Deciding to study Jiu-Jitsu: The patient student

In an earlier post, Conan mentioned the trend of people coming and trying a class or two, then never returning again. While I'm sure the different reasons why people do not return are as diverse as people's backgrounds, I think that much of it has to do with the way that the study of Jiu-Jitsu can be overwhelming, even intimidating. I write this post in an attempt to share how we can defeat this feeling. I believe it is overcome when one chooses to practice patience with him- or herself when training Jiu-Jitsu.

It was last July when I first entered our dojo and tested the waters. I got tapped immediately and then repeatedly. I was physically exhausted and my pride was a little hurt (I'm much bigger than Ron). I find myself having to learn repeatedly that Jiu-Jitsu has nothing to do with strength or size (well, maybe a very very small part) and much more to do with patience, technique, and of course balance/leverage. What I'm trying to get at is that the decision to study Jiu-Jitsu, while filled with growing pains at the beginning because it can be seen as very mysterious to those that are new, is a decision that requires patience.

I am testing for my blue belt in the art this coming Tuesday (a goal that I have been working toward) and the most important principle on my journey has been patience: patience with myself, patience with my weaknesses, patience with my pride, and patience with the other hats I wear in my life. Everytime I come to class I make a decision that it does not matter who I tap or who taps me in open mat, the real reason I come in is to make my arsenal better. The number of techniques in Jiu-Jitsu are many, but if I can walk away from each class with one or two things that I've been able to put into my arsenal, I've taken two steps closer to reaching my goals.

This applies to open mat, which I think more than anything intimidates new students. I think that too often open mat turns into a muscle contest. While I've played this game many-a-time, I'm trying to avoid it now. I try to use my open mat time to be patient, to avoid using muscle as much as I can, and to listen to my opponent's movements, my movements, and to try to think. At the present, I try to use it to work on my biggest challenge: the guard.

Open mat should be less of a time to push the body to its limits and more of a time to make the mind active. Competition Jiu-Jitsu is much more of a battle of the wits than a battle of physical capacity. Developing that wit comes with a commitment to train regularly without an ego and with a learner's attitude. Again, I'm trying to get to my point: be patient. Be patient as a new student, be patient during instruction, be patient during the plateaus when you think you're not progressing, and certainly be patient during open mat.

To the new student who is thinking of making the study of Jiu-Jitsu a hobby, don't be overwhelmed by the technicality. Sometimes when we train we find that we know more than we thought! It is patience that allows skill to set in and become second nature. Jiu-Jitsu is not a race nor a marathon (to put a twist on the cliche), but a lifelong journey of trying to figure out a practical yet fun puzzle, that takes a lot of teamwork.