Your Jiu Jitsu Signature

December 16, 2010

We all put a lot of hours in on the mat in BJJ, making the “expert” classification one that is far more inaccessible than most other endeavors in life… This should eventually make you wonder “how might I apply these transformative lessons to other goals I have both on and off the mat?”

Some see the instructor student relationship as one where the instructor essentially “lights your fire” and you continue to light others.  I take the stance that your “fire” is already there and your instructor guides you with the right techniques for everyone to learn how to feed it, manage and guide its growth.  This means that each student has a more direct impact on their development than any one instructor (actually at The Foundry this is at the core of our training philosophy).  In the beginning this is less true as the White Belt is best to focus on the essentials of BJJ that is being taught to them, while later in your progression this self responsibility factor becomes most paramount.

One such aspect of this self directed training is in developing YOUR Jiu Jitsu Signature.  For the Blue Belt this means continually “re-inventing” yourself and your game.  While all levels of the Jiu Jitsu experience are important, your development at Blue plays a pivotal role in the future success of your own Jiu Jitsu.  At this time in your path much of the primary attributes of base and transition are becoming more “natural” allowing you to add a new layer.  Before when you were a beginner, most of your attention was needed to focus on base and stability while transitioning (many of us couldn’t even remember to breath!).  Now when you move and transition less of your mental attention is taken up allowing you to ad new details and layers to your focus. 

As you move forward with this goal of “re-inventing” your various games with new arsenals of techniques it is important to remember that all of your practice should be LAYERED.  In the process of being able to focus on more things at once it is easy to fill all of that attention with new stuff.  When training “new stuff” should be layered with the “old stuff.”  One simple way to practice this goal is to ALWAYS transition to a very good position (both mentally and physically) after completing a technique… For instance; when completing a new guard pass that you are learning, after every completion make sure you transition smoothly into side control, establish base, effect your opponent with your base and “feel” where you might go from here.  All too often in BJJ class after completing a technique a few times one can see… The White Belts looking to the Blues to see what to do next… The Blues completing the pass then looking up and waiting for more techniques… The Purples completing the pass, practicing methodic transition to side control while decisively imposing their base.

Long and short… On the path to developing Your Jiu Jitsu Signature through hard work and experimentation, remember that the greatest lessons will come from the ones you’ve already “seen.”

-Lamarche