Monthly Archives: May 2012

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a High Leverage Habit

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HABITS

A large percentage of what we do in our lives is automatic.  Our daily activities are often the product of the habits that we’ve carved out for ourselves over time. All habits have one fundamental thing in common: they were learned by repetition – much like our Jiu-Jitsu techniques.  When we repeat an action enough times it creates neuronal pathways in our brains – at which point we are pretty much on autopilot.  These habits can be good or bad, resulting in a positive or negative consequence. The effects of habits in people’s lives are incalculable.

HABITS AND JIU JITSU

Grand Masters Carlos and Helio Gracie were well aware of the impact of habits.  For nearly a century they propagated a way of life that promoted positive habits.  In particular they stressed proper sleep, diet and exercise.

That’s why it is not uncommon to hear certain Professors say things like:  “Eating right is Jiu-Jitsu.”  “Taking care of your body and mind is Jiu-Jitsu.” “Saying no to negative influences is Jiu-Jitsu.” In essence, the cultivation of positive habits and avoidance of negative habits is one of the higher forms of Jiu-Jitsu.

JIU JITSU AS A HIGH LEVERAGE HABIT

Habits and their effects can be big or small.  A high leverage habit is something that can have a major impact on your life.  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a high leverage habit. Why? Because it is a single activity that can positively affect a wide range of critical habit areas.

THE MOST POPULAR POSITIVE HABITS

Here is a list of some of the most popular positive habits that people would like to have.  Let’s take a quick look at the impact Jiu-Jitsu can have in these areas:

  1. Exercise.  This is by far the most popular habit that people would like to incorporate.  Most people want to lose weight and be more fit.  BJJ is one of the most complete forms of exercise available.  People who regularly train Jiu-Jitsu will likely get into the best shape of their lives.
  2. Diet / Healthy Eating. This is easily the second most popular positive habit.  Ever since it’s inception, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been associated with healthy eating.  After a Jiu-Jitsu training session, you will have a natural desire to eat healthy.  Improving your diet and being more informed about nutrition in general becomes a habit for most BJJ practitioners.
  3. Sleep.  Proper sleep has a major impact on our physiology, and is therefore a major factor in human performance.  Few things teach you the importance of getting adequate rest as a physically and mentally demanding Jiu-Jitsu training session.
  4. Learning a New Skill.  Many people have the desire to learn a new skill as a way of testing themselves, improving their lives, and keeping things interesting.  Perhaps they even want to gain the benefits of being on the road to mastery. Not only does BJJ captivate your mind and body, BJJ is a skill that could literally save your life!
  5. Stress Reduction.  Stress is a known killer.  Many people would like to reduce the chronic stress and anxiety that they feel.  Is there anything better than Jiu-Jitsu for reducing stress?
  6. Meditation.  There are many benefits to be had from meditation, and many people would like to make it a part of their lives, but find it challenging.  BJJ is Moving Meditation.  After training Jiu-Jitsu you will likely find yourself in a more meditative frame of mind.
  7. Brain Exercises.  Jiu-Jitsu stimulates the mind because it is a problem-solving activity.  Some people like Sudoku, other people may enjoy a crossword.  BJJ is like human chess – it is never boring, always changing, and always challenging.

If you were to incorporate these desirable habit areas into your life independently, it might take 4 – 8 hours of your day.  Yet you can reap all of these benefits simultaneously from one activity – Jiu-Jitsu.  Plus we get the added bonus of being able to defend ourselves or others.  That is a pretty big bonus!

It is for these reasons and more that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a high leverage habit.

We sometimes need to remind ourselves of all the benefits we receive from our practice.  We should not take our training for granted.  It can be surprising when we realize just how much value our Jiu-Jitsu training gives us.  Keep the values and benefits of your training in mind – they provide healthy motivation on those days when we would rather be lazy.

What are the habits you find most important to you?  What do you think is the highest leverage habit that you could institute in your life?

