Train with the Force: Revenge of the Sith Edition /// By: Anthony Chin Loy

If you thought that this series was over, you have much to learn about the Living Force young one. All Jedi must know that there must be balance in the universe and when there are Jedi, there must always be the Revenge of the Sith. Don't mistake this entry as an excuse to tap in to the dark side in all aspects of your training, though this is tempting! We cannot merely expect that the dark side of the force (jiu jitsu) does not exist, but we must do our best to understand it. If you are neck-deep in Star Wars lore, you may know that the 7th form of light saber combat, Vaapad, was created by Jedi Master Mace Windu. What makes this form so bad ass is that the form is actually so offensive and aggressive that it taps in to the darkside! We must be careful, as it has been known to drive a Jedi trainee permanently down the path of the Sith. With careful training and much meditation it can be harnessed with great strength like Master Windu. You may be wondering why I would be in favor of using Sith powers at all! In my post about the light side of Jiu Jitsu, I made it sound as if this was a jerk move! Ah, young one! We must be very wary of the dark side, but in competition we must tap into our most primal instincts, we must be at peace with our connection to the Force that we can tap into our emotions and return to ourselves. Let's see how Sith philosophy can benefit our training.  

Peace is a lie. There is only passion
Through passion I gain strength
Through strength I gain power
Through power I gain victory
Through victory my chains are broken
The Force shall free me

 

Peace is a lie. There is only passion

A well trained Jiu Jitsu Jedi knows the power of their training. As with most martial arts, by training combat, we learn that we should not use what we learned to hurt another (except in extreme cases, of course). Naturally, when you train Jiu Jitsu, you have greater confidence in potentially violent situations and you learn to diffuse situations using the Force and not application of force! However, in competition we cannot give our opponent the benefit of rolling without passion. When we square off against another in the arena for glory, it is our duty to bring the best of our abilities. This is not a roll in the academy, our emotions must come into play. Most times our emotions are misguided. They betray us! Have you noticed that in competition, it seems that your muscles gas much faster? You feel more tired in 5 minutes of competition compared to in your academy where you are ready to go again instantly after a 10 or 15 minute roll? Fear, nervousness, misplaced hate for your opponent completely drain you after a roll in competition. The wasted energy robs your body of strength, the arms definitely feel dead after a competition roll.  

In competition we must forego the peace we've attained in our combat meditation. We must control our passion but be willing to temporarily release the limitations for the love of the arena and our opponent. This does not mean to allow yourself to go out of control. Instead, take time to enjoy the moment. Appreciate that another has decided to share the stage with you but you cannot treat this as another Sunday roll in the academy. While being in the moment, release your inner peace and release the passion to fully express your art. Your opponent deserves this, and your best Jiu Jitsu, not a lazy round. While we all want to progress in the tourney for the win, do not be concerned with the outcome. Instead be concerned with expressing your passion fully without tapping into resentment, fear or anger. These are the path to the dark side. 

Through passion I gain strength

We all know the famous saying by Master Ribiero, "if you muscle, you die..." Well, I'm paraphrasing a bit, but there is a thought that we must not use any strength in Jiu Jitsu. In reality, it's about using the right amount of strength combined with superior technique and leverage. Many times, competitors say that they didn't get to play their game but it's really the lack of well directed energy that saps them of their strength. To direct their emotions towards truly expressing the Jiu Jitsu they practiced so many hours before the tournament. It is less the pure strength, like that of dead lifting 300 pounds, but more of confidence to feel secure in their Jiu Jitsu.  

Through strength I gain power

Continue to develop and gain confidence in your Jiu Jitsu. Remember I said confidence is strength. By this I mean when you express your true self through Jiu Jitsu it will not matter who is standing against you. Take for instance the Garry Tonnon vs Palharas match. A David and Goliath matchup surely. Garry consistently believes in his training and technique and though at a disadvantage in size, strength and power he took Palharas to the limit. His confidence closed the physical distance and leveled the field battle. Though differences exist, your ego should not balance on it. We are all outmatched in one way or another. Strengthen your resolve and continue to improve. To fall into the trap of pitying your Jiu Jitsu is surely the path to the dark side.  

Through power I gain victory

I have not mentioned results while discussing the Sith code applied to Jiu Jitsu. This may strike you as funny as the true desire of the Sith is to crush their enemies and sit alone at the top. Wiser people than myself have said "it is not the destination that matters, but the journey..." The competitive mindset is different from everyday training. We are all competing for glory, recognition and the like. All of this is not tied to tournament victories however. Competitions are a means to sharpen our sword and steel our mindset. So often we are disappointed in the results if we are not on the podium. I assure you, we cannot win them all. Lost in the shuffle is the path we took to arrive at the tournament. We worked on our game, improved, created a game plan and visualized our optimal outcomes. Though they may not have come to reality, think of the progress you made before competing. I related power to confidence in our Jiu Jitsu. If you can understand that the preparation for the tourney deepened your connection to your art and strengthened your skill you have already won regardless of the result of the tournament. 

Through victory my chains are broken

When you realize how far you've come just by stepping onto the mat and how your Jiu Jitsu has progressed, you see that you have a limitless future ahead of you. Freeing yourself from the ego that restricts your potential is paramount to truly expressing yourself. Ego on the mat causes us to force technique instead of flow, disrupts our relationship with our training partners, and breeds frustration when we are not progressing according to our timeline. We are disconnecting while trying to bend the Force to our will. Many times we see the results of this in the gym: when a powerful opponent steps on the mat with ill intent and is subdued, only to quit training within weeks. Though they may have had the right attributes to be competitive they lacked the mental fortitude to roll with the punches. The disconnect between them and the Force did not allow them to understand the essence of The Gentle Art. Be wary of this, avoid temptation of the dark side and unleash your potential.  

The Force shall free me

If you couldn't tell by now, I love Jiu Jitsu. I also love Star Wars. To express my feelings on Jiu Jitsu through Star Wars has been indescribable. I know it has been done and maybe you don't agree with what I've said through two articles now. This is perfectly ok. Like the path of the Jedi and the Sith, no two journeys are the same. Interpretation of the Living Force is what you make of it. It is constantly flowing and changing. Jiu Jitsu is not stagnant. Right now, new positions and techniques are being created and refined. New padawans are being taught by their Jedi masters, a Sith Lord has taken on an apprentice. It is up to you to choose your path. When I'm on the mat, I forget about what's troubling me, I try to stay present in the moment. I appreciate the energy that is shared between my teacher and my training partners and that, my friend, is what I mean by the Living Force—The connection you develop to the art and the people that surround you. Jiu Jitsu allows you to see the world in a different light, changes your everyday interactions and reactions to situations. For me, it has all been for the better.  

May the force be with you, always....

Train with the Force: Jedi Edition /// By: Anthony Chin Loy

Another Star Wars Day has come and gone (May the Fourth be with you) and while watching the beloved series in the "Machete Order" and heading to training I started to think about this post and tying together jiu jitsu and Star Wars. It's been done before, by this time you have heard the famous quote by Olavo Abreu comparing the jiu jitsiero and the Jedi. “Jiu Jitsu is like being a Jedi Knight… The knowledge is with you all the time. You dream it when you sleep. You can see it walking. It surrounds you. You go out alone but you are never alone because you have Jiu Jitsu.” Much like The Force, jiu jitsu is an ever present being that binds us together, controls our actions, but also obeys our commands. While the movies begin to introduce us to this omnipresence, the Expanded Universe really dives into what it means to be a Jedi. Being the nerd that I am, while studying the Jedi Creed, it really started to resonate with my jiu jitsu philosophy. If Star Wars is not your thIng (that's ridiculous, but ok) I hope that this post will have you rethink that course of action but also help to develop your thinking as a jiu jitsu philosopher. Are you ready to learn about the Jedi and The Force? Good! This is your first step into a larger world!

There is no emotion, There is peace

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge

There is no passion, there is serenity

There is no chaos, there is harmony

There is no death, there is the Force

There is no emotion, there is peace

There are several reasons to start jiu jitsu. Some may have come from previous grappling arts, some come for self defense, some come just to learn a martial art that has been known to dominate in situations. When we first begin as white belts, we are fearful of what to expect in class. Usually, the beginner takes this emotion into their drilling and their rolling. They are fearful of getting destroyed on the mats and left for dead by the bigger, stronger and more experienced grappler. Their movements are jerky and their bodies are stiff. Due to this, they use death grips and paralyze themselves in positions, burning through energy while holding on for dear life. They continue to expend themselves until they are left as a shell,  their tanks empty and their ego bruised. Unfortunately this is when many beginners get angry and quit. They first let the fear prevent them from tapping into the flow and energy of the Force, they become angry that they are not better, then discouraged, then their disappointment prevents them from coming back. Instead, if the emotions and ego were checked at the door, they would find a burning desire to return and learn. 

Upper belts are not immune to letting their emotions get the better of them either. As we progress and add wrinkles to our game, we start to build a shield of ego on the mat. We can become consumed with winning by any means necessary and when things are not going our way we become angry and let that fire consume us. This can be reflected in overly aggressive rolls with lower belts, forgetting our technique and relying on brute force to subdue our opponents. Cracks in our shield will appear if we are tapped by lower belts. Instead of enjoying the roll as a learning experience between to practitioners, we bring aggression to the roll. If we experience trouble with the lower belt we may begin to avoid the lower belt that got the better of us in the last roll or worse, tap too deeply into emotion and injure our training partner. Rolling with too much emotion prevents us from opening up our game and taking chances as we try to be king of the hill. Stunting our development of new techniques and the creative process.

