Why Is Jiu-Jitsu So Addictive?
In part two of this four-part series based on Rener Gracie’s interview with Lewis Howes on the School of Greatness Podcast, we look into the reasons why jiu-jitsu has become so popular recently. Anyone who is familiar with jiu-jitsu or knows someone who has recently gotten into jiu-jitsu will recognize that new students tend to immerse themselves and to maybe even become a little obsessed with the martial art. As Rener explains, this is because jiu-jitsu changes the way that you approach the world.
According to Rener, “Every human being in the world I see as a Swiss army knife.” What he means by this metaphor is that every person has a multitude of tools at their disposal to solve problems. However, individuals who have never been exposed to jiu-jitsu won’t know how to use all these tools. They may only know one, perhaps two. As Rener explains, jiu-jitsu unlocks this potential and gives us the ability to solve problems and to fundamentally change:
- How we face our problems
- How we face other people
- How we face ourselves
Facing Problems
If there is a fight with one person on top and another person on bottom, most people will think that the top position is the dominant one. In jiu-jitsu, the opposite can easily be true, and any student of jiu-jitsu knows that some relatively simple techniques and counters can turn what seems like a worst-case scenario into a triumph. Put another way, your concept of what’s strategically possible changes when you realize how easy it is to go from what seems like a severe disadvantage to a dominant position.
This reorientation to the world extends beyond martial arts and most people who practice jiu-jitsu for even a few months will recognize how this kind of optimism spills over into other aspects of their lives. One begins to look at problems with work or school or even household chores a bit differently. More than unlocking the confidence that they have the power to accomplish anything they put their mind to, jiu-jitsu teaches people how to strategize differently, to be more efficient, and to have patience when looking for opportunities to present themselves.
Jiu-jitsu also teaches people that things could be worse than whatever they’re going through. If you have a tough deadline at work or you’re having difficulty finding a parking spot in town, you can think back to some physically demanding sessions on the mat, and think to yourself, “I’ve seen much worse than this and I got through it.”
Facing Other People
Within the animal kingdom, might very often makes right. Though it is not universal, larger and stronger members of many species take what they want, are successful with the most desirable mating partners, and hold dominion over the best territories.
As Rener explains, humans are uniquely suited to violate this rule of nature. For millennia, humans have used tools and strategy to defeat larger species, as well as to triumph over other people who may have an advantage when it comes to strength or size.
More than being either a tool or a strategy, jiu-jitsu is an entire fighting system that was designed to neutralize an opponent’s natural advantages. As Rener explains, this system was largely inspired and developed by his grandfather, Hélio Gracie, who was relatively small for a fighter, but could still take on people who were bigger, stronger, and faster than him through the use of proper technique. What jiu-jitsu teaches is that perfectly executed technique will always trump brawn or might. “There’s no other art that can do more for someone with less than jiu-jitsu,” Rener says.
By virtue of knowing that one can defend themselves, even against larger opponents, jiu-jitsu imbues students with confidence, patience, and humility. It quiets the need to prove oneself and makes people calmer and less aggressive. As Rener says, “We learn how to fight so you never have to fight.”
Facing Yourself
When you feel confident, you tend to look at yourself differently. You become less concerned with the opinions of others, more adaptable because you can admit when you are wrong and change course, and more willing to try new things. Jiu-jitsu also teaches you to become more accepting of the idea that failure is a teacher rather than an adversary.
For the 99.9% of the world who have never tried jiu-jitsu, it can be easy to fall into rigid patterns of defeatist thinking. You may feel that you are not capable because you are too old, too fat, too weak, or too short. None of this is true. Becoming a professional fighter is a path for a select few, but anyone can learn self-defense and jiu-jitsu. Those who recognize this walk away mentally stronger and possessed with the knowledge that they are capable of doing virtually anything.
As Rener explains, jiu-jitsu teaches you what is possible in your own body through the practice of technique. It teaches you that problems that were once considered to be insurmountable can be vanquished. The people whom you thought were undefeatable can be defeated. The body that you thought wasn’t capable is capable.
Moreover, the consistent practice of jiu-jitsu reinforces this kind of thinking and begins to diminish when you stay off the mat for extended periods of time. This is really why jiu-jitsu is so addicting: The more you put in, the more you get back.