“In Jiu Jitsu there is no losing. You either win or you learn” – Rickson Gracie

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an Art laden with contradictions: You try to choke and joint lock people that often become some of your closest friends, you are super polite and respectful to the self-same people prior to trying your hardest to (almost) maim them, the aches, pains, and scars are worn as badges of honor and signs of resilience; the list can go on, replete with ever so slightly nuanced truths that seem like madness to the outside observer. One of the oddest ones, however, lies at the core of what we do. While a huge part of Jiu Jitsu fundamentals lie in making you as comfortable as possible in uncomfortable positions (hearkening back to Helio Gracie’s famous quote on eventually finding a way to win if you can simply not lose in a match for long enough), there is always a quick and simple way to end the pressure/pain/discomfort: Tapping. Should no hand be free to signal to your partner that you had had enough of a particular sequence, the foot or your voice are good substitutes. However you decide to say “No more,” there is no shame in tapping – you simply were put into a bad spot, could not find your way out of it in time, and have a few more chains of events to draw from in order to improve your training. It is said that the road to black belt is paved with 10,000 taps, so one could not be faulted for even being eager to find training partners that continually coax the submissions out of you, speeding you on your journey. So what’s wrong with tapping?

Seemingly, more than I thought. It is a conundrum I am faced with daily: I am training hard, I want to progress, I want to show myself and my peers that I have made strides, it was just a momentary lack of focus, I really am better than this, I usually have this person’s number every other time we roll…get the gist? There are a lot of “I’s” in those statements, and they belie a shortsightedness that haunts every person that steps on the mat at one time or other. It is my earnest attempt at warning you away from falling into this ego trap which brings me here. So repeat after me: Tapping is ok. Tapping is expected. If you are not tapping regularly then you aren’t rolling with the right crowd. And if a lower belt or someone you secretly do not consider on your level catches you in something? Tap! And then give them an emphatic message of encouragement. Why? Because more than likely, YOU had something to do with them catching you. And not, not in the “I was daydreaming and then oh goodness an armbar out of nowhere!” sort of way. But all those hard rolls where you kept chain tapping that person? You were teaching them. They were tapping. They were learning. And isn’t that one of the fundamental things that keep us coming back, and makes us miss that home gym that we finally settle into if the unfortunate should occur and we have to leave it? The camaraderie, the shared learning experiences, the bonds you can forge only when constantly pushing and getting pushed to that limit, with the understood safety net of the tap ensuring that we can continue to go as hard as our bodies will allow for yet another round?

Write down a list of things that take precedence over your BJJ practice. And no, this is not one of those trick questions where I start to remotely shame you for having am empty list (but conversely, if your list is fairly short like my own, you should not feel bad either!). Did any of you write “Silly injuries caused by ego” on there? No? Are you sure? It’s just us…but I’ll let that one simmer. As we all evolve personal, practical viewpoints on our shared passion, it is often said that the list does, in fact, start to shrink. Why would anyone then, in their right mind, forgo a tap and then be sidelined for any amount of time. I want to roll forever, and if that means tipping my hat via an early tap, then so be it. At least I can come right back and see about fixing the flaws in my game that lead me there. We practice the Arte Suave, the Gentle Art my friends, and while we all know how much of a misnomer this is at times, let’s not make it harder on our joints than it absolutely has to be.

Hope this helped, see you on the mats!