Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, if you train BJJ, you know that you people can be talking around you and is not only until you hear the word jiu jitsu, that your ears hone in. Right at that moment you want to know who said the words, you want to know where they train, you want to know how long ago did they start training.
That happened to me yesterday at the gym, I heard those magic words! Jiu… Jitsu! yes, you can add a whispering but increasing tone to your voice when you say it: Jiu… Jitsu!
To the jiu-jitsu practitioner, images of the drills you learn in class, or images of rolling with our partners at the Academy will come to your mind. Of course, that is my personal experience, with the little understanding of what the experience would be for a black belt, or even for a brown belt. As a blue belt, all I know is that the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know. I believe that is the right attitude for me, I can’t speak for everyone else, but it allows me to always leave my ego at the door.
When applied to other areas in life, it allows you to learn more from all the situations you will be faced with, either at work or at home. It reminds you that the ‘my way, or the highway’, will deprive you of becoming a better person, compared to who you were yesterday. For some it may be a way to feel more in control, I see it in some of my partners, but for me, it’s a form of self-mastery. It is a practice that will push you to your limits, it is a practice that is addictive, so you have to lean on your own when you have to balance and learn to nourish yourself (recovery time) in order to keep on growing.
Getting back to my gym encounter, it turns out that the guy started a couple of months ago, and of course, I’m not surprised that he is already hooked!
If you want to know more about Jiu Jitsu, try it out, without judgment and see where it takes you. If you live in the tri-state area, you can check the Renzo Gracie Academies in Hoboken and Jersey City. If you prefer to go to the main academy, you can find it in Manhattan.