I wrote this blessing for grapplers. My motivation was simple: I wanted to offer an encouraging word to two of my BJJ coaches who are making their final preparations for the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship next week.
I train at Alliance Atlanta, and I know so many wonderful people who gather up the courage to step onto the mat and test themselves—to discover what they have learned, what they are capable of, and who they are becoming.
So I decided it might be worthwhile to offer a blessing for those who take the mat, in whatever form that takes.
What follows is offered in grace.
I pray that it is received in grace.
Courage carries you to the mat.
So does your strength, your cultivated skill, your preparation, and all the hours you have spent getting ready for this moment. Your contest is but a moment in time. It will pass.
And remember: the contest cannot take away what you have already gained by showing up.
You come with honor in your heart.
You offer respect to the one who faces you.
You respect the mat—its traditions, its rules, and its judgment.
Never forget the identity of your true opponent: yourself.
Above all else, you are here to overcome yourself—to overcome fear, doubt, impatience, ego, and every part of you that would keep you from becoming who you are called to be.
Notice your breath. Give thanks.
Offer gratitude for the sacred alignment of body and mind—for the strange and beautiful gift of having a body capable of learning, struggling, enduring, and becoming.
May this mat teach you well. May it lead you to the font of wisdom.
May technique and concepts steady your nerves. You know what to do. Play your game.Trust your training.
Be present. Be in the moment. Be alive in your body. And may you emerge from this contest in full health.
Like Jacob, who wrestled through the night with God, may this bout be another step in your journey toward overcoming. May you grapple honestly. May you roll courageously.
And may you discover, as Jacob did, that sometimes we leave the struggle changed—not because we were undefeated, but because we were willing to grapple.
The fact that you have stepped forward, bumped fists, shaken hands, and gone toe-to-toe says all you—or anyone else—needs to know. You are alive. You are here. Never forget and never deny that. You have been given this moment. Give thanks.
Now, Overcome.