The Counterintuitive Jiu-Jitsu Fighter

After reading Aaron’s post, George Washington Jiu-Jitsu, it prompted me to think about the paradoxical nature of Jiu-Jitsu. That is to say, the things we do in Jiu-Jitsu that on an instinctual level may seem like the right thing to do, but in reality lead us into a situation that is seemingly opposite, or in other words, defies intuition.

Let’s look at an example of a new student and their reaction to being mounted. The student will most likely extend his arms straight out or roll over to expose his back. Instinctively, these might seem like appropriate responses. The reality is that they are not.

Trying to pull your arm straight out of an armbar or pulling your head away from a Guillotine choke may appear to be the correct methods of escape. In actuality, by doing this one generally opens himself up to the submission.

The correct escapes are often considered to be counterintuitive because to truly escape, one would have to move in a direction that instinctively would seem to be the wrong direction. There are numerous situations like this.

Not only are there a multitude of movements that are counterintuitive, this also applies to how we best utilize our most precious resource, our energy. When one believes he can dominate and win through the use of strength, he allows himself to fall into that all too familiar trap. The experienced Jiu-Jitsu fighter recognizes that technique will overcome strength.

We most always remember the basic premise of Jiu-Jitsu. Rather than resisting force with force, the fundamental principal is to yield to force and then use an opponent’s strength against him, using efficient technique in an intelligent manner to overcome raw strength and aggression. This is the philosophical core of Jiu-jitsu. It is by following this principal that a smaller individual can hope to defeat a stronger, bigger person.