A Deeper Meaning of Jiu-Jitsu // pt.2 // "Pay Attention"

Don't worry, there will be a point in your Jiu-Jitsu experience, in which you start to feel everything "click" and will start to truly understand what is happening. Finally the impossible seems possible and your body has caught up to your mind. Your technique and movement are flowing with precision and accuracy. Your confidence and self-esteem is soaring, as you begin to conquer feats on the mat you never imagined you could.

So with all of that...
What actually happened?
When did it happen?
Can we understand how to achieve this level of Jiu-jitsu enlightenment faster?

Conscious Effort

When you enter a Jiu-Jitsu Academy, you are entering a world in which almost EVERYTHING is counter intuitive. It is truly like you have walked into another world, where the inhabitants are speaking a language you don't understand. Slowly as you immerse yourself into the landscape and culture of Jiu-Jitsu, you begin to understand what is goin on around you and you start to blend in.

​The beginning stage of Jiu-Jitsu for everyone is exciting, life changing, and also frustrating. Everyone at some point, regardless of their love of Jiu-Jitsu, has had their heart broken by Jiu-Jitsu in someway. It's impossible to avoid this. If you care about your own personal progress and learning effectively and efficiently, you will get frustrated when you expectations are not met.

Jiu-Jitsu is very difficult in the elementary stages of your training. You are learning new patterns of movement that are not natural. Your brain is getting rewired in order to soak in all of this new knowledge you are incurring. At the same point, you are trying to win a a physical chess game against an opponent who knows your tactics, strategies, and personal strengths and weaknesses.

You will struggle and here is why...

In order to win the match, the fight, the battle, you have to consciously pay attention to the movements your opponent is making. You have to consciously pay attention to your own movement and techniques, all while monitoring your level of exhaustion, surroundings, and psychological panic signals. This is A LOT of conscious effort. When you think about it, it is a MIRACLE that one can even make it beyond this and actually achieve success. But people do and people will continue to.

With that all being said, it will get easier. Experience and training will start to take YOUR MOVES and make them into muscle memory. The need for conscious thought over your own movement will be greatly reduced and you will be able to focus on your opponent. Give it time, keep up the repetitions and trust the process.

Pay MORE Attention

The TRIAD of Attention is:

• ​You (Technique, movement, etc.)
• You (Energy expenditure, breathing, etc.)
  
• Opponent (Movement, attacks, energy, etc.)
  

​This triad is what makes Jiu-Jitsu so difficult. Most activities require the first one or two, but Jiu-Jitsu throws in the third problem. That third part is what creates the tug of war between what you should do and shouldn't do. 

​Usually when a student comes to me, frustrated and confused, it is because of one of these two things. It is because they are unsure what to do and where to go. It's rarely because of a need to attain more skill. When someone is seeking an answer to a problem, they don't know the right questions to ask. If you don't know the right questions, how can you expect to find the correct answers. If you think the problem is something that it is not, how do you know if there is actually a problem or merely a need for a change in perspective on what's happening.

​The answer usually lies within that triad. There is a time when you are so focused on what you are doing, you are blind to what your opponent is doing to you. There is a time when you are using so much strength, with little technique, or are so fatigued, that you can't comprehend what you should be doing or even come close to what your opponent is doing.

​To find a balance; to find harmony; to find a synchronization of this triad; is to truly discover mastery and discover the beauty of Jiu-Jitsu. A state of practice in which everything is working together with fluidity and on time. But if we really want this...we need to start working on each of those factors separately. This will take a lot of effort and a lot of patience.

Beat your Self, don't beat yourself up

Don't get down on yourself. Frustration and fascination are closely related and are two paths on the trail to success. One will lead you into a disastrous world, in which you are focused on your inadequacies, angry and resentful at the success of others, and likely to call it quits on something you actually enjoy. Imagine giving up on something you love, something you care for. People do that all the time with Jiu-Jitsu. I have NEVER met someone who was happy they stopped Jiu-Jitsu. I have met THOUSAND'S who regretted quitting.

​Don't get frustrated by your lack of victories in class. Don't get frustrated by the improvement of the person next to you. Don't assume that your progress is because the world is against you. 

DO focus on improving what you can change. Train with a purposeful mindset.

1. Focus on the development, precision, and timing of your technique. Through drilling and live training.
2. Utilizing discipline and mindfulness, focus on your conditioning, breath control, and energy expenditure.
   
3. Pay attention to the movements, patterns, and attacks of your training partner. They may be beating you up while you are studying them; but they will also be giving you answers to the questions you have been searching for.
   

​Do all of this separately. Focus on WHAT'S HAPPENING do not focus on WHAT HAPPENED. The victor is the one who survives and the one who is left standing when all is done.  Start paying attention and start receiving all of the benefits of this pay off.

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Read // pt. 1 - "Potential"