How Jiu-Jitsu teaches the triumph of intelligence over aggression I was on my back and pinned under a person who was almost twice as big as me. Almost every part of my body told me to fight my way out, to push, shove, and beat him. But all my brute strength could not move the […]
My love for Jiu-Jitsu has never changed. The mats are where I get strong, face challenges, and win. But I learned the hard way one day that taking care of your body is just as important as getting better at what you do. It was just another training session, nothing unusual about it. Over and
Mats are like home to grapplers like us. In all honesty, though, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not easy on the knees. Believe me! You hurt your knees a lot when you do knee-on-belly drills or when you defend against takedowns. It was hard for me to learn this lesson. During a tough sparring session, I slightly
When I walked into a Jiu-Jitsu academy for the first time, I felt scared. The mats were full of experienced practitioners. Some looked like experienced warriors, while others looked like wiry tacticians. They were all moving in a way that I could not understand. As a beginner, I did not feel like I belonged. I
How Jiu-Jitsu taught me to thrive in adversity! I never thought I would find comfort in being uncomfortable. He really did mean that when he said, “Jiu-Jitsu teaches you to find comfort in very uncomfortable situations.” At the start of my training, I did not understand how this could be true. I liked being in
Life has a way of hitting you harder than anyone else. You are put to the test, broken, and pushed to your limits. I used to think being resilient meant standing strong and never giving up. But as Roberto Cyborg Abreu once said, “Nothing will beat you more than life will, and I think that
I sat on the edge of the mat and watched a match between two skilled grapplers. A beautiful dance of control and resistance was going on as muscles strained and sweat poured out. As one player tapped, giving way to the other player’s skill, John Danaher’s words kept playing in my head: “It’s such an
How Jiu-Jitsu taught me to stay calm in the chaos of life. Before I started Jiu-Jitsu, I had no idea what it was like to really be under pressure. I thought I could handle anything life threw at me and deal with stress. Soon, though, each time I stepped on the mats, I saw how
The most important rule that changed how I do Jiu-Jitsu and life in general In the beginning of my Jiu-Jitsu journey, I was crazy about submissions. I was eager to learn all of them—armbars, chokes, and heel hooks. It felt like a race every roll to see how fast I could knock someone out. But
I had no idea how much Jiu-Jitsu would change me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually when I first started training. Rickson Gracie’s words hit me hard the first time I heard them; “Jiu-Jitsu can support you in terms of giving you more confidence, giving you more capacity to handle stress, handle emotions…” I was just a
