Jiu-Jitsu is a Tool

We usually talk about how jiu-jitsu changes us for the better. We gain confidence, we lose weight, we become more social, we make friends, we learn how to fight. That part is real.

But jiu-jitsu can change you in bad ways too. It just depends on how you train.

We’ve all seen it. Busted knuckles. Hands that don’t close right anymore. Ears permanently messed up. Sometimes it goes beyond that. A knee gets damaged and never really comes back. A shoulder gets hurt and now it aches all the time. A limp sticks around way longer than it should.

Jiu-Jitsu can leave a mark in ways people don’t talk about enough.

It’s important to remember what jiu-jitsu is. It’s a tool.

People like to say things like “jiu-jitsu is a lifestyle.” I’ve never, ever said that, at least not seriously. I love jiu-jitsu. I’m obsessed with it. I teach it. I still learn. I still want to know more. I still take private lessons a decade into it. But I know there’s more to life than jiu-jitsu.

Train in a way that keeps you training. Train in a way that doesn’t take too much from the rest of your life.

If you’re a pianist and you ruin your fingers fighting for a collar grip, that’s dumb. If you type or use a mouse for work, or you write, or you draw, or you’re a doctor and need your hands every day, think about it.

Protect yourself.

Jiu-Jitsu is part of life. It shouldn’t mess up the rest of it.

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