If you’re leaving a school, there’s a reason you left, so when you go to a new school, don’t do what you used to do.

If it was good, you would’ve just stayed there.

Or did you get kicked out?

Or did you think you could do better elsewhere?

I had a young student come in for a trial, but as is often the case, he hid the fact that he had prior training. It’s weird when they do that. In watching him move, it was obvious he wasn’t a beginner, but he maintained his vagueness about his experience.

We teach the technique, but I can see he’s doing it however he first learned it. (This is why it matters who you learn from. It’s difficult to undo anything.)

I’m always wary of experienced people joining my school because they usually don’t let go of what they’ve been taught. They’re typically the most stubborn, and from what I’ve seen, they usually don’t stick around for more than a few months anyway. The biggest concern I have is whether they hurt anyone, intentionally or not, before they quit.

It’s always easier for me to teach someone with zero knowledge than someone with a little. That’s because that little makes them the intermediate, and that’s the level that makes up the most quitters.

If you got kicked out, change your ways.

If you want something different, change your ways.

Everything is your fault. Start believing that, because that’s the first step to getting what you want out of jiu-jitsu. There are more steps after that, but most people get stuck on the first.