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Sep
7
Jiu-Jitsu Poetry
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As a writer I work in similes, and metaphor, so When I compare, I use things I know–like poetry. I like poetry–I have a published poem or two. It dawnwd on me recently that jiu-jitsu is like writng a poem. I don’t care how many words you know, you could memorize every word of the dictionary, that wouldn’t put you any closer to writing a good poem. It’s not about knowing a lot of words; it’s about how to use the right word at he right monent. It’s about word selection.
Have you ever noticed the length of a poem? Most poems are short–they’re powerful and efficient–they don’t ramble–they go straight for the throat–just like good jiu-jitsu. And poems use specific words that elicit a reaction, an emotion, but it’s not the words alone, it’s the right word at the right time.
The same is true for jiu-jitsu, but instead of words we use techniques. It’s the right technique at the right time–not just any technique–the right technique for the moment. If you have to sweep your opponent, you may know five or ten sweeps, the trick is to use the sweep that best fits the situation. The difference between a poem and jiu-jitsu; however, is that when writing a poem you have time to ponder; you have time to play with the words, to switch them in and out, to see which word works best. In jiu-jitsu you have seconds and you can’t go back to switch your technique.
Jiu-jitsu has a lot of techniques, like words in the dictionary, it’s not about how many words you know; it’s about using the right word at the right time.
a poem:
Jiu-Jitsu
canvas clothes
on rubber mats–
knowledge
seeping into our brains
like sweat into our gis.
