Andrea Contents
Now I’m not interested in saying what’s better or worse, whether the Traditional Jiu Jitsu or the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu because what I want to talk to you about is somehow the original message that has been passed down beyond the differences of approach to martial art itself.
At a profane glance the Jiu Jitsu may look like a martial art that teaches you combat with an emphasis on projections to bring an opponent to the ground and finalize it to the ground with joint levers and suffocation but if you go into practice you find that this is just the tip of the iceberg and that hides much more than what appears , an important message that implies great responsibility.
Modern jiu-jitsu develops in three phases, progressive and inseparable:
- Lower phase: the study of martial discipline, the technique of attack and defense.
- Average phase: physical training
- Higher phase: the cultivation of mind and soul.
In an overview this is explained by stating that the attack-defense technique is not an end in itself but allows you to build and develop a robust and strong physique and cultivate your mind and soul, assumptions that will surely be useful in improving any aspect of your life.
What encompasses discipline is not only the martial art for its own sake but the ultimate and definitive purpose of this educational path is not the satisfaction of one’s own needs but the development of yourself in society to improve it, to use your skills for social purposes.
A very positive message.
The jiu-jitsu, therefore, is not simply.” combat training and you don’t run out by mastering training or other cultivation if you don’t achieve something higher; because to serve society in the truest sense of the word, you need considerable ingenuity and skill, which are above mere training.” (J.Kano, Founder’s Writings: Judo Kyohon).
This approach has a very ancient history and is linked to the theory of the three phases, each of which is functional to the others creating in some way a “magical” circle, a real philosophical approach to life, a lifestyle to improve yourself is all that surrounds you.
The three theorized phases are:
The Lower Phase
In the lower stage you learn the art of attack and defense.
Think, just the part you’ve been passionate about the most call it the inner phase.
This phase is the real study of combat.
Some consider this the most important part, confusing the medium with the goal, thus limiting the practice to the mere art of combat, an effective way to impose on others, and causing the discipline to lose dignity.
I want to be honest with you, I am very interested in this phase!. But it’s my research and also my way of exorcising my fears.
However, it’s not just about fighting the Jiu Jitsu.
The lower stage has the great educational purpose of teaching to fight, leaving the student the task of facing a real opponent first and then moving on to the adversity of life.
You leave this stage only when the workout acquires the goal of giving benefits to the body and your personality, going beyond the martial purposes of combat.
Jiu Jitsu uses combat to educate your spirit.
The Average Phase
This part is mainly concerned with physical education or, rather, the formation of the individual.
In the vision of the best use of energy for physical training it grows in tandem with what is called respect for the body.
A person who practices jiu-jitsu differs in the quality and harmony of his actions and for the care he reserves for maintaining a balanced state of health and good physical efficiency.
The meaning of this new way of understanding physical education is to be healthy to be useful.
At this stage, however, we are not only concerned with physical training but also of cultivating the mind and spirit, using every opportunity and useful circumstance during training.
The Higher Phase
Here we come to the stage where the main theme is to serve society, that is, to make the most effective use of your physical and mental capacity obtained in the two previous phases, namely the improvement of oneself to improve society.
The ethical ideal of those who practice jiu-jitsu is to contribute to the growth of humanity.
An altruistic message, a universal message.
Now even if you practice Jiu Jitsu you may not have known this theory that somehow is a responsibility, a lifestyle that you have to apply if you want to live this fantastic discipline in 360 degrees.
Jiu Jitsu for life!!.
Andrea
