The Gentle Art

Do you ever come home from work and feel like you’ve just spent all day in a blender? We’re constantly creating technology to make our lives easier, but we tend to use it to complicate our routines even more. I like to combat this encroachment of chaos by immersing myself fully in some other endeavor. But a mere distraction from the mundane will not do, no sir. In my hobbies I look for activities that amplify all the best qualities of the human experience. I want to enrich my life, not pass the time. The worthiest undertakings to me engage the body physically, challenge the brain mentally and develop the character morally. I have found all these virtues and more through the practice of Jiu-Jitsu.

I carve out my existence with the double-edged sword that is an office job. One cannot deny that it is a safe, sustainable and dare I say lucrative gig, no matter which way you slice it. However, approximately 98.9% of my nine-to-five happens on a computer. The glowing monitor which is my canvas extinguishes at the end of each day as my hard work gets deposited in the ether of cyberspace. With so much time and effort spent in the virtual realm, it’s refreshing to experience something tangible. There are a multitude of hobbies that exercise the body intensely, as any manner of sport will do that. But my argument is this: what is more physically challenging than engaging another trained, grown adult in unarmed combat? This is the premise of Jiu-Jitsu. Our existences have become rather dull compared to what our bodies evolved for, and the type of strenuous exercise which can only come with wrestling another peer is the antidote I believe. You want to build strength? Try bump-and-rolling the 200+ pound opponent up off'a you. Quickness and agility, you ask? The ex-wrestler can teach you a thing or two about the importance of getting into position first. Core strength and flexibility are two more attributes you tend to develop when you roll with someone who’s trying to turn you into a pretzel. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT ONLY THE HYPERFIT NEED APPLY! I cannot stress this enough; Jiu-Jitsu is for people of all physical statures and capabilities. I’ve seen literal grandma’s and grandpa’s choke out younger, more athletic opponents. Okay, fine, it was me getting choked and I only saw it because I tapped out before I went to sleep, but I digress. The point I’m trying to make is that Jiu-Jitsu does the body good, no matter how in shape you are(n’t).

Now let’s talk about the mental game. There’s a common meme on the interwebs of trying to convince a friend to come train and they reply “Jiu-Jitsu wouldn’t work on me, you don’t know my mentality bro. When sh*t goes down, I see red, and bodies hit the floor!” Luckily, it’s only a meme because these people don’t actually exist in the gym. Sure, they may show up on their initial day with that mind set, but the grizzled old brown belt with cauliflower ear and more tape on his fingers than actual fingers will decisively provide an attitude adjustment. Once you learn that you can’t get too far in the sport on raw power alone, you begin to pivot into the strategy part of the game. Once you open that door, you realize that it was mostly a mental game all along. Jiu-Jitsu is often described as a full-contact chess match, and I think that’s so appropriate. Every technique has a certain range of situations it can be deployed in, and the application of it will differ depending on subtle changes in what your opponent presents to you. (And don’t even get me started on micro-adjustments). What’s more is that every single move also has, on average, a little less than infinite ways of being countered. This is where creativity comes into play. I love that you can experiment with techniques that work for your body type and chain them together to create effective attacks or defenses. Training your best sequences to the point that the body is executing the strategy without conscious input is the hallmark of a seasoned practitioner.

Finally, there is the ethical development. Joe Rogan, as my third favorite bald, buff Jiu-Jitsiero, mentioned on his podcast that the character you develop and the confidence you gain from Jiu-Jitsu is the kind that can only come from getting really good at doing something really hard. Remember that brown belt I introduced you to earlier? Well, he started about 8 years ago as a white belt just like everyone else did. And he doesn’t really harbor any disdain for the arrogant newcomer we met, either. He just knows that everyone is on a different step in their own moral journey. Jiu-Jitsu is a dish that’s best served with a heaping side of humility; getting pummeled for a half an hour at the end of class will do that to a person. But then after a few months something interesting happens. You become able to dish out your own home blend of ass-whoopin’. Maybe it’s the appetizer version, but the power dynamic shifts in your favor and you’re not at the bottom of the rank totem-pole anymore. And then you get pummeled again by the girl who looks like she might get carried away by a hawk if it got hungry enough. After enough of this humility sets in, but this time with a different connotation. You start to develop gratitude for all the lessons you’re learning as your shift goes from how can I win during this round to how can I improve during this round. Then it becomes really fun when you start to wonder how can my opponent improve during this round. Jiu-Jitsu is fundamentally an individual game, but anyone who’s practiced it for any amount of time will tell you that you develop a bond and respect for your training partners.

The best part about these benefits of training is that they stay with you when you leave the gym. You’re physical prowess helps develop your temple you live in each and every day. The strategic practice during each class levels up your mental acuity, keeping your brain sharp. And life lessons about developing consistency, humility, and gratitude are priceless; all while having fun! (1) That’s why Jiu-Jitsu is my pastime of choice. It’s not just a way to distract me from my day. It makes me want to learn, grow and improve. Many people whom I’ve spoken to wish they would have started training younger, so they could have gotten the benefits earlier in their life. I think that speaks volumes. If you’ve ever considered wanting to train, I would urge you to give it a shot. You, too, can learn to be a shark in an ocean where most people don’t know how to swim. Just don’t be surprised if you have to clean the mats as the newbie. And no, it’s not a wax-on, wax-off Mr. Miyagi thing…it’s just that no one likes ringworm.

(1) These lessons are universal, but the specific way these are written out comes from the core values of a school I used to train at called Summus Jiu-Jitsu in Morristown, NJ. Check them out if you’re in the area.