Learning is about listening

Jiujitsu is a lesson in communicating. When I started out I just wanted to be heard, as everyone does, so I spent my time “talking”. As I progress on my journey I am spending a lot more time “listening”.

A person that really hammered this concept home for me was Professor Diego. What’s really cool about working with him is that we have what appear to be completely different physiques and much of what tends to work for people in grappling can be attributed to their body type. Once I started “listening” more in my rolls with Diego I quickly realized how much more we had in common than different.

Despite the fact that he’s 2-3” taller than me and weighs around 50lbs less many of the things that work well for him translate really well for me. For as much as our bodies seem different, in actuality they are quite similar. Long arms, short torso. 

Sometimes we learn best by example. I mimic what the higher belts and my coaches do. It might be ugly and I might fail miserably but sometimes I learn just by doing what they do. Find an example, listen intently, and copy if that’s what you need to do to learn. Over time you will make it your own.

So spend twice as much time listening and half as much time talking if learning is your goal. In life, just as in jiujitsu, no one wants to hear how much you know. The beauty of both is that it’s much easier to just show them exactly what you have learned. Whether it be how to control emotional eating or how to break an arm, it’s all one.