Jiu Jitsu is a martial art that is synonymous with the UFC. Our practice involves learning how to strike, throw, strangle people unconscious, and manipulate joints that have dire consequences on life.

Every night we come to class, and we learn the art of combat and how to do it effectively and efficiently.

Within the practice of jiu jitsu, we get to spar. This means we can do our best against training partners who have similar intentions. We apply pressure and pins, and do our best to isolate limbs or arteries and make our partners’ tap, meaning submission, and victory for us.

The art of sparring is a tricky one. While it is simulated violence it isn’t supposed to be violence at all. And due to it’s potentially destructive nature, it’s essential that we maintain proper ettiquette around it.

Who are you training With?

The way you roll will be determined by a few factors. None are more important than who it is that you are training with. And if you’d like to have friends, and most importantly IF YOU WANT TO BE SKILLED, you need to have different gears of training, to suit different opponents (partners).

Lesser skilled training partners won’t have safe or effective means of responding to your intensity if you bring the heat to them. So you need to moderate what you give to match where they are at. This is how you do the best learning.

And more experienced students? You ought to be able to throw the kitchen sink at them and they ought to be able to defend and give it back. These are the most fun grapples. Kitchen sink also doesn’t mean malicious intent or dangerous manoevers.

It implies that you are adapting to your partner’s actions quickly and with the intent to move forward. That means you are aiming to put your partner in check mate, moving toward submission. You’re still careful, but due to the pace of the movements, accidents are more likely to happen in this gear.

Earn the Right to Battle

These intense grapples happen in competition, when both parties are there to win.

But in the dojo, battles happen with students that can handle the heat, and also those who you can TRUST. You trust that they won’t intentionally hurt you, or get flustered.

This is the benefit of being part of a school and a community. When you come in and train with the same people for years, you build the relationship that allows for serious battle.

You recognise eachother’s temperament, you trust that they will approach the situation with the same level of care that you do. And like this you can train at sub maximal to max levels, test your technique, your timing, your strategy, and this is how you can improve in these situations.

Just like when you first meet someone.. you introduce yourself, you create some small talk, and you prod the waters of your new friend’s attitude, mood, and interests. You rarely immediately delve deep into controversial topics unless you have created rapport.

Same goes on the mats. It’s implied in BJJ etiquette that you remain respectful and gentle with people you’ve just met, and you build a relationship first before pushing one another’s boundaries.

It’s all about relationships.

This is the benefit of a tight knit community. It’s because you come in and see this person, and hang out with them that you can take your intensity to that level. It’s why open mat gyms are hard to manage. When there is no skin in the game, it creates a different vibe that is not conducive to pushing the limits, with safety.

Enjoy Jiu Jitsu

When you meet someone new, on the mats or off, treat your training like a hot bowl of soup. Start from the outside and slowly work your way in. This is how you won’t be burned, injured, upset, and its how you earn the right to eventually battle. And these battles are the most fun, memorable, and rewarding ones of all.