Eastside Jiu Jitsu Values Part 3: Humility & Strength
Our third and fourth values are ones that come hand-in-hand. At Eastside Jiu Jitsu, we believe in the harmonious relationship between Strength and Humility. There is no doubt that through the training and practice of BJJ ones strength, in many areas, will grow immeasurable. However, without a deep understanding of humility and its importance, that strength will have a ceiling. Most Jiu Jitsu
matches and rolls end with one opponent tapping out. In the most tangible display of humility, one opponent will admit defeat rather than suffer further pain or sustain a potential injury. It is only through this act of humility that students of Jiu Jitsu are able to grow their strength. By tapping out, we ensure we are able to roll in the next round or train the following night. Students who insist on fighting out of every submission and who refuse to remain humble seldom last long in a Jiu Jitsu academy.
Humility runs deeper than tapping. When you first walk into a BJJ academy, you will undoubtedly notice moments of great strength. You are watching people fight after all. However, if you watch closely, you will also see moments of humility in almost every interaction in a BJJ academy. There is humility in the way we teach others techniques, when we bow to our lineage, when we greet each person when we enter our academy and when we thank our training partners after an intense sparring session.
Jiu Jitsu, more than any activity highlights our weakness to us in each moment. It holds a mirror up to us and compels us to check our ego, know our place and surrender our will. If you can come out the other side of that process with your head held high then you have truly gained the strength that Jiu Jitsu can offer you.
The late great Carlson Gracie Sn put it best, “Always enter like a kitten and leave like a lion. But NEVER enter like a lion and leave like a kitten. Always be humble”.