Your jiu-jitsu: Swiss watch, or Rube Goldberg machine?

Please, PLEASE don’t let your martial art resemble this. -.-

Whether in a movie or a cartoon of some sort, you’ve probably seen a Rube Goldberg machine without knowing its Wikipedia definition, which is: “a machine intentionally designed to perform a simple task in an indirect and overcomplicated fashion.” A picture is worth a thousand words, so check out this guy’s hat on the right. Now maybe you’ve never taken a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class before, maybe you’re a BJJ veteran, maybe you’re a pure beginner, or maybe you’re someone in-between. But no matter where you stand, one of the biggest dangers to your game (or your understanding of the game as an observer) is developing a BJJ style that resembles Pee Wee Herman’s Rube Goldberg breakfast machine. The solution, if you’re into metaphors, is to eventually have a game that resembles a Swiss watch!

There’s nothing wrong with complex, new-school jiu-jitsu . . . as long as you have a foundation of sharp, timeless basics!

Now I know next to nothing about Swiss watches, but I do know that they’re complex, functional, and well-made. Rube Goldberg jiu-jitsu has the complexity part down. But it has . . . trouble with the latter parts (an understatement if there ever was one). However, it’s not as if anyone tries to develop such a game. Instead, this happens when someone new to BJJ tries to imitate a high-level BJJ celebrity or competitor. It can also happen when an advanced practitioner falls into the trap of thinking that “good” jiu-jitsu has to be complex. Well, it can be complex, but more often than not, it doesn’t have to! And if you check out Kron Gracie’s recent battle against Alex Caceres at UFC on ESPN 1, you’ll see that Kron doesn’t use any exotic, multi-staged, inverted jiu-jitsu with more rotations and counter-rotations to count. You can analyze this fight in several ways, but what remains constant are the functional, well-made moves that he applies. The complexity-factor lies in how and when Kron applies them – i.e., in timing and discernment.

People love to be unique and special. There’s nothing wrong with that, and honestly there’s nothing wrong with complex moves in and of themselves. Unfortunately, they sometimes think that being unique and special requires putting exotic flash on a pedestal. If you want to study a complex matter within BJJ, why not study how to apply strong basics with good timing? Because having both is an art that’s harder (yet more rewarding) to master than trying to land a complex move on your training partner while your professor is watching!

Come train at NJ United Mixed Martial Arts and take advantage of our 7-day free trial offer! Whether you’re an aspiring competitor or casual student, you will benefit from training in our friendly, professional, and ego-free environment. Call us at 973-638-1570 to schedule your first class, and visit us on the web at http://www.njunitedmma.com/ for more info.

JJ Mike