Tag Archives: BJJ Mindset

5 Reasons Why Jiu Jitsu is The Gentle Art.

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Nothing is so strong as gentleness. Nothing is so gentle as real strength. – St. Francis de Sales

Jiu Jitsu is a Japanese phrase that is commonly translated as “the gentle art.”

At first glance this might seem misleading.  After all, the goal of Jiu Jitsu is to control and submit a resisting person. Limb attacks are designed to damage soft tissue and dislocate or break bones.  Chokes can render an opponent unconscious, and have the potential to kill.

It can seem there is nothing “gentle” about Jiu Jitsu.

At the same time, the Japanese were known for coming up with very descriptive names.  So lets take a look at 5 reasons why Jiu Jitsu is the Gentle Art.

Jiu Jitsu is based on using skill over strength.  Jiu Jitsu is the gentle art because it does not meet force with force.  When engaged in a close struggle, Jiu Jitsu maximizes the role of skill and science over strength and aggression.  The best practitioners operate with a relaxed ease, and are adept at using their opponents force against them.

“Jiu means gentle or to give way, Jitsu, an art or practice, and Do, way or principle, so that Jiu-jitsu means an art or practice of gentleness or of giving way in order to ultimately gain the victory; while Judo means the way or principle of the same.” – Jigoro Kano

Jiu Jitsu is less violent than the striking arts.  Another reason why Jiu Jitsu is the gentle art is because it is substantially less violent and injurious than other forms of combat or martial arts. 

Effective martial arts for real world self-defense require a component of “live” sparring.  Sparring in Jiu Jitsu requires less violence and results in less serious injury than sparring with strikes.  With Jiu Jitsu there is an agreement to stop a technique short of permanent injury – which cannot be done with a punch or a kick.  This “gentler” approach to live training means sparring can be done on a daily basis – with much less risk of permanently damaging yourself or your training partner.

Jiu Jitsu promotes longevity.  The third reason why Jiu Jitsu is the “gentle art” is because it is more forgiving than many other athletic activities.  When done intelligently and at an appropriate intensity, it builds the body up without breaking it down.  So despite its capacity to inflict harm, Jiu Jitsu does not chew up the body like many western sports or other martial arts. Grandmasters Helio and Carlos Gracie embodied this principle, continuing their training into their 90’s.

Gentleman rules.  The fourth reason why Jiu Jitsu is the gentle art is because it abides by “gentleman rules.”  These rules are universally adopted in other forms of grappling as well.  They include no punching, slapping, kicking, biting, eye gouging, fishhooking, pinching, hair grabbing or individual finger locks.

Jiu Jitsu decreases stress and anger.  The fifth reason is that Jiu Jitsu generally promotes an easy-going, laidback attitude.  That is because Jiu Jitsu is known to reduce stress, anger and insecurities.

“A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit.” -Thomas Jefferson

Conclusion.  

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu emphasizes the use of science over strength and aggression.  This results in greater control, and allows the intensity to be varied to a level appropriate to the situation.  But this is not the only reason why Jiu Jitsu is the “gentle art.”

Although reality-based martial arts that include sparring will never be completely “gentle,” much of the appeal of Jiu Jitsu is centered around it being substantially less violent and injurious than other forms of combat or martial arts.

The techniques of Jiu Jitsu are geared towards incapacitating another person in the most effective and efficient way possible, yet Jiu Jitsu can still be a very pleasurable activity, and “gentle” enough to train on a regular basis for the rest of one’s life.

The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. - Lao Tzu

4 Keys to Jiu Jitsu Success.

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The task of controlling and submitting a resisting person can be quite challenging, especially when the other person is bigger, stronger or more skilled.  After all, they are doing all they can to defend themselves, while simultaneously mounting an attack against you.

On a technical level, the ultimate goal of Jiu Jitsu is to submit your opponent.  In order to achieve this goal, it can be helpful to have an awareness of the sequence of events that typically precede a submission victory.  This will enable us to break our task down to more manageable components.  By winning the smaller battles, we can win the larger one.

