“Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct.”
- Obi Wan Kenobi
“Flow with the Go.”
- Rickson Gracie
A Larger World
When I was young, I wanted to be a Jedi. I wanted to use the Force. I wanted a lightsaber. I was thrilled at the idea of fighting battles - to engage good vs evil, to visit distant cultures on far away planets. I wanted an adventure with good friends. And man, did I want my own spaceship.
Looking back, the spaceship meant independence. A far away culture offered opportunities to constantly experience something new. And being a Jedi meant learning and maintaining a discipline. All of this, it offered a purpose. The world within Star Wars created an incredible lens through which to see the world. I was hooked.
Not surprisingly, it didn’t happen. I didn’t learn to use the Force and I didn’t get my own spaceship. I did spend my life pursuing the dream though.
Star Wars had a major impact on my childhood, my life and my personality. In many ways, it was my first step into a larger world. And like the culture I now live within, Japan, it was ancient and futuristic.
I have spent a lifetime making good friends. I have spent more than half of my life in a culture far away from where I was born. But it is only in this later chapter in my life that I have found Jiu-Jitsu. It is something that came into my life on the backend of it, after I had turned 50. It is also something that came into my life once I was ready for it, both physically and mentally.
Jiu-Jitsu
Jiu-Jitsu, like many martial arts, offers purpose. It offers a roadmap on how to move through the present as you build something within yourself for the future. And it offers a means to gauge your own conduct and physical pursuits against peers within the same discipline. It not only tests those of us that train within it, but it prepares us for those tests and provides us with principles and skills that we can use throughout our life in multiple domains. It allows us to see life from new angles. It allows us to use a Force, of sorts, even if it not the Force.
Mentors
My first step into the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu came through Rickson Gracie and the book that he wrote about his life, Breathe: A Life in Flow. We all need an Obi Wan in our lives. In 2022, Rickson Gracie became my Obi-Wan Kenobi. He introduced me to new possibilities. He showed me a way to attain new abilities.
The Power of Story
When I was a child of 6 years old in 1977, I saw Star Wars for the first of many times in the movie theater. This film changed my life. The messages, the design, the story and the characters in that film resonated with me and millions of other kids. For younger people today it is difficult to express just how impactful the world of this film was on American culture and the psyche of the children from this time period. I wanted to be of this world. I wanted to be a Jedi. Like everyone, what I wanted was a story.
Today, many people are being introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and it is resonating within them in much the same way that Star Wars resonated with parts of the general public back in the late 1970s. It is a world that people want to live and breathe within. They want to live a story filled with purpose and meaning.
Part of what contributed to the success of Star Wars was the fact that it incorporated the power of myth into its storytelling framework. And myth, as has been greatly written about by Joseph Campbell and many others, has powerful tools to convey societal values, cultural knowledge and a larger sense of purpose. Campbell says this of the hero’s journey for which he most famously wrote about:
“Where we had thought to travel outward, we will come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the world."
Part of this deeper connection to the world at large and to a deeper self within us it accomplished through the hero’s journey.
The Hero’s Journey
The hero's journey is a narrative structure that follows a hero through an adventure of transformation filled with challenges, growth, and self-discovery. By the end of the journey the hero has undergone a profound change or realization.
Much has already been written about the hero’s journey, so I will not delve deeply into that here. The hero’s journey exists in many forms throughout many cultures, many time periods and many modern day films. In each form the hero experiences a similar path comprised of the following elements within the journey:
1. The Call to Adventure:
The hero is presented with a challenge.
2. Refusal of the Call:
The hero resists the call.
3. Meeting the Mentor:
The hero encounters a guide.
4. Crossing the Threshold:
The hero leaves their familiar world and enters the unknown.
5. Tests, Allies and Enemies:
The hero faces challenges, forms alliances and confront enemies along the journey.
6. Approach the Inmost Cave:
The hero approaches a dangerous or challenging situation.
7. Orderal:
The hero endures a significant test or crisis.
8. Reward:
The hero overcomes the ordeal and receives a reward.
9. The Road Back:
The hero returns to their world, transformed with the knowledge they have gained from the journey.
10. Resurrection:
The hero faces one final test.
11. Return with the Elixir:
The hero returns to their ordinary world with wisdom and lessons from the journey.
Watch Star Wars and you will easily be able to map this journey onto the film.
The Jiu-Jitsu Journey
This path can also be applied to learning Jiu-Jitsu:
The Call to Adventure:
The practitioner is presented with the challenge of starting their Jiu-Jitsu journey, whether it's out of curiosity, a desire for self-improvement, or the pursuit of martial arts mastery.
Refusal of the Call:
Initially, the practitioner may resist the call to begin training in Jiu-Jitsu, feeling intimidated by the unknown or uncertain about their abilities.
Meeting the Mentor:
The practitioner encounters a skilled instructor or experienced training partner who serves as a guide, providing guidance, support, and wisdom to help them navigate the complexities of Jiu-Jitsu.
