The Most Dangerous Phase Is When You Think You Know Enough.

There’s a phase in Jiu-Jitsu that’s more dangerous than being a beginner.

It’s the phase where you’re no longer lost.

You know a few guards. A few passes. A few submissions. You can survive some rounds. Maybe you even catch people sometimes.

And that’s exactly when progress quietly slows down.

Because now you’re no longer forced to learn. You can rely on what you already know.

You start repeating your favorite moves. You avoid the positions that make you uncomfortable. You shape your game around what feels safe instead of what needs work.

Nothing is obviously wrong. You’re training. You’re sweating. You’re showing up.

But you’re orbiting the same level.

This doesn’t only happen on the mat.

It happens in careers, in businesses, in relationships. The moment you become “good enough to get by,” you stop exposing yourself to the friction that creates real growth.

Beginners are clumsy, but they’re honest. Everything is new, so everything is learning.

Intermediates are efficient, but often protected. They manage their image. They manage their comfort.

Masters are beginners again. On purpose.

They put themselves in bad positions. They study what they’re bad at. They let their ego get bruised in exchange for progress.

The most dangerous place is not the bottom.

It’s the plateau you start calling home.