Brawl at baseball game in US: acts of aggression can happen anywhere, as Professor Ryan Hall found out. Photo: Site Banned in Hollywood.

Jiu-Jitsu requires dedication; that’s why it’s so good for the mind and soul.

Jiu-Jitsu requires effort, and that’s why it’s so good for your physical form and has helped thousands of people lose 20, 30, even 40 kilos.

Jiu-Jitsu requires a master and partners; that’s why it makes you lifelong friends.

The best of all: everything Jiu-Jitsu demands of you is paid back in full, almost always with interest and adjusted for inflation. A high-yield investment, that is.

“When you’re down and have suffered a loss is when you really feel the good Jiu-Jitsu does you,” Marcio Feitosa often says, the teacher at and director of the Gracie Barra school network having practiced the art since he was a kid.

MARTIAL ARTS FOR WHEN YOU’RE DOWN IN THE DUMPS

“The art and constant learning in schools get you back on your feet after taking one of life’s hard knocks much quicker than non-Jiu-Jitsu practitioners do. I’ve seen that thousands of times,” adds Feitosa.

It is, thus, during life’s darker moments that Jiu-Jitsu shows its might. Moments we avoid, that we battle to never let happen, but that happen when we least expect it nevertheless. Like what happened to the black belt Ryan Hall during what up until then had been a pleasant dinner.

Ryan Hall, though, had the good fortune of having practiced Jiu-Jitsu for years on end. What do you say, gentle reader: when the shit hits the fan for real, are you ready to stand tall? Are you ready to defend yourself? What about your sons and daughters? If you don’t have the answer to these questions on the tip of your tongue, it’s time to give Jiu-Jitsu a chance in your life.

(Writer’s note—I beg the forgiveness of anyone offended by the four-letter word in the title, but there just wasn’t any better way of putting it, was there? Either way, I only published the obscenity after reading it in an article by the respected Brazilian anthropologist and professor Roberto DaMatta in Wednesday’s O Globo newspaper. If a master can use the word “shit” at the right time, we’re free to do it too, just in moderation. Again, sorry.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJX9QnrZtfc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5xBhU5b4pg

Higa with Master De La Riva / Photo: personal archive

Adilson Higa, a black belt from Campo Grande, Brazil, suffered a serious accident two years ago that put him in a coma and cost him his arm. But becoming an amputee didn’t diminish his desire to compete in Jiu-Jitsu.

The teacher was featured on Brazilian television program Globo Esporte, where he told of how the hardship he faced early on was in dealing with grips.

“Necessity brought me to developing a number of positions, like one where I pull my opponent’s head downwards to get him to walk. When he walks, I go in with a classic De La Riva guard position,” the teacher explained to Globo.

The effort panned out. Higa has won a number of medals and trophies since the accident, which left him in coma for around a month.

“You only really do things well when you’re happy, and I’m happy in this new stage in my life. The job is well done, well directed and well supervised.”

The next challenge in the master’s sights is the Brazilian Nationals, which takes place this weekend in Rio de Janeiro. Higa says he is not competing out of obligation, but rather sees it as a personal challenge.

“I proved everything I had to prove. The important part is going out there and stepping on the mat. That will be a victory to me,” he says, providing an example of overcoming hardship and motivation to his students. Check out some of his training in the video below, and show up at Tijuca gymnasium to applaud him next weekend.