Complexity keeps me there ...

The simplicity of BJJ got me there ... it is what attracted me. With only very little BJJ training, I was able to effectively and relatively easily dominate in one-on-one fights with larger and stronger opponents. The simplicity of a fundamental BJJ Gameplan - (positional control - then finish) really appealed to me; it was tested on multiple occasions, and I prevailed every time. A huge return on time invested. BUT ... the effectiveness and simplicity of BJJ was NOT what has kept me there - training week after week for these past 27 years! What kept me there was the complexity of the art.

BJJ is endlessly fascinating. Every week, we unearth a new development; perhaps a new technique we have never seen; or even more fascinating to me, a new 'nuance' or 'detail' that improves something we are already familiar with.

To again wheel out the old 'chess analogy' - even a little knowledge, when pitted against someone with no knowledge, allows us to prevail. But of course, the real fun is to be had against a knowledgable opponent - move vs countermove - the unfolding of strategy - gain through sacrifice - etc.  Chess has a depth to it - a complexity that pulls people in for a lifetime; and so too does BJJ. Mathematically, BJJ has far more 'possibility' than chess - infinitely more ways a contest can unfold - and other factors coming into play like strength, fitness, etc.

BJJ is on one hand - beautifully simple - but the complexity is where the real 'gold' lies. That layer of 'invisible nuance' that we can 'mine' into and in doing so, come to learn not only more about how the art 'works' - but more importantly, we can learn more, much more, about how we ourselves work.

JBW