Jiu-jitsu and ego

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Somehow "leave your ego at the door" is never a problem for judo. All judoka I've met never tried to "prove" anything on the mat. I did not see them getting angry or frustrated losing to a lower belt at randori either. Two very similar sports with so different practitioners.

Is this just my experience?
 
Russky said:
Somehow "leave your ego at the door" is never a problem for judo. All judoka I've met never tried to "prove" anything on the mat. I did not see them getting angry or frustrated losing to a lower belt at randori either. Two very similar sports with so different practitioners.

Is this just my experience?
Click to expand...
I think so. We have a judo program here and this one green belt kid who looked like he was 16 was trying to toss everyone as hard as he could. I matched his intensity and was asked to slow down... (I suck at judo, but I'm a big guy lol) The next randori he power kicked my friend in the nuts doing an uchi mata... I think it's just people man.
 
Russky said:
Somehow "leave your ego at the door" is never a problem for judo. All judoka I've met never tried to "prove" anything on the mat. I did not see them getting angry or frustrated losing to a lower belt at randori either. Two very similar sports with so different practitioners.

Is this just my experience?
Click to expand...

it happens in all combat sports..
 
Russky said:
Somehow "leave your ego at the door" is never a problem for judo. All judoka I've met never tried to "prove" anything on the mat. I did not see them getting angry or frustrated losing to a lower belt at randori either. Two very similar sports with so different practitioners.

Is this just my experience?
Click to expand...

First, nobody wins or loses in randori.

Second there is something about being thrown hard multiple times that keeps ego in check more so than getting tapped over and over.

The thought of flying through the air with no warning and hitting the ground hard is terrifying, and the fear of that tends to keep humility in most judo players who are just entering the art.
 
Russky said:
Somehow "leave your ego at the door" is never a problem for judo. All judoka I've met never tried to "prove" anything on the mat. I did not see them getting angry or frustrated losing to a lower belt at randori either. Two very similar sports with so different practitioners.

Is this just my experience?
Click to expand...

I don't know if it's just yours, but it's certainly not mine. I found Judo guys (including myself when I was still competing in Judo) to be very egotistical and have a huge amount of pride about not getting thrown. It was always balls to the wall doing randori with anyone decent. Even today, if I pair up with a younger guy, it's almost always a fight to the death. Only older men, kids, and women want to go at lower intensity and don't mind taking falls.
 
It is very hard to have success without some level of ego. Simply accepting failure and quickly moving on, in theory, should work but it doesnt. There has to be a level of competitiveness in training that hones your sharpness and aggressiveness. This cannot be done without some level of ego.

I believe most BJJ practioners interchange egotism or conceit with ego. If you truly left your ego at the door, you would be completely unable to define what you as an athlete need to do at practice to improve, how to differentiate what you think is happening from what is actually happening, and you would go straight to caveman mode.
 
Russky said:
Somehow "leave your ego at the door" is never a problem for judo. All judoka I've met never tried to "prove" anything on the mat. I did not see them getting angry or frustrated losing to a lower belt at randori either. Two very similar sports with so different practitioners.

Is this just my experience?
Click to expand...
I have that exact same experience.
 
Russky said:
Somehow "leave your ego at the door" is never a problem for judo. All judoka I've met never tried to "prove" anything on the mat. I did not see them getting angry or frustrated losing to a lower belt at randori either. Two very similar sports with so different practitioners.

Is this just my experience?
Click to expand...
It must be the local culture of the sport, because I can tell you that we've got literally tens of Judo guys coming at BJJ classes and for some reason they are all and always on full smashing mode, which is a problem when they roll against white belts.
 
Zefram Cochrane said:
It must be the local culture of the sport, because I can tell you that we've got literally tens of Judo guys coming at BJJ classes and for some reason they are all and always on full smashing mode, which is a problem when they roll against white belts.
Click to expand...

This has pretty much been my experience as well.
 
Dirty Holt said:
It is very hard to have success without some level of ego. Simply accepting failure and quickly moving on, in theory, should work but it doesnt. There has to be a level of competitiveness in training that hones your sharpness and aggressiveness. This cannot be done without some level of ego.

I believe most BJJ practioners interchange egotism or conceit with ego. If you truly left your ego at the door, you would be completely unable to define what you as an athlete need to do at practice to improve, how to differentiate what you think is happening from what is actually happening, and you would go straight to caveman mode.
Click to expand...

So true. Almost all successful athletes have huge egos. That doesn't mean they don't train hard or aren't open minded about learning or are bad training partners, but it does mean that they want very badly to be the best and they aren't willing to just brush off and forget losses. Feeling like you have something to prove is a huge motivator, and frankly anyone who goes into competition not caring about whether they win or lose shouldn't be doing it. Competition is largely about ego, it's nothing but a proving ground to figure out who's the best. That's purely egoistic (not egotistic).
 
"You have to hate losing more than you enjoy winning" - Can't remember.

Rings true for success. Most of my biggest victories and learning obstacles came out of me refusing to lose to someone vs using better XYZ
 
Thrawn33 said:
First, nobody wins or loses in randori.

Second there is something about being thrown hard multiple times that keeps ego in check more so than getting tapped over and over.

The thought of flying through the air with no warning and hitting the ground hard is terrifying, and the fear of that tends to keep humility in most judo players who are just entering the art.
Click to expand...
Zefram Cochrane said:
It must be the local culture of the sport, because I can tell you that we've got literally tens of Judo guys coming at BJJ classes and for some reason they are all and always on full smashing mode, which is a problem when they roll against white belts.
Click to expand...

I don't think its an ego thing, but more of how most competitive players train. Judo practices are only a step below wrestling in intensity.

Newaza randori is usually more explode and smash than a bjj roll
 
Bjj gyms tend to suffer from big fish small pond syndrome as well as gym hero'itus.
 
I have yet to meet these mystical egoless creatures.

It's all well and good until some lower belt gets lucky or maybe you are the lower belt. Now you are screwed. lol

Shit rolls downhill, nobody likes to lose.
 
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