Not Always So

Not Always So, in the book of the same name, is one of many short lectures by Shunryu Suzuki .  He describes the constant fluidity of nature, how things in one place might be different in another.  Water, for example.  It’s always water, but sometimes it’s snow, and sometimes it’s drops, and sometimes it’s steam, it just depends.  It depends upon the temperature, the elevation, how much energy is directly applied to it, etc. 

We start out with hard and fast rules about jiu-jitsu, and martial arts in general, when we strap on that whitebelt.  Don’t go to your knees, take the mount whenever possible, grab like this, attack like that.  The rules work for you, they become reinforced as “true”.  Later on, as you progress and begin finding more and more exceptions to the rules, your mindset will change to accepting your old rules as being generally true, but not always:

“Hmmm, if I go to my knees, yes there is the risk of being choked, but if I time it right, I can hit the rolling kneebar from there.  And my sidemount submissions are much stronger than my mount submissions, so I’ll stay there until I get what I want…”

At this stage, maybe high blue and purple belt in BJJ, you go from being frozen and chunky in your movement to being more like water.  More flow in your game.  The corners have been rounded off in your movement on the ground.  You’ve already worked out the angles where you waste strength, and put your power to better use. 

Later, the rules go out the window.  Eduardo Telles and his offensive turtling is one example;  baiting you, rolling you, and obtaining dominant position.  At this point, the subscription to the rules is optional.  You can follow a game plan, but it’s by choice, and it’s not the only thing you know how to do.  You have options for dealing with every situation.

At this stage, you’re more like vapor, with your molecules buzzing so much faster than your icy conterparts that you can actually lead your opponents rather than react to their movements.  This is possible because your awareness level is highly developed through years of training.  You’ve been there before, you’ve got it worked out, you know the common reactions of your partner.  And you can alter your own form, becoming water with a stronger opponent, or clamping down and freezing out a small and faster training partner with pressure.  Whatever the situation calls for.  It’s not just looking for the mount. 

Rules work, but one should always be prepared to expand their box of rules, and allow for the unknown.  Your current rules may be a subset, or entirely erased in the future.  Rules are good, but not always so.  Just keep adapting.