Here are 4 key elements that can increase our Jiu Jitsu success.

1.   Establish an Advantageous Grip on your Opponent.

Nothing much happens until you establish grips, but do not just settle for any grip.  Fight for a superior grip while denying your opponent the grips that they want.  Grips can quickly manifest as control.  When you sense that you are being controlled – break the grips that control you.

A significant amount of your success will depend on your ability to get the grips that you want.  Establishing a superior grip will increase your chances of a successful attack.

2.   Off Balance your Opponent.

Once you have your grip, look to off balance your opponent.  “Off-balancing” can have many manifestations.  It can refer to anything that upsets the opponent’s physical balance, or mentally confuses them.

Create reactions in your opponent that you can exploit.  Motion will create opportunity.  Draw him in, distract him, use fakes and combinations as set-ups so that the real attack can take place.

No matter your particular style of Jiu Jitsu, “off balancing” your opponent will take them out of their comfort zone and compromise their defenses – thus opening the door to positional dominance and opportunities for submissions.

3.   Achieve Positional Dominance.

Jiu Jitsu theory clearly outlines a hierarchy of positions that two opposing people can fall into.  Successful Jiu Jitsu practitioners seek out dominant position.

Establishing positional dominance translates to having greater control over your opponent than they have over you.  The greater the Positional Dominance, the more a person can maximize their potential for generating effective attacks, while minimizing their vulnerability to being attacked.

Once a dominant position is established, look to attack with finishing holds or submissions.

4.   Be Submission Minded. 

Submissions are the ultimate success in a Jiu Jitsu contest.  They are a reflection of the capacity to control and incapacitate a resisting person.

To be successful in Jiu Jitsu you should be submission-minded.  Constantly seek submissions and apply them in combination.  As Braulio Estima once told me, “do not go to war with just one bullet.”  Have combinations of attacks.

Theory Over Tactics.  An awareness of the core principles that underlie Jiu Jitsu strategy can be more important than the specific techniques we use to carry out our goal.  The specific tactics will vary depending on our physical attributes and individual style.  But these “4 Keys” remain the same.

Conclusion.  They are not written in stone, but these 4 keys are present in a high percentage of submission victories.  Keeping these 4 elements in mind will enable you to put the odds of a favorable outcome on your side.

Success is Built on Failures.  Along the way you can expect to be frustrated.  But do not allow your self to get too frustrated – remember, success is built on “failures.”

Rickson Gracie and John Danaher Agree…

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…Brazilian Jiu Jitsu increases our problem-solving ability.

From Master Rickson Gracie:

“Jiu-jitsu puts you completely in the moment where you must have complete focus on finding a solution to the problem. This trains the mind to build that focus, to increase your awareness, your capacity to solve problems.”

From Master John Danaher:

“The deepest benefits of Jiu Jitsu come off the mat.  It encourages a world-view based upon the idea of rational problem solving.  Jiu Jitsu is all about solving problems that are rapidly changing under stress, and that gives you an ability to identify the crux of the problem in front of you, even in a stressful situation and adapt your body and tactics to overcome that problem and to continue overcoming it as the problem itself changes.  It encourages you to use a very rational trial and error method, basically the same method that science uses to overcome these problems.  So it gives you this sort of problem solving mindset, which I think applies throughout life itself.” (From Open Mat Radio interview)

Modern psychologists say that improved problem solving skills demonstrates an increase in our “Fluid” Intelligence.  Fluid intelligence refers to our ability to learn, to reason, to recognize patterns, and get to the bottom of things.

The implication of Master’s Rickson Gracie and John Danaher’s statements then is that Jiu Jitsu literally raises our intelligence.

What do you think? Can Jiu Jitsu make us smarter?

Twelve Lessons Jiu Jitsu Teaches.

