The Summer Smash Series
My gym, Carlson Gracie Redlands, ran a challenge over summer. Five weeks. Minimum 21 sessions to qualify. No double-counting - each visit was one session, whether it was a structured class or open mat.
I did 42. And somehow won the whole thing.
I’m not really the competitive type. I didn’t enter to win. I entered to prove something to myself.
Could I actually commit to something physical? Could I show up consistently, even when I didn’t feel like it? That was the test.
I wrote a few months back about what BJJ actually trains - five body-based sensing systems working together under pressure. Proprioception, interoception, vestibular, tactile, temporal. The research showing elite grapplers have 29% higher cerebral blood flow. The cognitive shifts I noticed in myself: better decisions, less paralysis by analysis.
Forty-two sessions in five weeks put that to the test.
Some days I didn’t feel like going. Body tired. Brain making excuses. Other days I wanted more - one session wasn’t enough. But here’s what I’ve learned: the mind can overrule the body. Those interoceptive signals telling you to rest? They’re data, not commands. You can acknowledge them and go anyway.
And afterwards, you’re always glad you did.
I’ve been training since June 2025. I get submitted constantly. My technique is rough. My timing is off. None of that matters. Get 1% better - that’s the only goal.
The compounding happens quietly. You don’t notice it session to session. But five weeks of showing up and suddenly you’re catching submissions you couldn’t attempt before. Escaping positions that used to pin you. Reading pressure differently.
That’s what this challenge proved to me. Not that I could win something - that I could sustain something. That the cognitive benefits I wrote about aren’t just interesting research. They require consistent input to compound.
I’m keeping the momentum. Five classes a week, minimum. This time I’m not giving up.
The kids both train too. That’s part of it now. Show up. Be consistent. Let them see what that looks like. The whole-system benefits I’m chasing? They’re watching whether I actually follow through.