Long Term Plan /// By: Jared Weiner

I was talking with a close friend of mine the other day who is in the middle of his successful MMA career. We were having discussion about some fighters who just got cut from the roster and were wondering what they were gonna do with their lives. This really got me thinking about long term planning, education, family, and overall survival.

I know a lot of professional Jiu-Jitsu athletes who are making a nice living traveling state to state, country to country, have high paying sponsors and basically living the Jiu-Jitsu dream. I think this is incredible and I'll be the first one to acknowledge these amazing athletes and call them professionals, but what happens when age starts catching up to you and you are not the hot item on the scene any longer? The sponsors start to slowly back away, the seminars become less and less and you are stuck trying to support yourself and possibly a family with only past earnings. This is the exact reasons I stress education and a back up plan to all of my students and competitors.

I know people will say you can't focus on being a world champion and in school at the same time. I would have to disagree this. I know quite a few athletes who have pursued their degree and became elite level champions at the same time. I'm sure it's not easy and most likely overwhelming but the personal achievement and long term security is well worth the efforts in my opinion.

The common line I always hear is, "I'll just open an academy when I'm ready to slow down." This is great, but owning and operating a school is not for everyone and takes tons of time and effort and is not as easy as one might think. The majority of new people and prospective students who walk in to your school could care less about all the medals and achievements you won in the past, and have no clue how famous you may be in the Jiu-Jitsu world. It's a whole new ball game for someone who only knows fighting.

We have all seen the sad stories about some MMA fighters and Jiu-Jitsu competitors who were at the top and are still trying to live off of the past. It's upsetting to see this. You can't predict the future, injuries happen, careers get cut short, but you can protect yourself from a spiral down fall by investing in yourself via education or have a long term back up plan. Like I said this is by no means a knock on anyone. I admire the professional Jiu-Jitsu and MMA athletes more than most, but human blinders and no regard for the future are a scary thing. Don't be caught off guard. Invest in yourself. There is nothing wrong about having multiple life paths to choose from once your professional competition career winds down.