06.09.2007 100 things you should do before reaching black belt - 51 - 76Based on the experience of established fighters, GRACIE Magazine puts together a goal plan of the most daring kind for the unconditional Jiu-Jitsu lover
By Marcelo Dunlop and Raphael Nogueira* / Photos by Gustavo Aragao / Illustrations by Gustavo Villa Nova
51 » Get your bottom game up to par with your top game – or at least get close.
52 » Face off against athletes from other modalities, like wrestlers in submission grappling tournaments, judoka friends and so on.
53 » Talk a lot with those that are more advanced and great masters.
54 » Shave your head, even if just once. 55 » Register in photos your top physical form. Besides serving as a record, this will motivate you to not fall out of shape, even as the years – and belts – go by. You will also have a beautiful photo to one day show your children and grandchildren...
56 » Take an unforgettable trip to fight or train Jiu-Jitsu with the team.
57 » Represent well and divulge the flag of our Jiu-Jitsu abroad.
58 » When in San Diego, California, drop in at the University of Jiu-Jitsu. The telephone number is (419) 283-7310.
59 » Get used to discomfort. After all, as Wallid Ismail used to say, “it’s a bad time the whole time.”
60 » Get turned down by women because of your ears.
61 » Pick up women because of your ears.
62 » Go through at least 17 gis before becoming a black belt. If not, you didn’t go through enough cloth...
63 » Donate your old gis to the needy and social projects.
64 » Understand how your body works, after all, each body type adapts differently to Jiu-Jitsu. Your game should be in tune with the type of body you boast.
65 » Respect the white belts. And the blues, purples...
66 » Develop your mental flexibility – in any tournament in the world, it is not unusual that you will compete later, earlier, change fight arenas before the battle… “In these cases, relax and accept it. Not being uptight allows you to get the most out of any experience and evolve,” teaches the coach and trainer Martin Rooney. It’s just not worth being bitter.
67 » Believe in whatever new technique you are taught, even if it doesn’t become your specialty. It very well could be your opponent’s.
68 » At least once in life, decide to compete in some tournament at the last minute. Remember, there is no such thing as the “perfect” moment to compete. Go and fight – and who knows, it might just turn out to be the perfect moment.
69 » Tap, tap, tap and tap, many times. And, who knows, maybe even pass out from a hold. That’s part of the game, and everything is a learning experience after all, until you’ve been decorated with the highest honors. 
70 » Fight a fight (or at least in training) with no time limit, until it ends.
71 » If given the chance, or if you have friends in other gyms, visit new environments. “I would like to have trained more with other athletes, to have tested my Jiu-Jitsu without the pressure of tournaments. I feel I missed something for not having trained with Amaury, Libório, Roleta, Cachorrão and Pé de Pano,” reveals the six-time world champion Saulo Ribeiro.
72 » Be somebody’s hero.
73 » Explain more than once, to several friends, the philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu, and don’t lose patience when you hear, “But fighters are all kinda stupid,
aren’t they?”
74 » Be invited to help bounce a friend’s party, even if you politely decline, despite the proud feeling inside.
75 » Have a favorite Gracie.
76 » Lend a hand, in any way you can, to a social project a black belt friend of yours is involved in.
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