Posts in Category: Motivational

The paths to overcome an injury in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu  

What to do when you think there is no solution

This may not be the biggest story of overcoming that you've read, and I can not say that with the next lines you will feel so inspired and motivated that your life will change. It would be an exaggeration to expect that from you from these few lines.

I could write many more lines, but today no one reads long articles on the internet, and I don't want to exaggerate the drama.

Ok, no more beating around the bush - last year (2014) was my worst year in this amateur sport that I love and turned into my profession, jiu-jitsu. In my output, I completely lost the courage to maintain a strict diet and cut the weight to my official category (Rooster weight, the lightest in Jiu Jitsu). This strongly contributed to the decision for me to avoid fighting in the adult category, even though I am already two age categories above it.

While I could not find the motivation to make myself make weight, possibly because I have been doing it for 10 years already, I could not forgive myself for that. The internal conflict of seeing the reality of my age and seeing myself move further and further away from my physical peak, despite having medaled in all of the international events in the previous season and after having won the gold medal in my last try at the traditional RIO OPEN was very difficult. Even with these good results, finally the shock of reality stared me in the eye and challenged me to take the foot off the accelerator.

The fear of losing has never, ever existed in me, but it would be better to stop before the losses become routine. Stopping would be a safe decision for my career, having managed to stay in the top three of the most important national and international championships of Jiu-Jitsu for over 10 years, having achieved gold medal at least once in all of the tournaments I've tried, except the PAN (3 silver), and in the black belt division. In theory it seems like the perfect time to stop, but an athlete's fuel does not come from medals hanging on the wall. What makes an athlete's blood boil and the butterflies in his stomach are the challenges ahead, not the ones in the past.

So there were strong moments of doubt and anguish, but in mid-May of 2014 I had to find out what was the cause of pain that I had been dealing with for many months or even years, because I'm not sure exactly when it started since pain in Jiu Jitsu is very common on a daily basis. Sometimes I struggle to remember that the pain is even there. But this time, the pain I felt in the back was paralyzing me.

With the proper tests in hand, I went to see a specialist that was highly recommended. When looking at the evidence he asked "Have you suffered a car accident?". Then you get an idea of what I felt, even though doctors exaggerate. The words from his mouth were "I advise you to not train Jiu-Jitsu anymore" or I would be putting myself at serious risk.

felipe costa passing the guard bjj

Imagine someone ripping your identity from you and telling you that you are no longer that person. That was my feeling after seeing the possibility of no longer being able to have Jiu-Jitsu in my life. I was completely aimless, but the pain was so strong that I had moments that I thought that the price to pay to not feel what I was feeling was stopping JJ. (So you imagine the level of pain).

Time passed, I was looking after me with everything that was in my power and the crisis passed. I was talking to friends who have gone through similar thing, many professionals and was seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. A student who became a great friend pointed me to another doctor and gave me a lot of support, sometimes looking like he wanted more for me to get better than myself. The other doctor was much more optimistic, but said I should only compete if as a "master" (my age division), there was no need to take the risk of fighting in the adult division. "You are not 20 anymore," he said.

At that time, the idea of fighting "master" (for those who do not know is the age category above 30 years), even if it was far away, seemed like a great deal for someone who thought they could not even train. After six months without putting on the kimono, when I finally put it back on, it was only to teach techniques in events I couldn't cancel. Gradually I was risking more, and doing super light workouts. 

In December 2014, I began to slowly increase the pace. I found that at least for now, I still can not train daily as before. What has worked for me are two days of training and a rest, plus the weekend, ie, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Weekend rest also, at least from the kimono.  

At the end of December I decided I felt good training and signed up for the European Championship of Jiu Jitsu. I was the champion in 2008 in the adult category. It was scheduled for the last weekend of January in Lisbon. This championship is the most prestigious in Europe and this year broke the record with 3500 registered athletes.

I signed up in my age category, and had 11 other athletes including Brazilians (the league is open), Italians, Spanish, Swedish and Finnish. My fights were not the most difficult of my life, but to have my arm raised in the end made my eyes watered slightly. Not because of the gold, but to know that my worst year is behind me. Hard times will always pass. How the rest of the year will go, I can not predict, but I look forward to it without haste! Welcome 2015.

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Posted by Felipe Costa Apr 28, 2015 Categories: BJJ Felipe Costa Gracie Jiu Jitsu Motivational

Os caminhos para superar uma contusão no Jiu-Jitsu 

O que fazer quando você parece não ter saída

O pior ano passou. Sempre passa.

