You Can Get 1% Better Everyday!

No matter what the endeavor, it's human nature to want results fast.  If you've been training BJJ long, you are well aware that technique improvement and those coveted belts take quite some time to earn.  The expectation that we are going to be successful overnight is the source of much of the feelings of despair that cause people to give up on BJJ.

Five time world champion, Bernardo Faria, recently caught up with the one and only Ricky Lundell to discuss his 1% Movement.  Ricky Lundell is a 3rd degree black belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu under Pedro Sauer.  When he received his black belt at the age of 19 after training over a decade, he was considered the youngest person in North American to ever achieve his black belt so young.

Ricky would go on to be become a D1 wrestler in college, under famed Penn State wrestling Coach Cael Sanderson.  The interesting part of his journey to D1 is that he had not had any traditional wrestling training when he was invited to wrestle at Iowa State University!

Most recently, Ricky divides his time as the Head Coach of the nationally renowned Bishop Gorman wrestling program in Las Vegas and also being a coach to 8 UFC champions over the past few years.

The 1% Movement is a mindset philosophy approach created by Ricky Lundell which teaches that no matter what activity, we should be realistic and consistent and seek to give our best every single day, aiming for a manageable 1% improvement each day.  Ricky offered an amazing proof of concept when he did his 500 day squat challenge. 

Beginning at 275 lbs he decided to squat his max each day for 500 straight days.  Over the 500 days, regardless of what was going on in his life, he would never miss an opportunity to work on his max squat.  Through this time, he experienced relationship challenges and even the loss of his little brother, a tragedy that only spurned him on harder.

At the end of 500 days, Ricky was squatting over 600 lbs which was more than 3 times his own bodyweight.  His mission, to show that by consistent effort every single day, we can make improvements.  In this age of perceived overnight sensations and the constant quest for the next life hack that will fix everything, Ricky showed that there is no short cut to success.  Check out the video below!

 How can you apply the 1% Movement philosophy to your BJJ?  As a new whitebelt, it's common to want to rip through the entire history of BJJ techniques to get to that coveted blue belt.  Instead as a new white belt, work on getting better at gripping, or hip movement. 

If your cardio and conditioning need work, slowly try to roll an additional round each day to push yourself and develop stamina.  No matter what your belt level, find something that that you can work on to create your own 500 day challenge.  Maybe as an older grappler, who's intrigued by the latest inverted guards, you spend the next year working on your inversion skills by adding drills and flexibility exercises to make yourself more comfortable.  After 500 days, your teammates and training partners will be calling you Joao Miyao behind your back.

Set your goal and get to work.  Stop chasing the easy path.  There is no easy path.  Only through consistent effort and recognizing the value of slow progress, will you be one of the ones that achieves your goals.  You truly can get 1% better every day.  Start now.

For more from Bernardo Faria, check out his Foundation of BJJ series, where he teaches all of his favorite must-have positions that every practitioner should put in their tool box.  You can get it here!

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