At some point of your martial arts adventure, you probably stopped to wonder whether or not you’ve made progress. Well, if you really look back and remember how you started off on day 1, and compare that to where you are now, we’re pretty sure you would have grown quite a fair bit – whether or not you got your next BJJ stripe or Muay Thai prajied.

If you’re still curious and would like to find out whether you’re on the right track, then read on! Today, Evolve Daily reveals 7 Signs That You’ve Grown As A Martial Artist:

1) You’ve stopped trying to “be better” than anyone else

Sparring is a great way to elevate your game.

When you first started training, you might have compared yourself to others and as a result, found yourself trying to “be better” than them. Unfortunately, this is a very tiring – not to mention, unhealthy – process. By constantly comparing yourself to others who appear to be “better” than you, you’d feel lousy about yourself and get disheartened as a result.

However, you eventually realized that everyone learns and grows at their own pace. After all, every journey is unique – and what matters most is that you ultimately make progress. So instead of comparing yourself to others, you now only compete with yourself (and who you wish to be) so that you can ultimately evolve into the best version of yourself.

2) You understand that small improvements lead to long-term results

UFC Superstar Leandro “Brodinho” Issa trains hard at the Evolve Fighters Program.

At some point, we’ve all been guilty of being impatient when it comes to seeing results. After all, that’s the reason why we train so hard in the first place, right? Well, the good news is that you learned to stop rushing to your destination and start embracing every step of your journey – because even the tiniest signs of progress ultimately contribute to your growth. And the best part is that you’re now able to celebrate every victory along the way – even the smallest ones!

3) You’re able to stay committed, even on days when you’re unmotivated

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is also known as “the gentle art”.

How many times have you given in to your lack of motivation on lazy days? If your answer now is “less than before”, “hardly” or “I train anyway” – then it means that you take your training very seriously and that you’re probably going to stick to martial arts for a long time. Yes, this is also a good sign that you’ve grown – because discipline and dedication are two traits that you’ll develop while training martial arts.

4) You’re open to learning from everyone

BJJ is a fun way to keep your kids active.

If you’ve reached a point where you’re open to sparring and/or training with everyone – regardless of size or rank – then you have definitely grown. This is because you can really learn from everyone – whether it’s knowing what you’re doing well, which areas you can improve on, or simply what not to do. Of course, this also means that you take all kinds of feedback from your coach seriously, and have become more coachable than you were at the start.

5) You’ve started supplementing your training with strength and conditioning

Strength and conditioning is a great way to supplement your martial arts training.

In your quest to be the best martial artist you can be, you’ve decided to take your training to the next level and have been attending strength and conditioning classes. After all, it’s the best way to gain explosive strength and boost your stamina! Hence, it plays a part when it comes to maximizing your performance in the gym – which is what you strive to do whenever you’re there.

6) You take responsibility for your actions

The elbow is usually thrown in close range.

Because you understand that how much you invest in your martial arts training is how much you’ll get out of it, you always give 100%. Also, you’ve been planning all your workouts in advance and sticking to those plans. By constantly taking responsibility for your actions and choosing to do what it takes to achieve those goals, there’s no doubt that you’ve come a long way since day 1.

7) You no longer shy away from challenges

You can burn up to 1,000 calories in a 60-minute Muay Thai training session.

Stepping out of comfort zones is part and parcel of every martial arts journey. There are bound to be techniques you don’t feel comfortable executing, or situations that intimidate you. Whatever it is, you’ve learned to face those challenges and thrive outside your comfort zone. Apart from helping you become bolder in the gym, martial arts has also shaped you to become a bolder individual when you’re off the mats.

So tell us, have you grown as a martial artist?