I sat down with Mark Vives, National Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion and founder of New Breed Training Center in Chicago, and his successful mentee Devin Dallaire. Both Devin and Mark are highly successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes who speak on critical components of coach-athlete dynamics as well as what it takes to succeed at an elite level.
Mark explains that honesty and communication are the two essential aspects of the coach-athlete dynamic. Athletes must be able to honestly admit what level of commitment they are willing to give to their goal while coaches must clearly communicate what the athlete should expect along the journey to success. Without honest communication from both sides, athletes aren’t able to reach their peak level of potential.
Devin explains the importance of goal-setting with your coach. As an aspiring athlete, you must set goals that are consistent with your level of commitment. You can’t expect to become a national champion and only practice two times a week. Once you have a goal consistent with your dedication level you need to be willing to do the preparation required to achieve your goal.
All athletes struggle with their mental game and Jiu-Jitsu is no different. Successful athletes use losses and failures as fuel for motivation. Athletes benefit when they can critically analyze their shortcomings and use them to perfect their game. With the help of a mental game coach, like myself, athletes can learn pre-game and post-game strategies designed to help improve their game. Losing and reflecting on what you could have done differently is THE key ingredient to improving your game. If people were successful all the time what would be the point?
Another crucial aspect Mark, Devin, and I all agree on is that your enjoyment and passion for the sport must be rooted in the process, not the outcome. All athletes should focus on finding joy in the daily grind because results are frequently out of your control. If you’re looking to learn more about the sport of Jiu-Jitsu or more knowledge on what it takes to be an elite athlete on any level check out my podcast! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmOmXTnlOBQ