Comments on: BJJ Makes the Proverbial Trip to the Dentist More Survivable http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling News and Podcast Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:21:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Roxxen http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/comment-page-1/#comment-1723 Roxxen Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:49:25 +0000 http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/#comment-1723 I saw your tweet about this story, and I had to come over and read it :) I trained fairly regularly for about 1.5 years starting in 2006. Made some big career/life changes and my training pretty much came to a grinding & complete halt. Let me say, my personal experience has been that I wish I had never stopped training. It's SO HARD to get back!! I FINALLY, got things in a manageable order and hit the mats again last month for the first time in nearly 2 years. Initially, I felt like I should scrap my blue belt and start all over. Slowly though, I think it might be coming back. I was training last night and rolling with my boyfriend (he's been training all along). I asked him to just keep coming at me hoping my instincts and defenses would kick in. While rolling, I had this same kind of realization. How BJJ teaches you to relax and contemplate "is this choke really a danger?? does it feel like I can counter and inch my way out??" etc. It's good mental discipline...problems solving in tight situations. I think that's a discipline that extends far beyond the mats. I saw your tweet about this story, and I had to come over and read it :)

I trained fairly regularly for about 1.5 years starting in 2006. Made some big career/life changes and my training pretty much came to a grinding & complete halt. Let me say, my personal experience has been that I wish I had never stopped training. It’s SO HARD to get back!! I FINALLY, got things in a manageable order and hit the mats again last month for the first time in nearly 2 years. Initially, I felt like I should scrap my blue belt and start all over. Slowly though, I think it might be coming back. I was training last night and rolling with my boyfriend (he’s been training all along). I asked him to just keep coming at me hoping my instincts and defenses would kick in. While rolling, I had this same kind of realization. How BJJ teaches you to relax and contemplate “is this choke really a danger?? does it feel like I can counter and inch my way out??” etc. It’s good mental discipline…problems solving in tight situations. I think that’s a discipline that extends far beyond the mats.

]]> By: Caleb http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/comment-page-1/#comment-1722 Caleb Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:07:33 +0000 http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/#comment-1722 I definitely do now! Haven't missed a day since that visit! ;) I definitely do now! Haven’t missed a day since that visit! ;)

]]> By: William http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/comment-page-1/#comment-1721 William Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:32:53 +0000 http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/#comment-1721 Caleb, Perhaps you should apply that same BJJ discipline to flossing! Caleb,
Perhaps you should apply that same BJJ discipline to flossing!

]]> By: Caleb http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/comment-page-1/#comment-1720 Caleb Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:01:37 +0000 http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/#comment-1720 Hey Ross, Good to hear from you! Yes I think you're right. There's definitely a set of characteristics I bet most long term students & practitioners have in some degree or another. Predispositions like patience, curiosity, creativity perhaps, and certainly the ability to handle "defeat". I think you're right about being able to sense pretty early which folks will stick around. For all the limitations of personality tests, I wonder what the average Myers-Briggs personality profile would look like if you analyzed the test results of a few hundred folks who've practiced BJJ for, say, five years. What would they have in common? Hey Ross,

Good to hear from you!

Yes I think you’re right. There’s definitely a set of characteristics I bet most long term students & practitioners have in some degree or another. Predispositions like patience, curiosity, creativity perhaps, and certainly the ability to handle “defeat”.

I think you’re right about being able to sense pretty early which folks will stick around.

For all the limitations of personality tests, I wonder what the average Myers-Briggs personality profile would look like if you analyzed the test results of a few hundred folks who’ve practiced BJJ for, say, five years. What would they have in common?

]]> By: Ross Finlayson http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/comment-page-1/#comment-1719 Ross Finlayson Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:29:59 +0000 http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/#comment-1719 Caleb, I wonder: Does BJJ cause patience, or does patience cause BJJ? Probably both, but I suspect that the latter is especially true. The people who last in BJJ (to blue belt and beyond) tend to be those who have loads of perseverance. As you probably noticed when you visited our academy (Ralph Gracie, Mountain View, CA, for those who don't know) a few months ago, we have a surprising number of older professionals here. These are people in their 30s and 40s who have already spent years slogging through law school, medical school, or other graduate schools. They've already shown a willingness to endure years of suffering for an uncertain payoff. However, I think you're right that learning BJJ helps develop patience, especially for the younger students. (I find it enjoyable to watch the progress of the teenagers in our academy, not only because of how frighteningly fast they learn (compared to us old farts), but also because you know that they are developing qualities that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.) Nonetheless, the main question I ask myself when I evaluate a new student is not "how athletic are they?" or "how quickly do they learn?", but "are they the type of person who's likely to stick around?". Caleb, I wonder: Does BJJ cause patience, or does patience cause BJJ? Probably both, but I suspect that the latter is especially true. The people who last in BJJ (to blue belt and beyond) tend to be those who have loads of perseverance. As you probably noticed when you visited our academy (Ralph Gracie, Mountain View, CA, for those who don’t know) a few months ago, we have a surprising number of older professionals here. These are people in their 30s and 40s who have already spent years slogging through law school, medical school, or other graduate schools. They’ve already shown a willingness to endure years of suffering for an uncertain payoff.

However, I think you’re right that learning BJJ helps develop patience, especially for the younger students. (I find it enjoyable to watch the progress of the teenagers in our academy, not only because of how frighteningly fast they learn (compared to us old farts), but also because you know that they are developing qualities that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.)

Nonetheless, the main question I ask myself when I evaluate a new student is not “how athletic are they?” or “how quickly do they learn?”, but “are they the type of person who’s likely to stick around?”.

]]> By: Hywel Teague [FIGHTERS ONLY MAGAZINE] http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/comment-page-1/#comment-1718 Hywel Teague [FIGHTERS ONLY MAGAZINE] Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:13:57 +0000 http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2007/10/02/bjj-makes-the-proverbial-trip-to-the-dentist-more-survivable/#comment-1718 Thats why we're good in the tattooists chair ;) Thats why we’re good in the tattooists chair ;)

]]>