Ep. 157 - Like a Whip: Training & Mindset Lessons from a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt - with Nathan Mendelsohn

Nathan Mendelsohn is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Cláudio França, who is one of the very first black belts to bring Jiu Jitsu to California, Santa Cruz in particular, and a crucial contributor to the growth of this sport/martial art in North America. Nathan is one of the top American grapplers of his generation, but it’s not just his tremendous list of achievements that garnered him notoriety in the martial arts community – it’s also his open minded attitude towards training, often breaking strict team taboos to practice with the best in this martial art/sport.

 

Nathan was inspired by his childhood hero Rickson Gracie, a famed practitioner of Gracie jiu jitsu and the subject of the 1995 documentary, Choke. Nathan describes him as the embodiment of the modern-day samurai, and learning jiu jitsu was Nathan’s own way of chasing that childhood dream of being a real-life samurai.

 

Nathan was ranked as the #8 middleweight blackbelt in the world, positioned to move even higher up the rankings, before he hit a roadblock: a knee injury. Thanks to medical advances over the past 10 or 20 years, this wasn’t the career-ending injury it could have been, but it still lead to a number of frustrating moments during recovery and caused him to slide in the rankings.

 

But he tried not to let negativity own his life, telling us that “it’s really important to have a positive storyline happening in your head.” Instead of viewing the injury as an obstacle to his goal, he took it as an opportunity to take six months off, for the first time in his life. It was time he could use to not only let his body recover, but also hone his mindset.

 

Like a lot of what you learn when training in a martial art, I think this lesson is highly applicable to everyone’s life. In our conversation, Nathan shares a number of other lessons he’s learned over the years:

 

• When we learn new things, we’re always focused on the little details – but it’s more just about being there, being present, and letting the situation “churn” you. If you embrace that churn, you’ll naturally get better and better. If you focus on the little details, it’s extremely easy to get overwhelmed.
• Not drinking alcohol also had a significant impact on both Nathan’s training and mindset. He didn’t like who he was when he drank, and it negatively affected every aspect of training. It just wasn’t helping to contribute to his goals, so he took it out of his life. This isn’t easy to do in a world where drinking is present at many (if not most) social occasions, but he says it’s one of the best decisions he’s ever made.
• After becoming a black belt, the pressure ramped up for Nathan. So one of his mentors taught him about affirmations and mantras, which he now uses before he competes. His main mantra is “I always believe in my ability to impose my game on any opponent,” and he also likes “Every fight is my first fight, my last fight, and my only fight,” for long tournaments.

 

--

 

Resources:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanmendelsohnbjj
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathan.mendelsohn.10
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSahSf0Zdrv0uvZPapBqd1Q
• Watch Nathan’s highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiYC9uFuGlM
• Elite Technique (Nathan’s rap persona): https://soundcloud.com/elite_technique

 

--

 

We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full-service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. They are your one-stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.

 

Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.

 

--

The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters