The Gameness Mindset for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Life
This all encompassing attribute offers a constellation of qualities for a healthy mindset in training and in life.
"In a gym you often see people who want to learn to fight, but you rarely see someone who is ‘game’ – willing to put it all on the line, to walk through fire and come back for more. It’s not the talent or the skill that impresses, it’s the ability to get up when you’ve been knocked down, to push forward when everything in your body screams to stop."
- Sam Sheridan
Reading the work of Sam Sheridan is like hanging out with an old friend over coffee as they recall stories of their recent travels and physical exploits. As they stir their coffee, the spoon clanging against the side of the cup, your imagination pours over every detail they share. Sheridan, in his writing, not only offers stories, but he offers insights. From his own training to the training of those he has interviewed, these insights are hard won and they are as applicable to elite fighters as they are to fresh white belts. Sheridan’s writing not only unravels the composite nature of fighting, but it unfolds the inner workings of own mental game. It draws us into this world because within the stories of mental and physical training by elite athletes we experience glimpses of how to push beyond our limits and augment our own abilities. We imagine grittier, surer versions of ourselves.
A Fighter’s Heart
In his first book about combat sports, “A Fighter’s Heart”, Sheridan travels around the world embedding the reader into his own training for a professional fight. From Thailand to Brazil to the US, he explores the physical and psychological as well as the cultural and philosophical aspects of martial arts. His immersive style provides readers with profound lessons from his experience and from his insights.
The Fighters Mind
In his second book, “The Fighter’s Mind”, Sheridan delves deeper into the mental aspects of fighting by examining the mindset and strategies of elite fighters across a number of disciplines - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, MMA and Boxing to name a few. In this book he examines the secrets of mental strength and success by talking with elite athletes. His evocative manner weaves together a variety of stories from a range of combat styles to present a highly nuanced understanding of the intensity and complexity that shapes the mental disciplines for both martial arts and for fighting.
Gameness
In his writing, Sheridan seeks to answer the pivotal question: why do we, as humans, fight. Through his personal experiences and his conversations with top athletes, he offers an exploration into the fears and motivations that drive many people to train, to sacrifice and to excel within combat sports. It is voyage into the potential of our capabilities.
One of the concepts that Sheridan explores in each of these books is a quality that shapes both fighting and martial arts - gameness. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, gameness is a quality, and even a strategy, that can aid athletes in fostering a healthy growth mindset.
Gameness is a combination of qualities that encompasses resilience, determination, the willingness to endure hardship and the ability to push past adversity in the pursuit of goals. It is not about the drive for victory. It is about the inner drive and willingness to push past one’s limits, regardless of the outcome. It is a mindset with a constellation of attributes that allows athletes to approach their training with unwavering commitment, courage and a refusal to back away from any challenge in the pursuit of excellence.
Qualities of Gameness
To develop and maintain gameness, athletes need a combination of mental, emotional and physical practices. The following is list of key details that can assist in the development of gameness:
Evoke Courage:
This is the start for all gameness. Have the courage to step onto the mat or into the ring. Take a risk, push beyond your comfort zone.
Practice Resilience:
Challenges can come as setbacks, defeats on injuries. Face your challenges head on. Work at bouncing back as soon as possible. Use your setbacks as a learning experience for greater growth.
Invoke Determination:
Dedicate yourself to your training and to your goals. Be willing to put in the hardwork on the mat and off the mat.
Set Clear Goals:
Define clear objectives for your training. This will help provide focus and motivation whether you are training for fun or training for a competition.
Stay Consistent:
Maintain training regimens as a part of regular discipline. Do not rely on motivation for consistency. Consistent effort over time will eventually yield results.
Develop Mental Toughness:
Stay focused and composed under pressure. Develop the habit of staying calm to create greater resilience in moments of stress. Get back up. Push forward. Don’t think, do.
Embrace Adversity:
Rather than view setbacks as failures, reframe your reference to them. View them as opportunities. Don’t let them discourage you. Use them to identify your weakness and push past them. Embrace them as opportunities for you to improve.
Be Adaptable:
Be willing to adjust to changing circumstances, such as an opponent’s strategies during a fight. Practice thinking on your feet and adapting your game plans as needed during sparring or in competition.
Surround Yourself with Support:
While it is generally true that you should rely on self-discipline instead of motivation, one way to utilize motivation is to surround yourself with people who will encourage you. Build and maintain a network of coaches, instructors and training partners or other mentors who will encourage and inspire you in your training efforts.
Focus on the Process:
Rather than looking to results, pay attention to the process. Notice your patterns of improvement. Celebrate your victories, both big and small.
Prioritize Recovery:
Proper physical training should be paired with the right nutrition and the right amount of rest. When your mental well-being is correctly balanced, it will be easier to maintain gameness than when it is not.
Maintain Perspective:
Keep a balanced perspective on the mat and in life. Enjoy the journey and appreciate the process of improvement. See past where you are right now and look to where you want to go. This applies to the short term and to the long term.
Closing Thoughts
Gameness is a mindset that encompasses the mental, the emotional and the physical aspects of an athlete’s character. Developing this attribute not only aids Jiu-Jitsuka in becoming more resilient, more adaptable and more balanced, but it also fosters greater personal growth and enhances the pursuit of mastery. As Sam Sheridan says, “Gameness is a sort of grace under pressure; it's not just a willingness to fight, but a willingness to fight well, to fight beautifully, to fight with all your heart, and to fight for the right reasons."