Não que seja a maior historia de superação que você já leu, nem posso dizer que com as próximas linhas você vai se sentir tão inspirado e motivado que sua vida vai mudar. Seria um exagero esperar isso de você ou você esperar isso dessas poucas linhas.

Poderiam ser muitas linhas, mas dizem que hoje em dia ninguém lê texto grande na internet e eu tão pouco quero exagerar no drama.

Chega de rodeios, ano passado (2014) foi meu pior ano profissional, nesse esporte amador que amo e virou minha profissão que é o Jiu- Jitsu. De saída, perdi completamente o ânimo de fazer dieta rígida e descer de peso para minha categoria oficial (peso Galo, a mais leve do JJ), isso contribuiu fortemente para que eu evitasse lutar na categoria adulto, mesmo já fazendo parte de duas categorias de idade acima.

Ao mesmo tempo que não encontrava o ânimo de me forçar a estar no peso, talvez pelos mais de 10 anos nesse ritmo, não conseguia me perdoar por isso. O conflito interno de ver a realidade da idade chegar e me ver mais e mais longe do meu auge físico, apesar de ter feito a temporada anterior medalhando em todos os eventos internacionais e ter levado o ouro na minha última disputa de galo no tradicional RIO OPEN, mesmo com esses bons resultados, finalmente o choque da realidade me encarava nos olhos e me desafiava a tirar o pé do acelerador. 

O medo de perder nunca, jamais existiu em mim, mas não seria melhor parar antes das derrotas se tornarem rotina? Parar então seria uma decisão segura para carreira, consegui me manter entre os três melhores, nos campeonatos nacionais e internacionais mais importantes do Jiu-Jitsu, por mais de 10 anos, tendo conseguido medalha de ouro em todos que disputei, exceto o PAN (3 pratas), isso na faixa preta. 

Na tese parece o momento perfeito de parar, mas o combustível do atleta não são as medalhas penduradas na parede, o que faz o sangue do atleta ferver e o frio na barriga são os desafios a frente e não os passados. 

 

Felipe Costa passando a guarda jiu jitsu

Por isso vivia momentos de dúvidas e forte angústia, mas em meados de maio, pesquisando a razão de dores que eu ia lidando há muitos meses ou até anos, pois nem sei precisar, já que elas são partes comuns no dia a dia e as vezes tenho dificuldades até de lembrar quando não as sentia, seja aqui ou ali. Mas dessa vez, a dor que sentia nas costas,me paralisava. 
Com os devidos exames em mãos fui visitar um especialista muito bem recomendado, ao olhar a ressonância perguntou "Você sofreu algum acidente de carro?". Daí você tira uma idéia do que sentia, mas nada doeu mais ouvir, mesmo sabendo que os médicos exageram, sair da boca dele que "aconselhava que eu não treinasse mais Jiu-Jitsu" ou estaria me colocando em sério risco.

Imagina alguém rasgar a sua identidade e falar para você que já não é mais aquela pessoa. Foi essa a minha sensação ao ver a possibilidade de não mais poder ter o Jiu-Jitsu na minha vida. Fiquei completamente sem rumo, mas a dores eram tão fortes, que haviam momentos que pensei que se o preço a pagar para não sentir o que estava sentindo era ficar sem o JJ, talvez eu topasse. (Daí você imagina o nível da dor).

O tempo foi passando, fui me cuidando com tudo que estava ao meu alcance e a crise foi passando, fui conversando com amigos que passaram por coisa semelhante, vários profissionais e fui vendo uma luz no fim do túnel. Um aluno que se tornou um grande amigo me indicou outro médico e me deu muito apoio, parecendo as vezes que ele queria mais a minha melhora do que eu mesmo. O outro médico foi muito mais otimista, mas categórico "Lute de master*, não há necessidade de correr o risco de lutar de adulto, você não tem mais vinte anos"

Naquele momento poder lutar de "master*" (*para quem não sabe é a categoria de idade acima de 30 anos), mesmo que fosse demorar, já parecia um ótimo negócio para quem achou que não poderia nem treinar. 

Foram seis meses sem colocar o kimono, quando coloquei foi somente para mostrar técnicas em compromissos inadiáveis. Aos poucos fui me arriscando mais, fazendo treinos super leves. Em dezembro de 2014 comecei a aumentar o ritmo lentamente, descobri que pelo menos por enquanto, ainda não posso treinar diariamente como antes. O que tem funcionado para mim são dois dias de treino e um de descanso, mais o fim de semana, ou seja, segunda, terça, quinta e sexta. Fim de semana descanso também, ao menos do kimono. 

