Rolling live Jiujitsu is like submerging leaky bike tires under water. Although we theoretically have more intellectual advance than a bike tire, our leaks reveal themselves as quickly while rolling live. Like water reveals the escaping tire air source, Jiujitsu reveals holes in our game through exposure, strategically and technically, as well as our physical weaknesses or injury.
During warmups, technical instruction and drilling, it’s easy enough to find our own leaks and adjust to keep moving around them. We can find them without the pressure of live rolling, and we should use this chance beforehand. Because in live rolling, the leaks will find us. Like putting a banged up bike tire underwater with some pressure, our personal bangups get shown to us, whether we were aware of them or not. The water doesn’t lie, and neither do the mats.
We should balance honest self evaluation with the pressure testing of live rolling.
Before we enter each class, have we reflected on any strategic or technical weaknesses revealed to us prior? Any bangups or strains we’re bringing in before bow-in?
During warmups and technique, and right up until live rolling, have we been actively testing our body while it’s in motion?
Gathering the intel, during the car ride or walk, the warmups and techs, prepares you for battle through heightened awareness, providing us higher ground for the battles, and most importantly, safer in each of them.