5 Things I’ve Learned from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
I started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) about 4 months ago. It’s a grappling martial art with a focus on joint locks/dislocations, throws/takedowns, and chokes. The goal is to use your body’s leverage to best a stronger opponent. BJJ is what MMA(Mixed Martial Arts) and UFC fighters generally use when you see their bodies tangled up and wrestling on the ground. It is widely considered one the most effective forms of martial arts for self-defense. Brazilian jiu-jitsu has been forged in the fire of ring based combat, proving itself as an almost insurmountable style to compete against.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is an amazing fighting style, but also has many parallels to living life in its fullest.
“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” -Bruce Lee
You will fail. A lot. And it’s ok.
To get better at BJJ, you will often find yourself in positions that could be crippling and certainly deadly. When you’re a white belt, the tyro’s color, you’re always failing and getting beaten. This is my current rank and my experience 95% of the time I put my skills to the test against another opponent. When your opponent is about to choke you into unconsciousness, you “tap out” by frantically tapping a part of your opponent’s body and they will then release you before causing any damage, at least a good training partner should. When you tap out, you concede that the person holding you in that position has the capability to kill you or break your bones, and that you have given up and must trust them to let you go unharmed. It’s difficult to accept. It’s hard for me to accept. I don’t like giving up. Just last week, I was in an armbar and I tried to fight my way out of it when I should have immediately tapped. Part of it was wanting to see what I could do to get out. You learn very quickly to accept defeat when in a horribly compromised position. I ended up with an elbow that’s still sore over a week later. People who cannot stand to have their egos bruised will not last. When you walk through that door you have to discard it, knowing you’re weak as a baby worm in the hands of wolves. It’s humbling and if you’re used to be being good at everything you do, get used to being bad. Very bad.
2. There will always be someone at a level above you
You will never be complete. The evolution of the craft of BJJ is endless and always evolving, like life. From my limited experience, it seems like new techniques are always propping up and as they start trending you must learn how to defend them. Life is either growing or dying. The more you learn in BJJ, the more you realize you don’t know.
3. There are no shortcuts to success
You must put in the time and dedication if you truly want to get good at anything. I’m all about working smart. Work smart and work hard if you want to get good. There are some guys who come once a week and they might be white belts for five years, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but your advancement will be significantly slower than someone who can commit and find the time to train 4-5 times a week. Life sometimes, though not always, gives you what you put in.
4. Your body is a treasure
Martial arts help you realize the potential of your body. Once you see how it can move and what it can do, you will may find it disturbing how little many people respect theirs. You only get one body (for now), don’t fuck it up. I’m already starting to feel the seams of my body stretching at the ripe old age of 33. Injuries take a little longer to recover from. My work capacity is a bit less than it once was. It’s a gift that you might not appreciate until it’s far too gone to fix. Exercise, eat right, move everyday.
5. Most things don’t matter
When you get into positions where you’re about to be choked unconscious, or your shoulder is a few more pounds of force from being torn free from the socket, the other noise in your life seems to fade into the background, forcing you into the immediate present. When you’re in a compromised position on such a regular basis, you become somewhat inoculated to that stress. It makes you cold, it helps you think clearly under duress.
If you haven’t tried BJJ, I would highly suggest giving it a shot. I love it! Can you tell? Do you practice martial arts? If so, which style?
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