This is usually the first rule in most BJJ schools.

"Check your ego at the door". Sometimes the meaning is not so obvious.

In another forum, the topic came up about a male student informing a senior female student that he could "beat her up" in spite of her training. This caused the female to doubt her abilities and do some soul searching in regards to what she has done for the past five years (in regards to training). Lacking confidence in what you are doing is a major factor in students quitting. Sometimes they arrive at that point on their own........and sometimes they have "help".

Although this is not directly related to BJJ/MMA, I think that it's practioners might have a unique perspective on the issue.

What do you think?

Confidence and Fear must be kept in balance.

To have too much of one is going to result in problems with your training. One thing that I like about resistive training is that it tends to keep a realistic balance between the two.

When you know that you can beat most of the class sparring it gives you confidence, which is good. Too much can result in being a bully, but often there are people that can beat you, or even people that you can normally beat that get lucky, etc.

Those moments tend to keep your head from getting too big. You KNOW there is someone out there that can beat you....by skill or luck!

BJJ's full resistance nature makes it conducive to the forming of real confidence (not the false aura of invincibility and contradictory humbleness found in many TMA schools, AKA "Beggar's humility"). Having a real idea of what you can actually do is great. There is nothing more confidence boosting than forcing a person who struggles as hard as they can to give up and there is nothing more humbling than having the same happen to you.