Fluidity and the Gentle Art

How to make Jiu-jitsu look like Magic

Good morning to everyone who hates hearing “You’re really strong” in training.

Today’s article is all about winning effortlessly. It will take a lot of time and a LOT of practice but eventually, with enough focused training, you’ll get to a point where your jiu-jitsu becomes fluid.

Here’s a quick summary of today’s article:

• Is jiu-jitsu magic?

• The importance of skills over strength [Hint: Strength is unsustainable]

• The 3 things you’ll need to be fluid and seem effortless

This article is for paid members, so make sure you’re subscribed here. Also, as usual, if you subscribe for a year, I’ll send you both of my books (The White Belt Survival Guide AND Jiujitsu 201 for free). If you sign up for a year, please be sure to email me with confirmation so I can send them to you —the process is manual.

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I think back to some of the bigger names I’ve trained with in my jiu-jitsu journey and they all had one thing in common. They all kicked my ass with a smoothness that seemed like magic.

I wonder if sometimes my students feel the same way about me. I’m not certain that they do but it’s my goal each and every training session. I want my jiu-jitsu to look like magic because in many respects, it is.

On the contrary, beating people with brute strength isn’t magic; it’s expected.

Over the course of our lives, we’re taught that the bigger, stronger, more powerful or more athletic person will win. We expect someone like Hapthor “The Mountain” to beat someone like Gordon in a grappling match because it’s learned. And when we see it otherwise, we believe it to be magic; there’s no way this is possible. He must’ve not been going hard.

Unless of course, you understand.

And even when you understand, it still feels like magic when it’s done to you. Because when it’s done to you, you realize how little you actually understand.

I stumbled upon this rabbit-hole in a not-so-recent training session with one of my students, a jiu-jitsu brown belt and judo black belt. I had an epiphany that the only way he could throw me is if he could sense in what direction I was off-balance.

I changed up my entire standing approach and as it would turn out, he had a much harder time throwing me.

I wanted to see if the same would work for jiu-jitsu.

I recalled a guard pass I’ve taught before that highlights the importance of read where a person wants to move, and how to get ahead of it. The big picture idea is, everyone is telling you what they want to do. And if this is true, you’re also telling what you want to do.