The Gift Of Ringworm
How ringworm changed my views on creativity, passion, and expression
I’ve always noticed my Jiujitsu is best after taking a break.
It hit me after I had to take an eight week hiatus due to a stubborn ringworm case.
I trained at a certain gym with blue mats that happens to be in a basement one time, when I was a fresh east coaster shopping around gyms. A true legacy gym it was, high quality instruction—although now in 2025 it appeared all the top young guns had uprooted (and was confirmed by a training partner at MGA).
A day later, I noticed an itch on my inner thigh. Yep, turned into ringworm. Not just any ringworm—this one was not responding to antibiotics, topical or oral. I was restless and moody, waiting for this stubborn little scab to subside so I can go back to doing what I do.
I may not have been on the mats physically, but mentally I was doing reps almost every waking hour. Daydreaming of hitting arm drag/trip combos, 50/50 sequences…
My only training since moving from Orange County had been a series of free trial classes. I couldn’t wait to get back in rhythm with a training schedule.
After what felt like a whole era of civilization, the scab began to disappear, leaving me a nice little scar to remember him by. It was time to resume training. I signed up at Marcelos full time.
There were no expectations for my return. I was just so damn happy to be there. I remember practically jogging to the building from the subway, hanging from the front door as I waited to be buzzed in…
Over six months later, that’s the sharpest I’ve ever felt on the mats.
Everything was effortless—timing was dialed in, movements were fluid, energy management was downright economical, stellar decision making, in rhythm…
I haven’t been able to quite replicate that brilliance, but upon reflection of what went right, I’ve gotten close.
The answer is somewhere between joy, play, and freedom. This is true for any art form I believe.
Expectations are the shackles of expression. To be a channel for the muse, that flow state where you are unconsciously performing at a level you didn’t even know you were capable of—you have to just exist in the present. To be apart of the flow. Deep down you know what to do, but thinking about what might happen will separate you from your inner knowing.
It’s easy to slip into a certain mentality in JiuJitsu. Something like: “I drilled this a hundred thousand times, so I expect this technique to work when I use it.” Which can then lead to “Why didn’t it work? I must suck…”
But removing yourself from the outcome of using that technique, and just saying “Let’s see what happens if I do this…” That’s where the magic unfolds.
The key is to not think at all, and just enjoy the present moment.
That little scar inside my thigh will always be there to remind me—
I have permission to fail.
Garrett is a lifelong grappler with over 15 years of experience on the mats, including coaching, competing, and teaching privates. He has trained with and under multiple world champions in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. Garrett works as a journalist and copywriter in advertising. You can find him training at Marcelo Garcia Academy in Manhattan.