“Sow an act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.” – Unknown

“Without health in its whole meaning, there can be no complete happiness.” – Master Carlos Gracie Sr.

“If you do not take care in regard to matters of health, there is no benefit in practicing judo.” – Jigoro Kano

The Elegant Paradox of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

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Paradoxes and Japanese koans create a beautiful tension – they also can be very revealing about human nature.   Some examples of this are: Less is more.  The hours are long, but the years are short. Everything matters; nothing matters.  Shakespeare’s Hamlet states, “I must be cruel to be kind.”

An important Japanese concept is wabi-sabi, which describes the perfection or special beauty of the flawed, the incomplete, and the transient.

Niels Bohr, one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century, observed: “There are trivial truths and great truths. The opposite of a trivial truth is plainly false. The opposite of a great truth is also true.”  This statement proves the greatness of Jiu Jitsu – because BJJ is a paradox.  A couple of examples:

  • Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is violent.  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is non-violent.
  • BJJ may trace its origins back to ancient India.  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sparked the modern day MMA revolution.
  • BJJ is therapeutic.  BJJ is the most effective method of unarmed combat.

More importantly, some of the most valuable lessons to be learned in Jiu-Jitsu are paradoxical.

  • To succeed you must fail.
  • Have fun. But take it seriously.
  • Slow down to progress faster.
  • “Flow with the go” – but make sure you have a strategy.
  • Improve your skills, so you can help others.
  • Attain mastery by practicing the basics.
  • Relax, so you can be more powerful.
  • To learn more, empty your mind.
  • The better you get, the more humble you should be.
  • Control the inside, in order to control the outside.
  • The best lessons are implemented off the mat.
  • There is nothing new.  Make sure you know what is new.
  • Know violence, to know peace.
  • The biggest skill is shrimping.
  • The mountain has no top.

Do you love paradoxes?  Have you embraced the paradox of Jiu-Jitsu?  Do you know of any other paradoxical elements of BJJ?  Please let us know…

The 12 Commandments of BJJ

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The 12 Commandments of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

-By Grandmaster Carlos Gracie Sr.

Promise yourself…

  1. To be so secure that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
  2. To speak to all of happiness, health and prosperity.
  3. To let your friends know that you value them.
  4. To look at the bright side and turn your optimism into your reality.
  5. To think only the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best.
  6. To be as fair and as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are of your own.
  7. To forget about past mistakes, and focus your energy on the achievements of the future.
  8. To always make those around you happy, and smile when someone is talking to you.
  9. To spend most of your time on self-improvement, and no time criticizing others.
  10. To be too complete to feel anxious, too noble to be angry, too happy to feel frustrated, and too strong to be fearful.
  11. To have a good opinion of yourself, and proclaim it to the world.  Not with loud words, but with good works.
  12. To strongly believe that the world is on your side, as long as you stay loyal to your best self.

The Power of the Gi

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GI VS NOGI?

Most of the the “Gi or Nogi?” discussions have centered around the technical merits of each mode of training.   Some MMA athletes conclude that since they will be not be competing in the Gi, they should not train in one.  On the other hand, top BJJ players such as Roger Gracie, Marcelo Garcia and others inform us that training in the Gi will make you more technical in both Gi and NoGi settings.

THE POWER OF RITUAL

There is another benefit of Gi training that has not gotten much attention — wearing a Gi is more ritualistic.  When we put on the Gi and tie our belt, we are consciously or subconsciously performing a ritual.  It is the same ritual that grappling greats such as Rolls Gracie, Yasuhiro Yamashita and many, many others have done before us.

By consciously performing an act as ritual, our approach to the activity changes.

TEA VS TEA CEREMONY

Let’s look at it from the example of a tea ceremony.  There is a  big difference between drinking tea out of a plastic cup just to quench one’s thirst, and taking part in a tea ceremony.  A tea ceremony is more ritualistic.  As a result, the person involved in the tea ceremony will:

  1. Place a greater value on the process.
  2. Have a greater attention to detail.
  3. Have a heightened state of awareness.

