Photo by Ground Shark designs.

BJJ black belt Arielson Ozama of Monarchy MMA in Malaysia discusses quitters and those that stick to Jiu-Jitsu:

“I have seen so many beginners come and go. I have seen talented athletes get in the sport young, learning fast, never gassing out, crushing everyone and in the face of challenge, crumble and quit. So many times. Too many to count really. This is why hard work beats talent, take a moment to remember those who started with you and were left behind.

The ones who don’t seem to stay consistent, those that every year make their plans of a big return only to fall short and plan for the next year, again and again. Meanwhile, day in and day out you keep coming back, some days are better than the others, some days you wish you had started Jiu-Jitsu earlier when you had more time to train, you wonder about your full potential and sighs, still, day in and day out, you keep showing up, putting the work.

Take pride on being a grinder, on being resilient. Take pride on staying in the path while temptations whisper from every corner. Let’s keep working on becoming the best version of ourselves, let’s run this show until the wheels fall off, until the gas runs out, who’s with me?”

This goes back to what we refer to ‘Mat Savages’.

According to Mr Jiu-Jitsu, this is what qualifies as a ‘Mat Savage’

People ask me what’s a #matsavage ,well here is a little list of what I believe makes you.

Works a full time job or a full time student and still finds time to train.
Trains even when having the worst day possible.
Respects their coaches,teammates and lineage.
Helps new people that start Jiu-Jitsu.
Trains with minor injuries.
Does not make excuses as to why they lost.
Supports teammates that compete regardless if they compete or not.
Gets their *sses kicked day in and day out and still show up.
Don’t gossip about other grapplers.
Single mom or dad that brings kids to gym with them when they can’t find sitter.
Cuts corners financially to make sure they have enough to pay for gym.
Never ask or complain when is the next promotion.
Trains on off days.
Backs up their talk on the mats.
Willing to roll with anyone, anywhere and anytime.
Defends Jiu-Jitsu no matter what.
And last and most important always agrees with whatever Mr Jiu-Jitsu posts !

He also added:

Everyone’s hash tagging #matsavage but some of you think that only extends to the mats.
A true #matsavage keeps their personal life in order to.
You can’t be “killing it” on the mats and go home and be a bum on the couch with no job.
You can’t be going “beast mode” and not focus on your homework and education.
You can’t be “loyal to the mats” and miss time spent with loved ones.
You can’t be getting in fights every week and giving your school and coaches a bad name.
A true teammate is there off the mats ready to help other teammates even when it has nothing to do with training.
A true savage focuses on their family ,loved ones ,school and job as much as they focus on their Jiu-Jitsu game.
Stay disciplined and learn to balance life on and off the mats. Trust me it can be done.