Friendship in Jiu Jitsu
What Makes It So Special
"Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery…” - Hermione Granger
Why Friendships in Jiu Jitsu Are Special:
There is no lying in jiu jitsu (lots of laying though). People can feel how you are feeling because you are literally touching each other. This creates opportunities for authentic communication (if you let it happen).
You see the same people at roughly the same time every week, if they come consistently enough. You travel with them to unfamiliar places. You may all even wear the same team uniform. It is perhaps the closest experience to summer camp and college dorm days.
Jiu jitsu exposes your strengths and weaknesses. You start to realize that your strengths can bolster the weaknesses of others, and vice versa. In this way, you gain a sense of purpose through your presence in the class.
Suffering unique scenarios that few people will suffer together, like sweeping yourself in a puddle of sweat, being bonked on your head during a judo drill, and painful fingers.
Your success is directly connected to their success. You learn to teach and give feedback to each other in a way that works for both people involved. For most of us, jiu jitsu is a choice — and when you go to a place where people want to be better by doing things that are hard.