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  1. If it were always easy, it wouldn’t be worth it.
  2. Challenges make us stronger.
  3. Adopting a positive mindset will make the journey easier.
  4. There is always more to learn.
  5. Problems can have more than one solution, and questions can have more than one answer.
  6. The simplest solution is the best.
  7. It feels good when you know what you are doing.
  8. You are your greatest opponent.  Conquer fears, laziness, excuses and negativity.
  9. Keep a calm, clear mind.  Even when things are falling apart around you.
  10. Our bodies and minds can stretch beyond what we thought possible.
  11. We can improve by helping others.
  12. The more you practice, the better you get.

Why Marcelo Garcia Wins.

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The legendary grappler says it has to do with love.

“Why do I beat a lot of people? Because I love it so much, that’s why.  Everything about Jiu Jitsu, I love it – the school, the mat, the ring.  I always believe that.  Maybe I am not better than my opponent, but I know for sure I love my training more.” –Marcelo Garcia

Love has a warming effect that heightens our senses, and increases our aliveness.  It enables us to act and move with greater strength. With it we can increase our chances of winning, be more creative, and most importantly, we can help others.

When we love something we find it pleasing; it imparts a sense of joy and produces happiness from within.  This not only gets to the core of our Jiu Jitsu training, but to the real essence of our being.

When an activity has some sort of outside payoff – in Jiu Jitsu it is usually belts, medals, cash, etc — it’s known as an “extrinsic reward.” When there’s no payoff except for the joy or the love of it, it’s known as an “intrinsic reward.”

Experts are now seeing intrinsic reward as the silver bullet of motivation and a principal key to high performance.

This is because humans are motivated by happiness – and the love and joy that originates from inside us (intrinsic) will always bring greater happiness than the rewards that come from the outside (extrinsic).

It is normal to feel most effective when we are simply doing what we love.  Of course we can’t just be a seeker of joy. We need to work hard to perfect our craft, and we definitely need to be challenged.

However, in order to get the best from ourselves, we should feel that our craft is never actually work.

If we naturally feel this love of Jiu Jitsu, we are lucky. Like the communist-era Sambo players hand wringing their gi jackets – we need to wring as much joy out of our BJJ practice as possible.

Even if you feel the love is not in you, you might need to delude yourself that it is – because it is the people who love their craft the most that also work the hardest.

“I wasn’t a good student, and even now I never say that I am better than anybody, but I know I love Jiu Jitsu more than anybody.  I love the energy and that it gets deeper the more you study.” – Marcelo Garcia

The Jiu Jitsu Practitioner Should Be Humble.

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“Always enter like a kitten and leave like a lion. But never enter like a lion and leave like a kitten. Always be humble.”  – Carlson Gracie

What is Humility?  Humility is a character trait associated with modesty and respect.  It is defined as the quality or condition of being humble.  The English word “humble” originates from the Latin word humus meaning “grounded” or “from the earth.”

Since ancient times, humility has been widely extolled as an important human virtue.  Conversely, a lack of humility is considered detrimental – and is associated with arrogance or an out-of-control ego.

Is Humility Important for Jiu-Jitsu?  Over the years, many have stressed that the Jiu Jitsu practitioner should be humble.  As a white belt, my Professor memorably stated, “the better you get at Jiu-Jitsu, the nicer and more humble you have to become.” As a Black Belt, a different Professor noted, “it is folly for a Jiu Jitsu practitioner not to be humble.”

Lets take a look at some of the ways in which humility can impact our training.

1. Humility keeps us learning and improving.  A major benefit of humility is that it increases our ability or willingness to learn.  By acknowledging that we do not know everything, we open our selves up to new ideas and increase our opportunities to learn and improve.  If we have the attitude that we already know it all, or that only “smarter” people have something to teach, we dramatically decrease our learning experiences.  By being humble, we put ourselves in a position to learn from everybody.  A complete beginner may have an interesting idea, or inspire us to have one.

Successful Jiu Jitsu practitioners have an unwavering drive to improve.  This mindset requires a level of humility: it is better to recognize deficiencies and improve them, rather than being swallowed up by ego and complacency.  Making improvement a habit, and constantly endeavoring to get better requires a level of humility.

