help your wind on the mat like more mat time in fact, and that various other types of endurance in other sports don’t always immediately translate into mat endurance.

Endurance is definitely the attribute that is most worth training in my opinion, as it’s never used as a substitute for technique, however the lack of endurance often makes it more difficult to accomplish technique!

Size: Size is definitely an attribute, but unlike the other attributes on this list, it’s one that really can’t be trained. Jiu Jitsu techniques are theoretically supposed to work for all body types, we all know through experience that certain maneuvers favor certain body types. The key is to look at your body type (whatever your body type) as an advantage, and then adjust your game plan accordingly. If you really believe you have a below average body type for Jiu Jitsu, then I challenge you to have above average technique.


• A Further Look at Skills

Judo: It’s often been said that Judo is the prefect compliment to Jiu Jitsu. Many of the techniques are the same as a matter of fact, and there is some argument that the arts are in fact two sides of the same coin. I think the safest thing to say is that while many of the techniques are the same; there is a difference between the core philosophies.

From the beginning Judo starts on the feet and gets to the ground later, Jiu Jitsu starts on the ground and works its way back to the feet in most cases. Technically the arts may be extremely similar. But one has to understand that there are often two different philosophies at work depending on the situation. Those philosophies dictate the technique, not vice versa. So an important thing for judoka to understand is the Jiu Jitsu mentality (discussed last article) when training Jiu Jitsu. Jiu Jitsu practitioners need to understand the Judo philosophy when training Judo. Depending on your situation will call for when which philosophy is used. In other words, while the beginning and middle of the matches may have the same philosophies, the end game is decidedly different.

Does this mean Judo needs Jiu Jitsu and vice versa? Again, I think it depends on your situation and what you’re looking to get out of the art(s). So I’m not going to engage in what I believe is another pointless Judo vs. Jiu Jitsu debate. An open-minded person will see the value of all grappling training and becoming skilled in as many options as possible. One thing is for certain, if most of your moves are dependant on being on the ground, you better have a good plan as to how to take your opponent to the ground.


Wrestling: The comparison between Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling is less obvious, but any grappler will tell you that a skilled wrestler without any submission skills is still a very tough opponent. Aside from the uniforms, the most obvious difference in philosophies between wrestling and Jiu Jitsu is that a wrestler never wants to be on their back, as they will lose a match this way, where as a Jiu Jitsu artist has no problem being on their back. (When I’ve attended straight up wrestling practices I had to fight the overwhelming urge to simply flop to my back).

Aside from being grappling arts, there are a number of specific skills that wrestling teaches that carry over very well into Jiu Jitsu. The concepts of safety and posture are drilled just the same in wrestling as they are in Jiu Jitsu. As such wrestlers often enter Jiu Jitsu class with tremendous base already, and many fundamental concepts such as control firmly entrenched. The trick is changing the emphasis once again from pinning to submission. Once again, while the beginning and middle of the matches may have the same philosophies (albeit modified techniques), the end game is decidedly different.

It also goes without saying as well, that if your game plan is dependant on being on the ground, you better have an excellent plan on how to take your opponent to the ground, and wrestling provides this.

TMA: A lot of the marketing behind Jiu Jitsu points out the fact that your Traditional Martial Arts are useless in a real fight and largely a waste of time. While that type of marketing is useful when attempting to reach students who have not necessarily trained in anything, I’m willing to bet that this is a tactic that will rub a lot of potential Jiu Jitsu students, who have happened to train in one of those TMA’s the wrong way. While I could write another series of columns on the practicality and reality of self defense, and my opinions on the subject, I don’t want to be the one to deem something that many people have dedicated large portions of their lives to as being a “waste of time”.

How much of your TMA may actually translate into Jiu Jitsu absolutely varies depending on the art and your experience within it. However the concepts that a good martial art is supposed to develop, discipline, character, dedication and hard work, those qualities that are supposed to carry over to all areas of like, are certainly desirable qualities in a Jiu Jitsu student.

Other: In my years of training, I found that people who are successful in some other pursuit (and these can be as varied as break dancing, chess, poker, football, soccer or whatever) can often become fantastic Jiu Jitsu artists. The key is to realize, that there were certainly qualities in athletic ability or intelligence, combined with hard work and dedication, that lead to those earlier successes, and those same qualities, along with hard work can lead to great things in any other pursuit (including Jiu Jitsu). The myth is that skill in one discipline automatically equates to skill on the mat.


• The One Thing You Can’t Teach

The one thing you can’t teach is heart. I not only consider heart to be gameness in the heat of the battle, I also consider heart to be a day in, day out attribute shown in the willingness to work and improve. I will take heart over anything else to be honest, as it’s what makes fighters.


• The Perfect Student

Or at least the easiest student to teach is the one who is a blank slate. The perfect student is a shapeless lump of clay, ready to be molded into the image of the perfect Jiu Jitsu fighter.

That student does not exist of course. Everyone comes into Jiu Jitsu not only with different expectations of the arts, but different strengths and weaknesses. A good mentor will recognize this (you remember article 1 on Mentorship, right?) and work with the student in order to improve their Jiu Jitsu.

Every