Elite BJJ competitor and coach Andre Galvao recently shared some insight into the 8 qualities that he believes are common among champions in the sport. He has a pretty unique perspective on Jiu-Jitsu because only a handful of grapplers have ever achieved similar success on the mats and even fewer have built anything close to what he has as a coach. He won multiple ADCC and IBJJF World Championship titles during his personal career and as ATOS founder, he’s developed a whole generation of grapplers who win on the biggest stages and at the highest level of the sport. That means he knows exactly what it takes to be a Jiu-Jitsu champion and he’s well worth listening to on the topic.
He listed the 8 common qualities that champions have by referencing his own daughter, top brown belt Sarah Galvao:
“Champions are humble and hungry: By having these two qualities you will learn faster, you will be coachable, and you will listen. Forget about pride and ego – use your ego to be the best version of yourself, and not to be a jerk. Live life with the willingness to grow daily.”
“Champions trust themselves: To trust yourself during big challenges you have to be honest with yourself. People lie to themselves sometimes and that leads to self-doubt. If you do things right daily, and recognize whenever you make a mistake or start making excuses, you will always get back on the right track.”
”Champions are honest with themselves: In life you have to be very honest with yourself. Only that way will you be able to fix your mistakes. You also have to be super aware of your thoughts, words, and actions (positive or negative). Every day you need to make the right choices for you. You must constantly analyze your behaviour, making sure that you’re making the right choices for your future and for your life.”
“Champions smile: Life is tough, but life is also great. Smile and people will smile back to you. When you’re doing what you love, smile. Just by doing this, you will always have the energy to overcome bad days.”
”Champions never underestimate challenges: No matter who you’re facing in battle, ni matter what the challenge (on or off the mat) p, you have to be ready to go full besst mode and be prepared… You must prepare yourself daily. If you do this, you will have the tools to overcome all challenges, anything is possible with the right mindset.”
”Champions choose their friends carefully: We are the sum of the 5 people we spend the most time with. If your friends are negative, you will also be negative. If they are positive, you will also be positive. Choose the right friends… Stay away from toxic people. If people don’t respect what you asked for, you need to walk away and keep your distance from that person.”
“Champions dream: When you have a big dream, you must work for it. A dreamer is a daily doer. You have to live your dream, and that’s what Sarah (Galvao) does every single day.”
”Champions have faith: If you believe in something bigger than you, you can overcome anything in this life. Faith is so important because we all face big challenges in life. We have to believe that no matter what, if god allows something to happen to us, he has equipped us to overcome it.”
ATOS On Demand shared what Andre Galvao saw as the 8 qualities that champions have in common in a recent post to their official Instagram account: