It’s no secret that we’ve been working very diligently to change the perception of Jiu-Jitsu for the practitioner. We’re beginning at home, as it should be, with all the students in our schools. The goal is for practitioners to see themselves not just as Jiu-Jitsu athletes playing a sport, but as participants in the physical, mental and emotional project of martial arts.
Experience and history has shown that there are some key points that martial arts practitioners live by and operate by, and which deepen the benefits of the training on a simple, everyday level.
One of these is education, finding out what the masters in the martial arts thought about the technique. What did they think about the practice? What were their intentions? What were their thoughts about the way to live life?
We think it’s important that you know who Mr. Funakoshi is, even if you’re not practicing karate. You should know who Mr. Kano is, you should know who Mr. Ueshiba is – not just who’s on the Jiu-Jitsu scene and operating in their prime today, even though some of them are magnificent. It’s an exercise, a deepening, to become a well-rounded martial arts practitioner. So do some reading, know who’s who. Think about what these masters had in mind for you, and for the world.
We believe it’s important. It gives you depth, a more complete, 360-degree view. You’re no longer just skimming the surface – you know the roots and origins and can make choices, decisions and selections based on what you know.
For more about the larger project of cooperative Jiu-Jitsu and martial arts training, visit the Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Brooklyn BJJ) website here .
