Hey Coach

Hey Coach “I had a student leave over finding a place closer and cheaper. I am upset.”

Let’s look at this for what it is. The undeniable truth is…. If this person saw the value in you they would make the trip or pay the extra. Period. I took 6 hour trips out of my day, 5 days a week, to train at Marcelo’s in NYC….because it was valuable. I drove over an hour to and from Ricardo Almeida’s 5 days a week….because it had value.

You hold no or little value to this person. In most cases what do you expect? In some cases you are just a gym, a hobby, an extra curricular activity. You hold space between sports. Not everyone wants to be world champions. I tell my coaches there is no difference between you and LA fitness and LA fitness is $30 a month and they have a pool so you better do a great job.

At the end of the day accept this thought and just replace them with someone that WILL see what you are worth. Find your people.

(AND!!!!!!! MAKE SURE YOU DONT GET WRAPPED UP IN THE NEGATIVE STUFF. Don’t forget about the people that DO put the time in and love you and the school. Celebrate them. Give them the time instead of dwelling on who left.)

Hey Coach! Why didn’t you mual the guy that challenged you at the school?

I didnt feel like it was warranted. He didn’t phase me. I was more worried that I would hurt him. I spend all of my time training to try and be the best in the world. I travel across planet earth seeking out others with the same commitment. A person that doesn’t know anything is inconsequential to me.

A dear friend of mine told me this story once. It was during a frustrating time in my life where I felt like it was me against the world. My hope from that day on that maybe, just maybe, I would become the eldest son.

The 3 samurai

A samurai had a fellow colleague over to his home. He was bragging to the friend about his 3 sons and their progress. He had set up a bucket of water above a door and called the first son to demonstrate their skill set.

As the first and youngest son entered the room he drew his sword swinging wildly at the bucket falling on his head. He showed aggression and willingness to strike at any moment. The father and his friend smiled at the youngest’s eagerness.

The second older son was called in and under the same circumstance drew his sword and cut the bucket in half with one skillful and precise strike. The father was pleased.

The eldest son was called in to the room. Anticipating the bucket falling on his head he opened the door slowly, caught the bucket and placed it on the floor never drawing his sword. The father beamed with pride as his son had learned restraint and was on the path to mastery.

🙏🏻❤️ Rich Serpa

Hey Coach! What’s it like competing in Masters divisions?

It’s been fun. The 5 minute rounds i enjoy because you have to hustle. Black belts are inherently smoother and older ones are more willing to stand up. You can potentially get a shot at a legend which is great and I can’t wait for that day. The respect is always much greater before and after the match.

The negatives I guess are that no one cares. No one will be waiting to interview you no matter how good your performance was. There will be no sponsorships. No money. Nothing really.
Ive heard people respond to world champions saying “…….yeah but masters” which is disheartening. It’s super time consuming which is hard when you are a responsible dad and or business owner. Or both. But with all of that being said it’s finally for you. You are competing because you want to be better and achieve. It really stops being about anyone else because there is no one else. Most don’t understand why you still do it and the rest couldn’t care any less. So it’s a good place to be. You finally answer to You.

👊🏻

Hey Coach! What do you think about all of the schools opening up around town?

I think it’s great! Listen…..to assume that you will sign everyone in town up is delusional. People vibe with certain people. A person that trains with me may not be happy somewhere else and vice versa. The coach/student relationship is a special one but at the end of the day it is a relationship. It has to be right. It has to be compatible.

I think there are some great schools around providing a great service. Keeps people away from McDojos and is building JiuJitsu. An MMA school just opened by me and I was super happy. I dont really coach MMA fighters anymore. Im hyper focused on jiujitsu and that is where I am happiest. A person that wants to fight in a cage will not do well at my school but will thrive down the street.

So at the end of the day it’s positive. All of the new places have really nice honorable people teaching something that I Love very much. It’s pretty cool to see how far things have come over that past 20 years and how widely accepted jiujitsu has become. I can honestly say I still think we are just getting started.

This is awesome guys thank you. I hope you enjoy the page. ~ Chris

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