#243 Jiu Jitsu is Simple

There is a saying in Jiu Jitsu, quoted by the legendary Saulo Ribeiro which I believe holds true to this day. It goes “Jiu Jitsu is simple, we make it complicated”. In your quest for improvement you will find this wisdom to benefit you greatly in a complex topic as Jiu Jitsu that spans a vast array of topics ranging from takedowns to pins and submissions with variables such as body types, flexibility, mat experiences (wrestling or judo) and age, etc.

With all these factors and dynamics at play, simplicity is not to be confused with oversimplification. Oversimplification has shown to lead to lack of understanding of more complex ideas while simplicity stems from having knowledge of such but focusing rather on what is important. An example of oversimplification might be the idea that one should never expose their back to their partner. While this is true in part, sometimes it is necessary in order to escape a pin with the hopes of recovering a guard or offensive position while simplicity might be the idea that as the opponent gets closer to establishing a dominant position, greater risk is necessary to escape and avoid the position. Many of will agree that it will always be of benefit to simplify especially as we become more knowledgeable, not only for our benefit but those we share with.

Out of clutter, find simplicity-Albert Einstein