Life Lessons from Brazilian Jiujitsu: Strength, Strategy, and Opportunity
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You ever have one of those experiences where you go in just to try something new and leave with enough life lessons to write a book about? That’s what happened to me the other day. My friend Mark invited me to try out a Brazilian Jiujitsu class at Allen Jiujitsu Club. The closest I’d ever come to martial arts was watching UFC or playing Street Fighter on Super Nintendo.
But it seemed fun, so I decided to give it a shot—especially since they told me they had a Gi (that traditional martial arts uniform) and a belt for me. I had considered ordering a black belt on Amazon Prime, lucky for me I didn’t.
I arrived not knowing the first thing about the difference between Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ) and other martial arts. In my mind, I pictured roundhouse kicks and breaking boards. I thought I was going to be the next Black Bruce Lee. Turns out, BJJ is the exact opposite of that. Rather than showy kicks and punches, it’s about grappling, using leverage, and momentum to protect yourself and defeat your opponent.
Through my hour-and-a-half workout (which felt like 100 hours), I learned some valuable lessons. Here are the four most important lessons I took from BJJ that you can apply to your life.
1. Perspective is Deceiving
The first thing that struck me as odd was that in training, when learning new moves, someone always starts with their back on the ground. Common sense says that if your back is on the ground, you’re losing. But BJJ thinks differently. Mark explained that in 87% of fights in real life, the fight goes to the ground. Anyone can get sucker-punched and end up on the ground, but what you do from there is powerful.
They helped me see that legs are stronger and longer than arms, so even if you’re on the ground with someone standing over you, you can still have an advantage.
In life, we often think our “back’s against the wall” or that we lack certain resources. But what if we learned that no matter the position, we have an opportunity and an advantage? Train your mind to search for the opportunity. If you’re a small company, you can pivot faster than a large one. If you don’t have money, harness the power of being broke and be resourceful. No matter how bad you think life is, there’s always an advantage in your position.
Action Step:
Reflect on situations where you’ve felt at a disadvantage. Identify what unique advantage you have in those scenarios and leverage it.
2. It’s Not the Size of the Dog in the Fight; It’s the Experience of the Fight in the Dog
In life, bigger may seem better, but it’s not. Though I’m 6’4” and 245 lbs., it didn’t matter there. Everyone was eager to “roll” (aka spar) with me because they knew something I didn’t—how to get the position they needed to win. I may have more strength, but they knew how to use my weight and momentum to their advantage.
I got a chance to train with five-time world champion Brazilian Jiujitsu fighter, Joao Pedro, who was training for a fight at the gym. He weighs over 100 pounds less than me and is about a foot shorter. If you were a betting person, you’d pick me ten times out of ten if you saw us and didn’t know his skill level.
They told me to grab him, which seemed easy since I had a reach advantage. As soon as I lunged for him, in a split second I went from trying to grab him to him pulling me on top of him and holding me in the air—much to the amusement of everyone at the gym.
Was I stronger? Yes. Bigger and more intimidating? Absolutely. Did it matter? No, because he knew what he was doing. Experience beats genetics. Training beats strength. Knowledge beats brute force. You may not be the richest or smartest, but you can always become a master of your craft and surpass the competition in any area of life.
Action Step:
Identify an area in your life where you lack expertise. Commit to mastering it, regardless of the initial challenges.
3. Life Can Change Quickly
Before my class began, I watched the young kids rolling with each other. One kid was on top, clearly winning. I glanced away for one second and looked back to see that the situation had reversed completely—the kid on the bottom now had the other kid in an armbar choke hold.
Several times during my session, I went from standing to a compromised “tap out” position in less than a second. Life’s like that. You can be on top one moment and in a tight spot the next.
When life gets hectic, you don’t rise to the occasion; you fall to the level of your training. So train hard, study hard, and practice hard. When you become a master of your craft, you can spot the opportunity and, more importantly, know when to strike.
Action Step:
Assess your current skills. Are you truly prepared to handle life’s unexpected changes? If not, invest more time in honing your craft.
4. Create Opportunities for Yourself
Joao Pedro, or “Somalia” as he’s known, has an inspiring story. Growing up near the favelas in Brazil, he didn’t have the genetics or size to make it in professional sports. But that didn’t stop him from finding his opportunity.
Instead of succumbing to gang violence or drugs, he rode his bicycle 7 miles to the BJJ gym every day. Disciplined training and commitment led to world championships and a career as a pro fighter.
Like Somalia, you can utilize your strengths and turn them into opportunities for a better life, future, and career. But it takes true commitment. As Somalia told me, “You have to be an example to someone. Everything you say, you need to be first.” Wise words from a world champion.
Action Step:
Identify one area of your life where you can turn discipline into opportunity. Create a specific plan to pursue that opportunity relentlessly.
If you want to take your team, event, or conference to the next level, book Baylor to speak. For more mindset motivation, check out his 10-minute-a-day podcast, Shark Theory. Purchase Baylor’s self-development books here. Mindset Matters: Let’s make yours unstoppable.