Learning how to learn 🪏🪴

If you plan to learn and grow, as a person practicing the martial arts, a good place to start is by first asking yourself two questions:

• How would I think and how would I behave if I were already an exceptional practitioner and student of the craft?
• In what way is that different from the way I currently think and behave?

To put these questions into context consider the following which was written by someone who is both an effective teacher and an exemplary student.

"The true value of mentorship: dedicating yourself to a teacher works for many reasons. The one that most people focus on is the most obvious - as a student we gain knowledge and information from good counsel and an expert eye. But mostly it works because once you've committed yourself fully to a teacher, you have a responsibility to actually GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR. This has less to do with anything specific that they do and a whole lot to do with the depth and obligation of the relationship. The only way to fully repay a mentor or teacher is by demonstrating that you have the wherewithal to evolve and grow in a way that actually matters. Being on the hook in this way puts you in a tough spot…which is exactly the point. It's a commitment anyone can elect to undertake or renew regardless of where you are in your personal evolution, grappling career or jiu-jitsu lifecycle. It's this dedication which forges the bond and, like it or not, there can be no true benefit as a student without such a commitment."

- Brian Glick