The Psychology of Jiu-Jitsu

Below are some, hopefully not too random, thoughts I had about the psychology of Jiu-Jitsu. It’s a fairly fast paced overview of some of the stages of development of a Jiu-Jitsu student. In retrospect I realized I could probably write reams of detailed information, delving into the numerous sub-stages of development. Suffice it to say, this simply isn’t feasible. So here’s a snapshot.

The Early Stages

When students first begin to train in Jiu-Jitsu, they are sometimes overwhelmed with the new movements and techniques being forced on their body and brain. They watch and study as the teacher demonstrates and explains the technique. They are then expected to practice and perform these movements. Sometimes clumsily at first, keeping in mind that a teacher is not looking for mastery of the technique, but rather close approximation at this early stage. There is a fine line between allowing a student to make mistakes so as to further his or her learning, but not so much so as to allow these mistakes to become a part of the technique. If a teacher is overly critical of a new practitioner’s technique, this only leads to frustration and ultimately may completely dissuade a student from continuing to learn. Conversely, if a teacher doesn’t make the necessary corrections, students may not understand the technique or understand how to improve. This nurturing approach slowly develops a new student through the early stages of Jiu-Jitsu.

Most new students share a common, unspoken psychological state of mind, driven by the unconscious mind if you will. They are brought to the mat by a desire to learn a martial art. Most are young, athletic, and driven by a desire to be the best. It is often times devastating for them to be dominated by the other, more experienced students. All of the raw strength and speed they brought with them is easily whittled away by the wiser, more experience tactician.

As students progress past the very early stages, they begin developing more confidence. With a few techniques under their belt, along with any natural athletic ability brought to the mat, they attempt to use their strength time and again to compensate for the lack of knowledge of the techniques. It is not uncommon for newer students to succumb to the utter exhaustion that comes from over exertion, and tap out. It is generally after this period of trial and error that they come to realize that before honor there is humility. This is sometimes one of the most difficult concepts to teach. While I’m training fighters to be the best they can be, I’m also helping them to understand there is always someone better. Part of my re-occurring lecture includes snip-its about leaving one’s ego on the edge of the mat. Everyone smiles and nods as if they’re in agreement. I add that we all have families and jobs and school to return to, so we don’t want anyone hurt. This generally gets an even more sincere look of understanding; as if I’ve really brought the concept to a place they can readily understand. Within a minute on the mat, I see them fighting with all their might, exhausting their muscles completely.

Students at this stage will often admit they understand this concept all too well, but can’t help themselves when they’re in the midst of a grappling match.

This is somewhat of a critical stage in that some students make an easy transition to the next level, while others succumb to the frustration, never to be seen again.

The Mid-level Stages

Those dedicated students that choose to continue their training understand that hard work and perseverance are important necessities to learning Jiu-Jitsu.

For a multitude of reasons, some students progress faster than others. This can be attributed to factors ranging from learning styles to athletic ability to time on the mat. There will be periods where a student will feel like they’re a dominating force on the mat, tapping people out right and left. One student described it to me as being in a state similar to that of a runner’s high. They’re easily sweeping, reversing and transitioning from position to position. However, one thing I can say for sure is that at some point, students will plateau. Or rather I should say they will have the perception that they have plateaued. After running the gauntlet for a period and being on top of the game, students will inevitably fall from grace. The slump that is highlighted by being tapped out by the students you tapped out three times the week before.

These are the times that students tend to grow and develop the most. It is during these times that a student must focus on the basics, re-examine the fundamental movements. When it’s all said and done, it doesn’t matter if you know a thousand techniques or simply a handful. Some of the greatest fighters in the world won the majority of their matches with the same simple technique. Even when their opponent knew what technique they were going to use, they still were able to execute it.

The Advanced Stages

Now let’s fast forward a bit to an upper-level student who has mastered an arsenal of solid techniques. How is this student able to remember all of these techniques? The better question might be how is this student able to recall and apply all of these techniques? Of course, training and experience play into this, as well as multiple repetitions that lead to muscle memory. But the true secret is more simple than this. The more one practices Jiu-Jitsu, the more one learns to understand and perceive combinations of familiar information, or what psychologists call “chunks”. Elite athletes, chess masters or musical virtuosos may not so much think differently as perceive differently. Moreover, because they can quickly recall chunks of information from their long-term memories, they can react to those perceptions more efficiently. (The Game of Our Lives by Peter Gzowski.) Ultimately this allows them to be one, two, or more steps ahead of a less experienced student.

This is one reason why a series of techniques or movements are taught during a session. This concept of linking movements together aids in the development of thinking in chunks.