A couple of years ago, I wrote an article, The Psychology of Jiu-Jitsu. It got re-posted on a couple of other blogs and social network sites, but I had nearly forgotten about it. That is until I received an email from Brian Alleman, a four-stripe blue belt under Renato Tavares.
I thought his email made a lot of sense and was worth sharing, so asked Brian for permission to post it here.
"Hey I just read your article on the psychology of BJJ from a couple years ago. It was a great article that hit some really good points. I just thought I would add my $0.02. I think that in the early psychological stages of learning BJJ there are two types of students: Muscles and Spazzes. Muscles tend to be the naturally athletic guys who always excelled at sports where being stronger/faster than your opponent (football, wrestling, etc); while Spazzes tend to be guys (like me) who don't really have an athletic background but got interested in BJJ because they wanted a fun way to exercise and also an intellectual challenge. In the end I think it is better to be a Spaz than a Muscle. Being a Spaz is mostly a mental thing, you've never really been in anything even remotely resembling a grappling match so when you have a guy on top of you, your brain just yells "FREAK OUT!" But Muscles are falling back on a lifetime of experience where forcing an opponent with superior strength has always worked. For a Spaz it's a matter of gaining experience to quiet the mind to stay calm and focused. Meanwhile Muscles are doing what they have always done that led success in other sports, so dammit why isn't it working now?!
Secondly, I think that the big jump between the upper early/lower mid-level stages and the upper mid-level/advanced stages is when a student stops trying to learn techniques. Instead they want to know why and how sweeps and positions work, they want to learn the theories. Instead of seeking to learn a new butterfly sweep they want to know about controlling an opponent's weight and creating a dead angle. Once a student can start to master these ideas they don't need to learn a technique in order to know it. Instead they find themselves in a position and realize "hey wait a sec, if I put my foot here and get an overhook I've got a dead angle!" Next thing you know...SWEEP! This leads to the ability to adapt and improvise, and that is key to being competitive against high level guys.
Anyway those are my thoughts!"
8/27/10
Muscles and Spazzes
8/26/10
Will Teach BJJ for Food and Shelter!
Fellow blogger and BJJ practitioner extraordinaire, Christian Graugart, has recently set out on the BJJ adventure of a lifetime...a trip around the world to train, teach and compete. I've been reading his regular blog for a year or so, Zhoozhitzu do Graugardo, where he openly shares his BJJ experiences and teachings. Christian is from Copenhagen, Denmark, but he fits right in no matter where he finds himself.
I received an email from Christian the other day. He has started a new blog, BJJ Globetrotter, specifically to document his travels. Check it out and follow his journey.
For me, it's kind of like something that I've thought about doing (leaving everything behind and traveling the world), but will honestly never be able to do it.
8/25/10
The True Power of Jiu-Jitsu
Earlier this month, I spent a week teaching defensive tactics at work. It was part of our yearly requirement to maintain proficiency. We've offered a few "ground fighting" classes in the past, and for the past few years I've been conducting a four hour introductory ground fighting classes to all the newbies, but this was the first time it has been a mandatory training requirement. I could probably write volumes just about the bureaucratic mumbo jumbo of trying to get Jiu-Jitsu into our regular program of instruction, but I'll stick to the gentle art that is Jiu-Jitsu.
There's nothing quite like having prisoners for students, those who are only present because they were ordered to attend. Nearly every session started with one or two giving me their laundry list of ailments. Most everyone had a preconceived notion that my class was going to produce of pile of injured bodies, so consequently, the attitudes were already set in place before they even showed up. Then there were the concerns about the close body contact, and on and on and on. Needless to say, I had a few hurdles to get over.
So, one by one, after each session, I was pleased to hear the confessions about how the class wasn't anything like what they thought it was going to be. For the most part, I was able to open their minds and change attitudes about ground fighting.
After one session, one of the guys was interested in grappling, but nobody else wanted to test their mettle against him. I could tell he was eager to fight. After all, he had just been through a ground fighting class and was all pumped up and ready to go, so I decided to roll with him.
He was half my age and bigger than me, but I don't think he fully understood the power of Jiu-Jitsu until after he got choked out in about 2 1/2 minutes. I asked him if he wanted to go again, and he gave me that all too familiar glazed over look that told me he was completely exhausted. However, he reluctantly accepted. We started with him on top, pinning me in side-control. As soon as I mounted him, all of the fight went out of him.
Rather than leaving the class demoralized and depleted, all he could talk about was Jiu-Jitsu and how could he learn it.
I know it's not fair to ball up unsuspecting challengers, but sometimes it's the best way to demonstrate the true power of Jiu-Jitsu. If I'm in the mood, I'll share another story about a recent encounter I had on my Sturgis trip.
8/24/10
FNG's
While it's nice to have such a plethora of purple belts, it's the flow of new blood into the dojo that keeps it growing. So I am really happy to see that we continue to build a strong Jiu-Jitsu class with many dedicated up-and-coming students. As we share our love and knowledge of Jiu-Jitsu with you, our own knowledge and love for it grows. I want to thank you for choosing Roseberry's, and welcome you to the family.
Gina Ethridge
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