Jiu-Jitsu Secrets of The Incredible Hulk

What if The Incredible Hulk walked in the room? People would either run in fear, or they might want to know how tough he really is. But what if The Hulk was the best Jiu-Jitsu fighter on the mat? Would people run in fear, or would they want to test their mettle against him? Imagine what you could learn from such a powerful force. Now I realize I'm taking great liberties here. However, knowing that Bruce Banner had Rickson Gracie as a teacher, wouldn't it be fair to assume The Hulk also knows Jiu-Jitsu?

Of course The Hulk is a most unlikely character upon whom to base a metaphor on Jiu-Jitsu. He is lacking the desired characteristics of what one would consider to be an exemplary Jiu-Jisu practitioner. On the other hand, he has demonstrated time and time again that he is unstoppable. He fights a lot and he wins all of his fights. There has to be some merit in that. What secrets might one glean from such a ferocious fighter?

Alright, I've had enough fun with The Hulk. To keep this in perspective, Here are my thoughts. Do you shy away from rolling with the more experienced fighters, or do you jump at the opportunity?

Over the years, I’ve had senior students come to me because they felt like other students were avoiding opportunities to grapple with them, presumably because of a fear of being dominated and submitted. We'll just call it Algiophobia.

I broached this subject awhile back with the question, “Do you have a fear of Jui-Jitsu? How many of you have avoided rolling with a more experienced practitioner because you knew you were going to get your butt handed to you?“

Brent responded with some insightful comments. “I think there is always an initial fear of any contest. It’s human. The important thing to do is to see it as a learning experience, which is very difficult to accept - much easier said than done. I felt this way when I first started training, but I think this fear subsides when one realizes that jiu jitsu is not a battle of masculinity, of masculine brutality, but of the ability to pay attention to small details and react to them. I frequently get walloped by guys I am much bigger than that have trained longer than I have. On the other hand, I can beat newer guys who are about my own size without engaging very much of my strength. I think this question is the elephant in the room that so many of us don't want to say is there. With that, my instructor beats on me all the time. He once almost ripped my head off in a guillotine. However, I feel the need to come back for more. While I feel helpless while rolling with him when he's genuinely trying, I realize that I can't progress if I don't at least try!!!”

As the instructor, I’m in a unique position in that I can, in essence, require my students to grapple with me. Much is gained in doing this, not only by the student, but by me as well. I gain firsthand knowledge of a student’s ability, how they’re progressing and how they react to different attacks. I can see if they’re taking advantage of various escapes, or transitions. I’m then able to effectively critique their performance, not in terms of what was good or bad, but rather in terms of what was good and what can be improved upon.

The students gain one-on-one training time with personalized instruction, tailored specifically for them.

I have various modes of fighting when I roll with my students. Sometimes it depends on who I’m rolling with and where I believe that individual needs to direct his focus. I may find that during the grappling match, the student was consistently giving up a position or consistently relenting to the same reversal. I can then take the time to go over that specific thing. Sometimes they only need a little fine tuning. Sometimes it involves a more detailed explanation. This is a great source of what is referred to as opportunity training.

One of my favorite guard passes was learned as a result of opportunity training with my instructor years ago. During a training session, he kept using the same guard pass and I didn’t know how to defend it. He realized this after he had utilized it several times, so he stopped the match and focused his attention on teaching me the move and how to defend. I like to think of this type of learning as O.J.T. (On the Job Training).

Sometimes I just go with the flow. I’m not focused on going for a submission, but rather I’m focused on how well the student moves and transitions. Do they recognize opportunities for submissions? Do they know how to escape from various positions? During these matches, I may intentionally hesitate or pause in order to give a student an opportunity to transition or escape. By moving at this slower pace, students may not feel so overwhelmed. They now have time to think through a problem and find the correct answer.

Sometimes I don’t give up anything at all. I go into the fight to win, and to win as decisively as I can. I believe there is some value to this type of training as well. If a student knows I’m fighting to win, this pushes them to pull out all the stops. In some respects, it’s one way a student can chart their progress. If one month ago that student lasted one minute before tapping out, but now can prolong the match for a longer period of time, that is observable progress. My performance can also be looked at as a demonstration of the intensity required to win.

I also sometimes see students shying away from grappling with me. When I see this, I shed light on the reasoning behind why it’s important for them to do so. I encourage them to look at it from a different perspective. Rather than thinking about it as going into a fruitless battle with me, I encourage them to see it as a learning tool for them to grow. If a student only rolls with students he can win over or at least has a chance of winning over, how can he truly be challenging himself?

I have a lot of students who literally jump at the chance to grapple with me. Some of them are getting pretty good and are ever more difficult to control. I know that more than one of them is biting at the bit for the day they tap me out. Others have already tasted that victory.

Junior students shouldn’t shy away from grappling with senior students. In doing so, they’re missing out on a host of opportunities to learn. I’ve spent a lot of time with the senior students in fostering an environment of mentorship. Don’t throw away training opportunities for the sake of ego or pride. Leave your ego on the edge of the mat. You can pick it up on your way out after training.