“Back in the day”, when there were so few of us training BJJ, there was a sort of secret mysticism to it. Information and training partners were hard to find, and we went to great lengths to find both. We were yearning for the Jiujitsu secrets that would work on anyone, and if we learned it, we’d be set, and would have a permanent advantage over all others.
Clearly that’s not the case today, but it was crazy how just a couple key concepts and haphazard technical ability suddenly put you in the top tier of grappling/fighting then. With this new power came success, in tournaments and backyard scraps. AND with this power came secrecy to protect it. Keeping your BJJ secrets hidden from other competing dojos, and even within their own. There are stories of “spies” joining or visiting another school to steal their secrets, see what they’re working on, so they can bring it back to their home dojo.
But the truth is, whoever is actually putting in the serious work will get the results. Knowledge of any BJJ “secret” is meaningless without the hours of repetition, through drilling/rolling. If you have something so devastating, it won’t be long until they have it too, physics is universal, and it’s not a zero sum game. And for your personal Jiujitsu, you will only get better FASTER by sharing your “secrets”.
“Secrets” are the special sauce of mostly newbies, but can still be found in the higher ranks. The experienced learn that “secrets” come and go, but the true “secret” is no secret at all, and has no frills….it’s the day in and out of the open-minded, welcoming of any technical or philosophical exchange that comes their way, putting them to the test, and sharing what you learn!
Are there secrets you are (intentionally or accidentally) coveting? And how could you share these to improve your game…by improving their’s?