The other day, a master black belt asked me the following question,
“What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned from training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?”
Here is what I’ve learned…so far…
I am speaking for myself. These are my words. based on my thoughts. based on my own experience.
As many of you know, I am a 5th degree “master level” black belt in the Korean martial art, Tang Soo Do. Many of you also know that I teach full-time at Dinoto Karate Center in Mount Laurel NJ.
But some of you might not know that I will be celebrating almost five decades traveling on this martial arts journey. Over these decades, I’ve experienced a several different martial arts systems and teachers: Judo, Taekwondo, Shotokan, Hapkido, Jeet Kune Do, Modern Arnis and of course Soo Bahk Do (Tang Soo Do) Moo Duk Kwan. There was never a design or plan behind my choices of martial arts systems. It was always just a matter of where I was living and what was available. However…
…in 2010, I was challenged to train in Brazilian jiu Jitsu. And it was then that I seeked out and found a martial art.
It only took one class training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to convince me that BJJ was going to be my next black belt journey.
So. Now. I am a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Now martial arts in general is an awesome journey for everyone to take. However, for me, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one pretty incredible martial art to train in.
For those of you that train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you know what I’m talking about. For those of you that don’t train Jiu Jitsu, go train Jiu Jitsu!
There is so much to be learned from Jiu Jitsu that go beyond the mat that can be practically applied to every day living. Every lesson in life that one can learn becomes living and active on the Jiu Jitsu mat.
For example, as a martial arts instructor, I talk and teach about discipline all the time, but in jujitsu I don’t just talk discipline I live it. I live it every time I get on the mat to train. Because it takes discipline to get on the mat and train every day of every week for 12 months of every year.
Even though training jiu jitsu is a lot of fun and I love it, I don’t always feel like training. I have to dig deep and draw up the discipline to do it. Whether I feel like it or not, I know that my body will be pushed. My mind will be pushed. And my spirit will be pushed.
Humility also becomes a real. live. active. experience. Because in jujitsu you will get humbled. There is NO WAY around it.
You can’t hide from it. You can’t talk your way out of it. You can’t fake your way through it. In Jiu Jitsu YOU WILL BE HUMBLED.
You will be humbled by people that are smaller than you. Weaker than you. And they will crush you. They will literally submit you and make you tap out. And that IS humbling and there is no escaping it.
In Jiu Jitsu, Discipline and Humility, are not just concepts, principles or ideas. They are real. They are active. And they are alive.
And this is very important because some traditional martial arts would say they will teach you those lessons but, more often than not, they teach you those lessons as a theory but in jujitsu, without discipline you won’t progress and without humility you won’t evolve as a human being and a Jiu Jitsu practitioner.
So, yes, for me. jujitsu teaches you a lot about life. That’s one of the things that makes it so powerful.
I will be testing for my 6th degree master level black belt in Tang Soo Do. But honestly speaking, my success in my advancement in martial arts in general is empowered by my Jiu Jitsu.
