the battle in the mind

In the jiujitsu competitions that I’ve been in, the importance of drilling beforehand cannot be understated. When you drill, you practice the moves you are about to make, again and again, until automaticity in the body takes over, and when you need it in the competition, the constant drilling should surface into a win.

I find that the drilling should happen, not only in the body, but in the mind. Constantly drilling the movement in your head, and also preparing for whatever move your opponent might make, helps you to prepare and to keep you in a constant state of readiness.

It’s funny, because it’s this kind of preparation that has helped me in my life, as well. It is not enough to create a great lecture or paper, but what is more important is to imagine how others would oppose them, and to prepare accordingly.

The act of imagining the opposition and constantly preparing how to deflect their moves is a kind of mental jiujitsu that has helped me a lot in the past, not only in jiujitsu, but in real life.

If I don’t, I can find myself flat-footed, because there are opponents who can be mean-spirited and who fight below the belt. I have experienced this kind of bullying in life, and in jiujitsu training, and the absolute refusal to be cowed and flattened has been the impetus of my improvement, I think.

It is a different kettle of fish though, to refuse to be cowed, than to constantly prepare how to deflect the opponent, how to be agile in both the body and the mind. One starts with a fighting heart, and the other hones a certain fighting state of mind.

Even though I have just begun in this sport, I can already say that it is this warrior state of mind that has made the most impact in my life, for me.

Although there are fears, these should not be enough to stop you. The most important thing is to imagine what could happen, to drill, to prepare… and to think of all the angles.