standing there complaining and even swearing but the point is they are standing there on the mats. So, they are standing there complaining but somehow, they have still arrived. Their minds have over-ridden everything and still got them there, this is when I know their mindset has changed”
We then spoke about how as a society we tend to want instant gratification in everything we do. I think we can all agree that we have been guilty of this.
Conclusion
I have done a few of these interviews and every time I am impressed by the insight that gets shared. In this interview, I learned so much about Jiu-Jitsu & Mindset. There were many similarities between what James shared and what we share at SuccessMastermind. I would honestly say that this is another wonderful way of working on your mindset.
To connect with James CLICK HERE.
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