Printable View
think about it, on sportscenter when an athlete from another sport gets hurt, and then returns into the game after the injury, the announcer always jokes "he's tough, he's a hockey player" showing that its a well accepted fact that of the 'traditional' team sports, hockey players are amongst the most mentally and phyically tough. to me that mental toughness one gets from playing years of ice hockey, translates perfect to the mental toughness and patience one needs for jiu jitsu.
They get insane thigh musculature and balance. :) I have a friend that did hockey first and traditional jiu jitsu afterwards. He doesn't even show up at the gym, but he's still a handful. I can get him in top control fairly easy, but going for his legs is pure hell for some reason, hehe! Well, I'd say balance and leg strength.. And sure, toughness as well! Won't be starting Hockey tho..
I think any medium to high level athlete can take something from there sport and apply it to bjj.
Agreed, I think that playing any sport at a relative high competitive level not only gives you the competitive mindset, but you've probably trained pretty hard and have built up some sort of speed, agility, power to give you the upper hand in any situationQuote:
Originally Posted by MikeW
You can hit a hockey player with everything but the kitchen sink and they still keep coming, tough mother fuckers man.
Anything that you have excelled at previously translates, I believe.
For instance, I view almost everything in jiu jitsu through a musical filter, because that was the first thing I truly excelled at. Timing, pace, an obsession with minutiae; these things come more easily for me than for most because they are essential for any level of mastery with an instrument. However, athletic movements, explosion, aggression, and the need to compete are things I have to manufacture artificially. As Herzog says, "Brandon, you've learned jiu jitsu backwards." :) This is something I have to give myself a pep talk about daily. Eventually, it will start to feel natural to be the aggressor.
As adaptable beings we learn how to learn, and we learn to do so in the most efficient way possible. Each thing or idea we have "mastered" teaches us an easier path to mastery of whatever new thing or idea we are presented with.
I highly recommend "The Art Of Learning" by Josh Waitzkin (a newly minted Marcelo Garcia Black Belt, coincidentally) for an incredibly intriguing look at this idea.
At the end of the day, Jiu Jitsu is both "martial" and "art," and each of us will have a natural proclivity towards one side or the other. Jiu Jitsu is giving and taking; war and peace; aggression and passiveness; ying and yang. We all have to find a way to strike harmony and balance in our own training and, consequently, our own lives to begin to breech the true depths of the art. We must be both Martial and Artist. Jiu Jitsu is both deeply personal and universal all at once. It's beautiful.
So yeah, hockey translates directly.
Leg kicks have a profound effect on Hockey players or anyone for that matter that doesn't condition their legs for impact.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyle Spalla
...So i don't enjoy getting kicked in the legs...Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh Passini
played hockey in highschool. people at my gym have given me compliments on how explosive my shots are. I think some of this is attributed to the pushing off of the backleg for torque, that is familiar to hockey players when skating. I also have above average takedown defense.
I think if you have played any sport, you are just more "in touch" with how your body moves if any of you know what I mean.
my buddy was lifelong hockey player that was only 5'7'' and could leg press damn near 1,200 lbs. I'd say his leg are conditioned lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh Passini