MPG Letter #161
Ego in Martial Arts🥋
I was talking with my buddy out here and he told me something wild. He cannot train at any other BJJ dojo. If you do, you get exiled. No return. No exceptions. And honestly, it reminded me of the martial arts scene back home in Sac. No cross training. No sharing knowledge. No stepping outside the walls of your own gym.
It all comes down to ego. Some coaches act like they hold the entire map of the martial arts world. Like their way is the only way. They get threatened by new ideas. But here is the truth. No one knows everything. The moment you think you do, you expose how much you actually don’t know.
I understand holding on to gym secrets. I get wanting to protect the tribe. But how can you grow if you never test your skills on different bodies, different styles, different looks. How do you know what holds up under pressure unless you see it against someone who was not raised under your same roof. And what if you discover a move or a detail that your whole team benefits from. The irony is the control they want to maintain ends up pushing people away. The good ones always leave.
Back home we built something different. Collaboration. Open minds. Grapple Boyz. Some of the best minds and talents sharing knowledge like it is a currency. “How do you get out of this. Ok, how do you get out.” Everyone offering solutions. Everyone learning. Everyone leveling up. And yeah, I train at four different gyms. That is probably why I am the best I have ever been.
If you never think outside the box, you will never escape the box. And in this sport, the ones who evolve win.
Disconnecting to Reconnect 😌
Being out here in Kauai with the family has done something real to my nervous system. I have not been glued to my phone. I have not been doom scrolling. I have barely checked the news. Or what I should call it… bad news.
It reminds me of that old line. If a tree falls in the forest, does anyone hear it. Stuff is happening in the world right now. I know that. I catch a tiny glimpse of it when I jump on IG to post, and for some reason the algorithm always tries to feed me updates. Almost like something wants to keep me plugged in. Which makes me wonder if maybe I should not know. Or at least not know everything.
Because right now I am choosing a different intake. I am choosing the ocean. I am choosing waves crashing. I am choosing my kids laughing on the sand. I am choosing this balcony where I hear birds and I can look out over coconut and avocado trees. This is a different type of consumption. A healthier one. A peaceful one.
It makes you think. What are you consuming every day. What are you letting into your mind. What noise are you feeding your spirit. Most people never question it. They just stay plugged into the matrix and wonder why they feel anxious or heavy.
Out here I feel light. Clear. Present. And when I get back home I am planning to keep this same energy. Less news. Less noise. More real life. More peace.
If you want a simple fix, here is something that works. Go outside. Touch some real ground. Listen to something natural instead of something digital. Even ten minutes in the sun or under a tree can reset your whole attitude. Nature has a way of quieting the mind without you needing to force anything. It reminds you that life is happening right in front of you, not just on a screen.
Time to get back in those waves 🤙🏽
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That’s a wrap for this week’s MPG Letter.
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I’ll be back next week with more real talk, fight game insights, and life on and off the mats.
Appreciate you being part of the journey.
– Max “Pain” Griffin
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