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Sep
14
Jiu-Jitsu Monster
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Inside us all is a little monster; sometimes it’s dormant and sometimes it’s awake. When it is awoken you better stand back, because things will never be the same. I see it in jiu-jitsu all the time—with kids especially. They’ll start jiu-jitsu, a little nervous, then they’ll train and they’ll get the giggles. The giggles can last one week or three years, but then something happens. The beast is stirred and it hates the giggles.
I have some kids that are the most kind, most respectful, greatest kids on the planet, but when they get on the mat, they’re dead serious—you can see it in their eyes. They sneer, and never giggle, they are focused–it’s scary.
I witnessed the awakening of the beast a couple weeks ago in a former giggler who was starting to use a lot of technique. He was training with another kid who wasn’t taking the training session too seriously, and for some reason this awoke the beast. His eye’s narrowed, his smile disappeared, and his technique and determination took over. The monster was awake.
All I remember is the kid who was fooling around kept saying “Hey, Hey, Whoa! Hey!” as he realized his opponent wasn’t playing around—his opponent was looking for a submission—the monster was loose.
It was an amazing sight. It was the transformation of a giggler into a serious competitor. The beauty of the monster is that it comes when it’s ready. You should never force it out of anyone. Sometimes it never shows up and that’s okay too. But when and if it does, watch out.