"There is no emotion" is not to say we are void of emotion, rather it is to temper our emotions to find a deeper connection with our jiu jitsu. As you bring good energy to training and your rolls with your partners, it is returned! The rolls become significant. The shared energy results in a synergy with your partner and contentment with your training.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge

I touched on this part of the creed in my last post. We must be open as learners from a variety teachers not only in our own martial art, but also in other martial arts. We must be sure to learn new techniques from different professors, travel to different academies and schools, and be open to spread our own techniques to others. While training with Marcos “Yemaso" terragrossa this past week, after he handed me a thorough thrashing I commented that I was probably not much of a challenge to him. His response: "it does not matter if one is technically superior or inferior, every roll is a chance to learn. As a visiting student, I have never rolled with you before, so you have new movements, new entries, new twists to techniques and it's a learning experience for me." After I caught my breath and thought on his comment, I realized that what we say is true: Even white belts can teach us new things, maybe not small details on a technique, but feeling their movements and reactions to our movements contribute to our understanding of jiu jitsu. It allows us to study action and reaction, expanding our knowledge base for new situations.

Secondly, lately I have noticed a disturbing trend of jiu jitsu players to dismiss many traditional martial arts and practices. Though definitely a more modern marital art, we must not lose touch with the traditions and roots of our history. Many traditional martial arts can tune our jiu jitsu by teaching us different positions and movements that we can integrate. While there is surely some "less than authentic" martial arts out there, do not be so quick to tune out what it may be teaching you under the surface. Legends in marital arts like Rolls Gracie and Bruce Lee would integrate whatever they found useful into their own art. To never experience an art form because of our first impression would be short sighted. Never stop in your pursuit for a deeper understanding of jiu jitsu, even through different forms.

There is no passion, there is serenity

This statement relates closely to the first line of the creed. Again, as jiu jitsukas we are not devoid of passion. We must display passion for the art everytime we step on the mat.  That passion must se surrounded by serenity and grace under pressure. During your path to black belt, you will be tested multiple times (physically and mentally). If we let our passion go unchecked we become one dimensional, meaning that we are not able a to connect with people on any other level. We must be sure to enjoy ourselves outside of Jiu jitsu as well. I love to train and spend time in the gym, but as a father I must make sure I make time for my family as well. This benefits my Jiu jitsu as well as the positive energy that they bring to me also transfers to my extended mat family as well. 

My passion for the art is amplified by knowing that I will be able to share this with my daughter and future kids as well. This puts my mindset more to learning intricacies and details in technique rather than domination of the mats. My passion is not unchecked, instead I use it to form my goals in learning the art. With clear goals to my training, it brings a solid foundation that I can depend on when I'm not able to train as much as I would like. 

My serenity is found in knowing that Jiu jitsu will always be a part of my life.

There is no chaos, there is harmony

I know for myself and many others, Jiu jitsu serves as a centering point in their lives. With the madness that can be brought on in life and career, when I'm on the mat everything seems to make sense. I can clear my head completely in combatitive meditation. Much like the Jedi who trained their body for brutal missions and light saber battles, jiu jitsu tempers the body with the physical effort of training as well as hardening the mind to confront the difficulties you may experience in life. Several times during e fantastic documentary, Jiu Jitsu vs The World by Eat Films several long time practitioners recounted experiences In their life where they were able to apply principles learned in Jiu jitsu to a hardship and came out on the other side better for it.

While the Jedi were known for meditating several times per day, a Jiu jitsukas meditation comes in the form of drilling techniques, working through positions, and rolling with training partners (combative meditation). At those times, your mind is empty from distraction and you are a vessel to be filled with information. Constantly you are reminded to be present in training or get ready for a thrashing.

There is no death, there is the Force

Truly if you are reading this you are already a big fan of and practice Jiu jitsu. You may also love Star Wars and we can be best friends. I know its just a movie, but the idea of an ever present Force is how I try to live my life and shape my training. In the end, we are all trying to become better versions of ourselves, whether that be mentally or physically, thru Jiu jitsu. We are trying to create something lasting in ourselves and something for the future. For me personally, i hope to pass my Jiu jitsu to as many as I can and one day to my own children. Using the idea of the Force and the Jedi philosophy around it, I was trying to show you how I approach my training and life. I keep my emotions and ego in check on the mats to open my understanding to my professor, training partners, and Jiu jitsu without restriction. I understand (although cemented recently) that knowledge can come in many forms, even that white belt trying to pull a reverse berimbolo to heel hook that he learned on the YouTube dojo the night before. My passion for the art does not become a limiting factor in my relationships to others, but can be used to make many friends, brothers and sisters across the world. It's cemented by knowing I will practice for the long run. My mind is kept present and thankful for each day that I can train. For the life lessons Jiu jitsu has taught me: How to approach hard times with fluidity, leverage and the right amount of strength.

 While I may not be immortalized among the champions of the sport, my Jiu jitsu will live on with my training partners that I have taught and learned techniques from, in my daughter and future children that I will roll with, and of course by putting into writing my thoughts on how a boy from humble beginnings can one day hope to become a Jiu jitsu Jedi.

May The Force be with you, Always.