The unassuming youth seeking instruction with humility gains good fortune. –Joseph Addison

2.  Better deal with frustrations and losses.  In addition to the other benefits, humility is also a virtue for inner peace.  To put it mildly, Jiu Jitsu can be a frustrating endeavor.  Frustrations and losses don’t have the same impact if you don’t let your ego get too involved.  If you combine humility with motivation, you have the ability to drive towards success without letting so-called “failures” knock you off track.

“Walk a single path, become neither cocky with victory nor broken with defeat.” ~ Jigoro Kano

3.  Nothing to Prove.  A humble Jiu Jitsu practitioner will feel like they have nothing to prove.  They are more likely to let their actions speak rather than words.  Although fighting and self-defense are sometimes necessary, they can also result in unintended dire consequences.  Practitioners who are humble do not feel a continual need to prove themselves.

“A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit.” -Thomas Jefferson

4. Confidence and Humility.  Cultivating a mindset of humility is not to say that we shouldn’t be confident in ourselves – self-confidence is another important virtue.  Real confidence is the result of skill.  Humility has nothing to do with our skill level. Confidence and humility may appear to be contradictory qualities, but they actually compliment each other very well.  Through live training Jiu Jitsu gives us both confidence and humility – once again demonstrating the elegant system that is Jiu Jitsu.

“Humility is a virtue; timidity is an illness.” – Jim Rohn

5. Gratitude and humility.  Humility is interrelated with other important virtues – one example is confidence, another is gratitude.  When we receive the gift of Jiu-Jitsu and experience the positive impact it can have on our life, we commonly feel a sense of gratitude. This attitude of gratitude can manifest itself towards the person who introduced us to the art, the Gracie Family, our teachers and training partners, etc.

One of the fundamental qualities invariably found in a grateful person is humility.  People who are humble express gratitude to those that help them.  On the other hand, an ungrateful person will tend to lack humility and be a complainer.

6. Teamwork.  Another important benefit of humility is that it can make us better teammates.  Arrogant people think much of themselves and little of others – this does not make for good teamwork.  Humble people are the opposite.  Humble people recognize that they do not achieve accomplishments on their own.

It is easier to get along with others if you are not cocky, are open to new ideas, and if you recognize and acknowledge others that help you.  Humility is important trait both on and off the mat – and can help foster teamwork.

7. Win a Victory Over Your Self.  Our most formidable opponent will always be the noisy, demanding tyrant of our ego.  Humility represents a victory over our own ego or arrogance.

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

If we accept that humility offers benefits, naturally we will want to increase it.  How do we increase humility?  Jiu Jitsu will naturally promote a sense of humility, especially if we train consistently over an extended period of time.  Is there any way to help us accelerate the process? One small step we can take is the act of bowing – which is an outward manifestation of humility, gratitude and respect.

  • Bowing is a non-verbal way of communicating gratitude and respect to our training partners, our teachers, our academy, and to the art itself.
  • The physical act of bowing is akin to “emptying a cup.”
  • By emptying our mind, we create space for new information.  The enemy of mastery is the mistaken notion that you already know it all.  Bowing can remind us to remove any thoughts that might hinder our progress.
  • Bowing is also a reminder to empty the cup of arrogance.
  • When we “pour” our arrogance out, we make room for humility to fill the space.

Conclusion.  Jiu Jitsu strengthens and empowers us by increasing our ability to control and submit another human being; and this could make us cocky or arrogant.  However, Jiu Jitsu is also humbling. Our physical and mental limitations are often brought to the foreground.  The time we spend on the mat can serve as a template for real life; nobody “wins” all the time.  An increasing awareness of humility has many benefits – and is sustainable because it is consistent with reality.  We should try to remain humble no matter what our skill level is – but, the better we become, the more humble we should be.  This is one of the great truths / paradoxes of Jiu Jitsu.

“Power is dangerous unless you have humility.” – Richard J. Daley

Are you humble enough to improve, or are you “fine with things the way they are”?  What do you think… Is humility is an important component of the Jiu Jitsu lifestyle?

 

 

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