Hello again, I hope you enjoyed our first segment about the differing, yet somewhat similar, mindsets in wrestling compared to jiu jitsu. Now I will be describing the difference in atmosphere and attitude. Yes, this is possibly the biggest difference between the two arts, as well as the most intriguing.
In wrestling, I learned that not only do you need to have extreme confidence in yourself to succeed, but you must physically show it. A friend and I who had both wrestled talked about how mean wrestlers are compared to jiu jitsu people. He mentioned one day in BJJ class he pushed a friend of his over as they started to jog for warm ups, and after he did everyone gave him the meanest, dirtiest look they could and he was left confused. Everyone thought he was a jerk. In reality he was used to a more aggressive and competitive atmosphere. See, in wrestling we are taught to think we are the best. This helps instill a very strong confidence. A coach of mine told me "You should always think you are the most badass kid in this room, and that no one can take your spot". In high school wrestling there are 14 spots for the varsity line up, and chances are your weight will only allow you to go for maybe 3 of those spots. So if you don't believe your the baddest kid in the room, then enjoy getting your butt kicked in practice, because most of the backups don't get to see the mat more then 2 or 3 times a year. Yes, wrestlers can seem to be jerks, but that is because any given week a backup could challenge you for your spot, and in 6 minutes or less you could lose your singlet, headgear, bag, girlfriend, and your spot in the varsity line up. So keeping that mean cocky mentality not only keeps your confidence up, but makes others less likely to challenge you for your spot.
Now to turn the table to jiu jitsu. Here, we are not as focused on competing (I understand some schools may be very focused on it, but it's main purpose IS self defense) which leads to a bit more casual atmosphere. When I started participating in jiu jitsu classes, I found it rather odd that people would be willing to give me an inch. In wrestling I was never given this. I quickly learned that jiu jitsu may have a more welcoming environment, but these people were dam sneaky. They would allow me to feel like I obtained a very strong position on them, but then would snatch a quick choke. This would get me frustrated, and would hurt the ego I developed from wrestling. It seems that jiu jitsu may be calmer, and gentler, but you best learn to leave your ego at the door, otherwise your in for one humbling ride. Everyone in a jiu jitsu school is typically very nice, and will greet you in such a manner. But when it's time to hit the grindstone, jiu jitsu can make you very, very frustrated.
So, here is my general analysis of the two:
The key difference between the two atmospheres is that Wrestling creates a very strong confidence through developing a type of ego, where as jiu jitsu breaks a mans ego and allows them to build a confidence through being beat and learning how to develop from there.
- TheBJJWrestler
In wrestling, I learned that not only do you need to have extreme confidence in yourself to succeed, but you must physically show it. A friend and I who had both wrestled talked about how mean wrestlers are compared to jiu jitsu people. He mentioned one day in BJJ class he pushed a friend of his over as they started to jog for warm ups, and after he did everyone gave him the meanest, dirtiest look they could and he was left confused. Everyone thought he was a jerk. In reality he was used to a more aggressive and competitive atmosphere. See, in wrestling we are taught to think we are the best. This helps instill a very strong confidence. A coach of mine told me "You should always think you are the most badass kid in this room, and that no one can take your spot". In high school wrestling there are 14 spots for the varsity line up, and chances are your weight will only allow you to go for maybe 3 of those spots. So if you don't believe your the baddest kid in the room, then enjoy getting your butt kicked in practice, because most of the backups don't get to see the mat more then 2 or 3 times a year. Yes, wrestlers can seem to be jerks, but that is because any given week a backup could challenge you for your spot, and in 6 minutes or less you could lose your singlet, headgear, bag, girlfriend, and your spot in the varsity line up. So keeping that mean cocky mentality not only keeps your confidence up, but makes others less likely to challenge you for your spot.
Now to turn the table to jiu jitsu. Here, we are not as focused on competing (I understand some schools may be very focused on it, but it's main purpose IS self defense) which leads to a bit more casual atmosphere. When I started participating in jiu jitsu classes, I found it rather odd that people would be willing to give me an inch. In wrestling I was never given this. I quickly learned that jiu jitsu may have a more welcoming environment, but these people were dam sneaky. They would allow me to feel like I obtained a very strong position on them, but then would snatch a quick choke. This would get me frustrated, and would hurt the ego I developed from wrestling. It seems that jiu jitsu may be calmer, and gentler, but you best learn to leave your ego at the door, otherwise your in for one humbling ride. Everyone in a jiu jitsu school is typically very nice, and will greet you in such a manner. But when it's time to hit the grindstone, jiu jitsu can make you very, very frustrated.
So, here is my general analysis of the two:
The key difference between the two atmospheres is that Wrestling creates a very strong confidence through developing a type of ego, where as jiu jitsu breaks a mans ego and allows them to build a confidence through being beat and learning how to develop from there.
- TheBJJWrestler