Crossing the Threshold:
The practitioner leaves behind their familiar world and enters the world of Jiu-Jitsu, stepping onto the mat for the first time and embracing the challenges and opportunities that await them.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies:
Along the journey, the practitioner faces various tests, challenges and obstacles on the mat. They form alliances with fellow practitioners, learn from experienced training partners and confront their own limitations and weaknesses.
Approach the Inmost Cave:
The practitioner approaches the "inmost cave" of their Jiu-Jitsu journey, facing a particularly difficult technique, sparring partner or competition that pushes them to their limits.
Ordeal:
The practitioner endures a significant test or crisis, whether it's a challenging belt promotion test, a grueling tournament match or a setback in their training journey.
Reward:
Despite the challenges and obstacles, the practitioner perseveres and overcomes the ordeal, gaining valuable insights, skills and personal growth in the process.
The Road Back:
With newfound confidence and knowledge, the practitioner returns to their ordinary world outside of the dojo, transformed by their experiences on the mat and ready to apply what they've learned to their daily life.
Resurrection:
The practitioner faces one final test or challenge, demonstrating their mastery of Jiu-Jitsu and their ability to overcome adversity.
Return with the Elixir:
The practitioner returns to the Jiu-Jitsu community, sharing their wisdom, experiences, and lessons learned from their journey with fellow practitioners. They become a mentor and guide for others on their own Jiu-Jitsu journey.
Similarities of Jedi and Jiu-Jitsuka
So what is the significance of Star Wars and the hero’s journey in relation to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? The path for the Jedi and the path for the Jiu-Jitsu practioner, or Jiu-Jitsuka, each emphasize discipline, resilience, and a commitment to continuous learning and personal development. Within the world of Star Wars the Force is an energy field that binds the galaxy together and grants Jedi extraordinary abilities. Within Jiu-Jitsu, the art is often spoken about as a transformative force that connects mind, body and spirit to enable Jiu-Jitsuka the ability to overcome opponents through leverage, technique and strategy. Like the Force, Jiu-Jitsu empowers individuals to achieve seemingly impossible feats through focused training and the mastery of its principles.
Let’s look at 6 similarities between Jedi and Jiu-Jitsuka.
Mastery of Technique
Both Jiu-Jitsuka and Jedi dedicate themselves to mastering their respective arts. Jiu-Jitsuka train extensively in grappling techniques, submissions and positional control, while Jedi train with the use of lightsabers for combat, the use of Force abilities and the use of martial arts forms. Both seek to achieve mastery over their skills through disciplined practice and training. Jedi use the Force to predict the movements of an adversary and Jiu-Jitsuka use indicators to predict the movements of an opponent.
Focus and Mindfulness
Jiu-Jitsuka, like Jedi, cultivate focus, mindfulness and presence in their training and practice. They practice remaining calm under pressure, maintaining situational awareness and adapting to changing circumstances during sparring or combat. Both disciplines emphasize the importance of being present in the moment and attuned to surroundings.
Code of Ethics
Jiu-Jitsuka, similar to Jedi, adhere to a code of ethics and principles that govern their conduct both on and off the mat. This can include values such as respect, integrity, humility and self-discipline. Both strive to uphold these principles in their interactions with others and in their pursuit of mastery.
Physical and Mental Conditioning
Both Jiu-Jitsuka and Jedi undergo rigorous physical and mental conditioning to prepare themselves for challenges they may face. Jiu-Jitsuka train to develop strength, agility, endurance, timing and flexibility, while Jedi hone their physical abilities through meditation, martial arts practice and training exercises. Both disciplines emphasize the importance of maintaining peak physical and mental fitness for optimum performance.
Commitment to Service and Protection
Jiu-Jitsuka, like Jedi, often see themselves as protectors and defenders, committed to using their skills for the greater good. They may serve as instructors or mentor younger practitioners. Both Jiu-Jitsuka and Jedi share a sense of duty and responsibility to serve others and to uphold the values of their communities.
Clothing
Jiu-Jitsuka, similar to the Jedi, wear clothing that symbolizes tradition and connects them to the time of their disciplines’ origins. The robes of the Jedi and the gi worn by Jiu-Jitsuka establish uniformity and identity among its members. Both uniforms offer functionality and mobility as well as practicality in combat or sparring. Jiu-jitsuka and the Jedi don their uniform as a mark of membership and commitment to their respective disciplines.
Closing Thoughts
Our teachers can come to us in many forms these days. Star Was was a teacher of sorts to an entire generation of young people. It taught us about the Force and also about myth. It engaged our sense of story and it taught us about a larger world. It tapped into our imaginations and inspired myself and countless others to be Jedi. We learned that fulfilling a deeper role in our own story is possible, but that becoming a Jedi, as in the films, is not. Becoming a Jiu-Jitsuka though, that is possible. And that is the closest you can come to becoming a Jedi and using the Force in real life. The hero’s journey awaits us not only in films and ancient cultures, but in our own lives and in our own stories. Through Jiu-Jitsu we all have the path available to us to live the hero’s journey and to use that path for growth, for self-discovery and for our own personal transformation.
May the Force be with you, or rather…may you flow with the go.
This theme is the stuff of legends !