9 quips by Rickson Gracie for understanding BJJ

The good teacher is usually a great communicator. Master Rickson Gracie is no exception, and he has given us, in the form of many articles, books and interviews, outstanding pieces of wisdom — some of which we compiled here to help you accelerate your evolution. Tell us which one is your favorite. 

 

1. Victories from the past don't matter. Victory, upon being reached, must soon be forgotten.

 

2. My advice for any student is: More than to do, strive to feel. 

 

3. The fundamental benefit of Jiu-Jitsu is that you get used to thinking under pressure. That will help you in many areas of your life.

 

4. Jiu-Jitsu teaches you to despise excessive violence. Nobody needs to kill a mosquito with a .45 bullet. 

 

5. In Jiu-Jitsu, it's the heart that matters. Both the son of the maharaja of Persia and the son of the doorman, if they're in the gi, will ditch appearances and show whether they are afraid, whether they can, on the mat, control their emotions. 

 

6. In the ring, I get completely rid of my consciousness and enter a zone of vacuum. My mind stops reasoning, and I start living inside my instinct and my training. I don't think of anything, of anyone; I don't hear sound. It's just me and my opponent. 

 

7. Jiu-Jitsu's positions are like steps on a staircase. More important than to jump two or three at a time, what you need is to make sure you are never taking any steps backward.

 

8. Fighting needs to be beautiful. It's like art — it's not just throwing paint at the canvas. I'm a martial artist. I've always demanded a lot from myself; I've sought to evolve and hone my technique. 

 

9. If you do not speak up when it matters, when would it matter that you speak? The opposite of courage is conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.