In the beginning, you’re just having fun. You’re a white belt. You went from zero to one and your mind is blown. This continues for six months. Every class is amazing.

Then something happens. You get a little good, or you think you do. You start learning from outside sources. You go to Instagram, YouTube. You go to the bookstore, you follow people, you talk to your friends about this and that. And you’re filling your head with all these ideas, and now you need to do things.

You start researching knee pads because in the beginning your knees hurt. You get ear protection, a new mouthguard. Finger tape, a journal. Maybe a tripod for your phone so you can review every class.

They’re all good things, but they pile up.

Training becomes a chore. You’re not having that much fun anymore. It’s so much work. Now you have goals for every class. People say you have to be intentional. Yeah, maybe. People say you have to write down all your notes. You have to journal about the class. Danaher says film study is key. Now you’re doing that too.

And it becomes a big chore.

But if you can get over that hump and figure out that you can shed most of it, then you get to the other side. Here, you’re really good. You’re having fun again. You keep it simple, you go to class. And enjoy class. And because you enjoy class, you keep going.

Then it’s ten years later. You’ve been a black belt for a couple of years. And you notice when people are going through the same cycle you went through.