Of course you cannot perform a tea ceremony every time you are thirsty.  Nevertheless, which person will likely gain greater enjoyment from their tea-drinking experience?  Which person will gain more satisfaction from the activity of drinking tea?  Who is more present and conscious of what they are doing?

HI PERFORMANCE

A complete grappler should be comfortable in and out of the Gi, but wearing the GI can help heighten our focus and attention, much like the tea ceremony.

Attention to detail adds another element to our Jiu-Jitsu training. Greater attention to detail allows you to get fully encompassed in your training – and science has shown that a more engaged mind is a happy mind.  So being fully engaged in the moment can heighten your productivity, and make your training even more fun.

It may seem like these concepts have no place in modern day training – and for some they do not.  But others will realize the benefit of increasing our focus on the thing we are spending our valuable time on. Being mindful and being in the moment is another way of saying, “being in the zone” or “mu-shin” (no mind), which is a state of increased performance.

If you are reading this, Jiu-Jitsu is probably important to you (although this principle can be applied to any activity in your life.)  Do not just go through the motions; give your Jiu-Jitsu practice the attention it deserves.  By consciously making it a ritual, you will attach significance to putting your gi on.  This will:

  1. Heighten your awareness – “zan shin”
  2. Increase your consciousness – “fu do shin”
  3. Put you “in the zone”  – “mu shin”
  4. Add importance to your practice
  5. Connect you to the Jiu-Jitsu greats of the past

 A ritual can be like a regular activity on steroids.  So while some of your training partners may be on actual steroids, you can make the act of putting on a Gi a ritual – which can feel like steroids for your mind!

What do you think?  Can consciously thinking of putting on your Gi and tying your belt as ritual have any impact on your training?

Plato and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

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“For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories.” –Plato

Great grappling minds from Plato to Jigoro Kano to Grandmaster Carlos Gracie all emphasized the importance of training the mind.  We should not limit ourselves only to the perfection of our techniques, but should strive for a form of self-perfection in our training.

Plato was a skilled wrestler. His given name was Aristocles, after his grandfather.  It was his grappling coach, Ariston of Argos, that dubbed him “Plato” – from the Greek word platon, which means broad – on account of his broad-shouldered frame.

Plato was such a good wrestler that he reportedly competed at the Isthmian Games (comparable to the Olympics), and continued wrestling into adulthood. At the academy, he extolled the virtues of physical education. He felt that one should balance physical training with “cultivating the mind,” exercising “the intellect in study.” The goal “is to bring the two elements into tune with one another by adjusting the tension of each to the right pitch.” Balance is key.  Equal parts critical thinking and physical movement.

In “The Republic,” Plato advises “temperance” in physical training, likening it to learning music and poetry. Keep it “simple and flexible” he advised.

So what is the risk of taking it too far in one direction or the other?  What if we focus on physical training to the exclusion of mental development or cultivation?  Again, from “The Republic”: “Have you noticed how a lifelong devotion to physical exercise, to the exclusion of anything else, produces a certain type of mind? Just as neglect of it produces another?” Plato writes, recounting the words of Socrates. “Excessive emphasis on athletics produces an excessively uncivilized type, while a purely literary training leaves men indecently soft.”

Does this sound like any of your friends or training partners – or yourself? Do you know someone who is “indecently soft” and could really use a strong dose of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training in their life?  Or how about the person who has focused on their training to the exclusion of mental development or moral virtue?  Are they the “excessively uncivilized type?”

As always we can learn valuable lessons from our training partners… as well as the Masters.

“Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can master both….and surpass the result.” - Tien T’ai

“Promise yourself to be so secure that nothing can disturb your peace of your mind.”            – Grand Master Carlos Gracie

“The judo practitioners of today do not make enough effort to achieve the goals of judo and have overemphasized becoming strong or winning in competition, which are merely means rather than ends.” – Jigoro Kano

“Civilize the mind but make savage the body.” – Chairman Mao