Know Yourself
“I get home from the airport, stuff some food in my mouth, and take a nap before jiu jitsu class. There’s something extra special about doing a jiu jitsu class when you’re tired and jetlagged. It forces you to control your breathing and teaches you to relax and conserve your energy.
“I’ve gone to class sometimes after a brutal kettle bell work out, and it’s a moral victory just to hang on and survive. I think that people who have never experienced that level of exhaustion don’t really know how much shit goes through your mind as your body literally fights for survival.
“There’s one thing if you get tired in a basketball game – someone might dunk on you, or they could dart past you and make you look foolish, but if you get exhausted in a jiu jitsu sparring session it can be quite horrifying. You’re literally fighting for your own survival, and someone is fighting to kill you. They’re on top of you, and they’re trying to choke you to death.
“Of course if you tap out they’ll let go, but that doesn’t really change what’s happening on a psychological level.
“It’s quite an intense battle raging in your mind while this is going on, and quite and exercise to keep it all disciplined and under control while so many systems are firing off red warning lights and sirens. Rickson Gracie, one of my personal heroes said it best, ‘Jiu Jitsu allows you to know yourself in a very deep way.’
“Fuck yeah it does.”
From Joe Rogan’s blog | 09 Feb 2009
Joe Rogan is a comic, actor, and commentator for the UFC. He’s a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
