Core Principles of Jiu-Jitsu – Part I

Rener Gracie recently sat down with Lewis Howes of the School of Greatness. Lewis is a best-selling author and former Olympian who has long considered himself to be an exceptional athlete. Though Lewis is not trained in martial arts or any combat sport, he is a strong person. He is a large person. If an assailant were to size him up, they would likely concede that coming after him would not be worth the trouble.

At least this is what Lewis thought before his first jiu-jitsu lesson with Rener, which occurred just before the interview from the above link. As we’ll explore in this four-part post, Lewis’ experience was not merely an introduction to jiu-jitsu. It was actually quite disturbing for Lewis because it made him question his own security and ability to defend himself.

For an adult, this can be difficult to accept. It can also be terrifying. However, when it’s done in a controlled environment (like jiu-jitsu class), it can allow a person to come to terms with their vulnerability, to develop a means of agency and resiliency through self-defense, and to ultimately find inner peace through the knowledge that they can fend for themselves and their loved ones.

Being Defenseless

Jiu-jitsu is sometimes jokingly referred to as the art of involuntary yoga. The reason is because individuals who have mastered jiu-jitsu can quickly and almost effortlessly tie their opponents into knots and leave them absolutely stupefied.

In the above interview, Lewis is separated by this experience by only a few minutes, and he manages to joke about it, but it is clear that he is shaken. As he tells Rener, it made him realize that someone with even minimal skills in jiu-jitsu could “destroy” him—even if they are significantly smaller than him.

Prior to rolling with Rener, Lewis felt comfortable. He felt as though he could probably defend himself or at the very least sprint away from danger because he regularly works out, he eats right, and he’s in good shape. What rolling with Rener showed him was that if someone were to come up from behind and grab him, he may not have the ability to break free and run away, let alone fight back.

“When there’s a scenario that you could have control over, but you don’t—that’s a scary thing to be aware of,” Lewis says.

As Lewis learned rolling with Rener, jiu-jitsu does not rely on strength or speed or agility. These attributes certainly can help one execute the moves, but they are not strictly necessary. What is necessary is technique; strategy; and knowing how to use things like leverage, balance, and the structural strength of the body to push another person into physical checkmate.

Acknowledging That You Are Vulnerable

When you realize that another person can easily do that—put you into physical checkmate—it is disquieting because you realize that you are defenseless. You are vulnerable. When you talk in the abstract or think of fighting simply as throwing punches, it is easy to make excuses about this vulnerability. However, when you recognize that you will lose to another person in a physical altercation 10 out of 10 times because they are trained in martial arts and you are not, it stirs something inside of you. It makes it impossible to feel totally at peace.

To be clear, responding to this realization with hypervigilance is not healthy. Seeing nothing but danger in every possible scenario will drive you mad, but the opposite is not healthy either. There is no virtue in being oblivious. Instead, you should be aware of your surroundings and your own vulnerabilities, and you should seek to eliminate those vulnerabilities. Jiu-jitsu is one way to do so.

Learning Awareness

During Lewis’s introduction to jiu-jitsu with Rener, he was repeatedly asked what he would do in a multitude of situations. For example, how would he respond if someone grabbed him from behind? How would he respond if someone tried to assault him in an enclosed area like a subway car that’s stalled between stops?

Flight is not an option, resolution is not possible, and freezing is not viable. This leaves one option: fight. As Rener explains during the interview, Lewis’ decisions on how he would go about fighting back were either ineffectual or would have unintended consequences.

As just one example, television and movies have taught us that anyone can throw a punch and, moreover, that punching a person in the face with a perfect cross will end an altercation with the assailant rendered unconscious.

The reality is that landing a punch to the face is not painless. As you’re not wearing gloves, you may break your hand. If the assailant is not knocked out, which is likely, this hand is now a liability. Even if the assailant is knocked out, you will still likely end up with a hospital bill for your injured hand. If you really land that punch, you may end up being entangled in a civil lawsuit for excessive use of force.

As Rener explains, Lewis’ responses to aggression were to always respond with force or more aggression—to fight fire with fire. As we’ll explore in the next post, jiu-jitsu teaches you how to fight fire with water, to neutralize dangerous situations rather than exacerbate them.