When I was fresh out of high school, I spent some time working in a glass factory in my hometown. We made car windows, which required a special process to be formed. Car windows - unlike windows in your home, or almost any other glass - does not break into large, dangerous shards. When it breaks, it shatters into dozens of tiny pieces that may scratch a person, but they will not cause severe injury or death. This is because of the long, often tricky process of heat-treating the glass in order to make it safer.

One thing that I always hated about this job, besides the 12-hour shifts and the back-breaking physical requirements, was the inability to be still. Occasionally, the machinery would break down and those of us who were at the end of the line shoving glass into large metal racks would suddenly have no work to do. 

Every supervisor’s favorite line must be, “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean,” because all of them said it every single time. So we would be stuck sweeping the same patch of floor every couple of hours, or making the smallest adjustments to our work stations. But we weren’t really accomplishing anything. We were just being busy.

Don’t get me wrong, being busy has its place, but it’s hardly what we want to do. Now apply this to your Jiu-Jitsu journey. BJJ has ample opportunities to look busy without ever accomplishing anything. So ask yourself honestly, is that what I am doing?

Some people keep insane training schedules that make it seem like they are doing a lot of work and like they are putting in all of the effort. However, that is not always the case. Much like sweeping the same patch of floor every couple of hours, we can make ourselves look busy with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through a variety of ways. But the most common issue I have seen is when people avoid rolling with anyone who challenges them.

This can take a variety of forms. Perhaps you only roll with people whom you know you can tap out during training. Maybe you spend most of your time at a gym where you aren’t truly being challenged because you’re the best person there. Maybe you don’t roll with people because you know they are going to make you put effort in when you don’t want to. 

I’ve been guilty of a number of these. The key is to not be this way consistently. I have known a number of BJJ practitioners and MMA fighters who have stayed at a gym out of loyalty or convenience, only to their own detriment. These people will express a strong desire to win, but then will only look busy instead of focusing in their training in a gym where they will truly be challenged and pushed beyond their comfort zone.

Anyone who stays in their comfort zone in Jiu-Jitsu can never be great and they can never show you the way to achieve your goals.

Obviously, be safe. Don’t roll with people who will hurt you or make life miserable in a non-productive way. But people who tap you out over and over? Roll with them. People who are heavy or have good pressure? Roll with them. A gym full of athletes you can’t keep up with? Roll with them.

Whatever it is holding you back from being productive with your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - whether it’s a fear of losing, fear of looking bad, fear of not being the best, etc. - lose it. Stop being busy and making no progress and start challenging yourself. With the New Year coming up, it’s time to stop holding yourself back and it’s time to start making those positive changes that will improve your skill set.