How to Be Humble In Jiu-Jitsu

Trust me, I know everything.

Photo via Jordan H Foto

When you first come into Jiu-Jitsu, you’re bombarded with ideas about the ego.

You hear about it in Joe Rogan podcasts. You see quotes about it in every Jiu-Jitsu white belt meme. If you’re unlucky, your coach may even lecture you about it before or after a class.

You’re told to “leave your ego at the door”, to “stay humble”, and a bunch of other things that probably sound weird if you’ve come into Jiu-Jitsu off the street just trying to learn self-defense or a new fitness routine.

You just wanted to learn a skill, and now you’re being told all of these life lessons. You’re getting watered-down Zen philosophy from a guy who doesn’t really care how humble you are but just wants you to not be an asshole to your training partners so no one gets hurt.

So how do we meet in the middle? What is the intersection between the ego, success in Jiu-Jitsu, and the humility that people say martial arts is supposed to instill in you?

Let’s talk about ego mania, power, and how it relates to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.