No fim de Dezembro resolvi que me sentia bem treinando e me inscrevi no Campeonato Europeu de JiuJitsu, que eu havia sido campeão em 2008 na categoria adulto, marcado para o último fim de semana de janeiro em Lisboa. Esse campeonato é o de maior prestigio na Europa e esse ano bateu o recorde com 3500 atletas inscritos.

Me inscrevi na minha categoria de idade, haviam outros 11 atletas entre brasileiros (o campeonato é aberto), Italianos, Espanhóis, Suecos e Finlandeses. Minhas lutas não foram as mais difíceis da minha vida, mas ao ter meu braço levantado na final, meus olhos marejaram levemente, não pelo ouro, mas por saber que o pior ano passou. Sempre passa. Como será o resto do ano eu não posso prever, mas aguardo para saboreá-lo sem pressa! Bem vindo 2015.

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Felipe Costa campeao europeu jiu jitsu

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Posted by Felipe Costa Apr 28, 2015 Categories: BJJ Felipe Costa Gracie Grappling Jiu Jitsu Motivational

The non stop evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu  

This is what I call WHITE BELT motivation

We have all heard about the evolution of BJJ, when you compare the techniques of the past to today, it's shocking to see how much it has grown from 20 years to now, but that is kind of normal on most sports, right? What is even more shocking for me is how some techniques are develop and get popular every 6 months or a year and how passionated are the comments about than. Most popular and recent examples are, of course, how people were obsessed with 5050 and had a love/hate relationship with it: "Should be banned from tournaments" were the comment that I disagreed the most...

Right after was the Berimbolo wave, that is still popular, but a bit less...looked out of this world (and still does), it was the evolution of the helicopter (technique from 90's), but soon enough everyone got an understanding of it and to counter many start the "double pull guard" and again the passionate comments "BAN FROM THE SPORT!!! There is no use on self defense" etc

Lapel Guard

More recently the Lapel or Worm guard is taking the roll of the bad guy and people are against it again. To say it's ONLY good to stall is a very single mind view of it. Just take a closer look to see how many option can open.

I'm just very glad those negative opinions were not heard, imagine if for everything new and difficult to count we would make not allowed? (wasn't that what JUDO did and still does sometimes?) Would our Martial Art/ Sport evolve? ( Yes, I did use "/sport " and I love that BJJ has ALSO become a sport)

I Usually note that the one's who don't know the technique, don't understand, feel they are too old to learn a new trick or even worse, think they know everything that is important are the one's vouching against it. From white to black belt...

I have promise myself to at least try never to fall into one of the categories I just mentioned, but I have to say it's tiring and some times discouraging, often I catch myself think "Fu#%, here it comes another concept to be learn". But you know what? It's when I feel like a white belt again that I'm motivate...if I felt I had nothing else to learn, to improve why would I keep going?

I told almost no one about a recent injury I had, that kept me from putting a GI during 6 months, that was the longest I had to stay without a gi since 1994 (just because I was exchange student in a city that had no BJJ). Because of that I couldn't follow so much of the so call Lapel guard or Worm guard. I knew the idea from looking videos, but  couldn't say I had a good understanding of it (Not sure I can say that now, but anyways).

Yesterday I had the chance to roll with a 16 years old, female blue belt that is doing the Worm guard like a pro, with many variations and giving trouble to everyone she has been training with. The fact that she is 54kg confirmed my theory that she was all about technique and minimum strength. I learned so much from her during the roll and also after, while she was kind enough to explain and teach what she was trying and looking for with each different grip. If I had the chance to look from outside, I would risk saying that was beautiful to see the Black Belt (me), learning as if he was a white belt from the young blue belt (her). I wish someone had film that. I was lucky enough to have my friend from BJJ HACKS (Subscribe to his channel, if you haven't yet, some sick BJJ stuff) there to film at least part of our training and here he shares with everyone. You can see in my face how I'm watching every movement she does, every grip change and trying to absorb as much as possible. I love this exchange BJJ allows you to have, despite of the color of the belt. So here is my advice to close this few lines:

Learn from everyone! Everyone knows something you don't, be open to that information! Once your knowledge grown, it will never go back to the previous size. 

HERE is the video:

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