My Mommy Told Me To....

Actually she asked, so 2 posts in one week for me at least has to be some kind of record worthy of an award..

so this one's for my mom, bc she called with a question about BJJ (Brazilian Jujitsu) and since i can't train i'll talk about it.

I guess i'll start with the concept of BJJ...As a martial art it was developed from a Japanese form of Jujitsu late 19th century by the Gracie family from Brazil as the "ultimate form of fighting." if you want more info on the history, google it. It was developed bc the originator believed all fights ended up on the ground, and his family was notoriously undersized as far as people went (short and 135 on average as adult males). So this system of grappling or wrestling was developed focusing on immobilizing and submitting your opponent based on joint locks and chokes, which is very different from other martial arts since there are no strikes in BJJ.

So now to the Method....

The idea of engaging your opponent in BJJ is to put them on the ground, control them with your body weight, leverage, and superior technique (not strength) and to submit them as i mentioned. So there are a few basic positions you need to become familiar with: 

1)the Guard: This is a primarily defensive position where the opponent is grasped between your legs and you are seeking to sweep them, or possibly submit them. Your leverage here is your arms but especially your legs. You throw your opponent forward toward your head and look to isolate their arm or neck for a submission or to get their body weight and balance off so you can sweep them and get on top. 

2)the Half Guard: This is a slightly better position for the person on top then being in full guard. from here you have better control of the person on bottom but are admittedly often at a risk of being swept if you don't keep your base solid. Here you can attack chokes, arms, and possibly the legs from the top. From the bottom you are surging upward with your energy trying to imbalance the person on top and keep them from attempting a submission with the hopes they make a mistake and leave an opening for you to sweep or submit from the bottom.

 

This is a good time to mention base everything in BJJ is about balance. you have to be grounded and sensitive to what your opponent is doing. In most of the positions your goal, especially when on top is to keep pressure on the person below you so they can get to a more advantageous position. The idea is to feel heavier than you are. That being  said however you have to remain relatively relaxed at almost all times, tension can hurt you and make you more vulnerable to being swept and submitted or freaking out prematurely when in a bad position and giving up unnecessarily.

3) Side Control - This is when you are on top of your opponent at a roughly 90 degree angle to them with all your limbs free of their guard. This is a very good position to submit and control the opponent especially by driving your weight in to the ground. To maximize this position you have to minimize the amount of space between you and your opponent. you don't allow them a crack of space to work with and meanwhile are attack their arms neck and looking to move to mount or take their back. From the bottom when you are being pressed down you have to look and try to create space between you and the opponent on top so you can either sweep them, take their back if they are careless, or get them back in your guard.

4) Mount - this is when you are straddling your opponent and is a very good offensive position but often leaves the one on top vulnerable to sweeps and reversals when they attack. In this position base is even that much more important to maintain balance and weight on your opponent.

5) Taking the Back - this is possibly one of the crumbiest positions to be in as a defender and a good one for the attacker. in this position as the aggressor you have your legs wrapped  around your  opponent and feet ("hooks") under their thighs. your chest is tight to their back and arms open to a number of possible submissions, especially chokes.

As a BJJ practitioner there are times consistently through the rolling process that you feel in pain, afraid, like you screwed up, don't have enough energy to throw the guy on top of you, can hardly breath as your being choked out, or just plain out of ideas bc nothing seems to work. This is an are of BJJ that i am learning to painfully appreciate - patience, determination, stamina, planning. Inevitably i have been in positions where i am being choked by a triangle choke and couldn't position myself to break the hold of my opponent so i've had to decide wether to tap and give up or push through and hope he gets tired before i pass out. now a number of factors go into deciding these things and i do both quit often, however the necessity of that decision still exists.

Another challenge of training like this is simply the discipline day in and day out to train and get up early and eat right when most days you just want to snuggle in bed, or go get pizza and a movie...the self inflicted challenges of working through pain, discomfort, and determination of training for championships, as well as the outward inflicted challenges that come with this sport and challenges of the mental aspect of the game are all things that draw me to and bring me joy in BJJ. Maybe you have to be slightly sadistic, maybe simply this mans need to challenge himself beyond what i want or am comfortable doing. Regardless, the effect of the sport caries into my spiritual and personal life...discipline i believe is holistic in its application. as are concepts of fluidity, relaxation under pressure, and determination...if i can get up tomorrow at 6am and train in 3 classes, 1 lifting\ conditioning workout, mental focus drills, spend 1-2 hours drilling, call my bride and tell her i miss her, answer some emails,  eat 5-6x's and be home by 4 to wake tammy up and kiss her so we can have dinner together and either go out, stay in, or do it all over again the next day...then i can sacrifice my comfort when God calls me to, i can give when it hurts to give, i can serve when i don't want to serve, i can give grace\ forgiveness\ and mercy when i want to inflict pain\ hate\ and retaliate. i can read scripture every day and humble myself to rebuke, i can become a better more patient and loving, serving, and giving husband than i was the day before....

of course the challenge with all these things are the same as me getting up at 6 tomorrow...i don't want to...but i have to decide every morning to not give up.

in honesty,

Jonathan +)