I think the key to Jiu Jitsu is conformity
Weird title right?
If you give me a few seconds I will try to use my overpriced education to explain.
There is a conception of freedom in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (prob the most important work in philosophy) where freedom is not doing what you want. In fact, freedom is about conformity. Conformity to a set of ideals/values you define via your capacity for reason. Sounds stupid right? Ok so imagine Chris Weidman was fighting at 205 and he thought he could beat Anderson Silva if he could make 185. Say he is three weeks into his weight cut and he wants a milkshake. Is he free if he drinks the milkshake b/c he is doing what he wants, or is he more free if he sticks to his diet and makes his dream of becoming champion a reality? For Kant, obeying your appetites (like a desire to drink a milkshake while on a diet, to quit in sparring when you gas out, to be lazy and skip practice) is not real freedom. True freedom is using your rational mind to discover the proper ideals/values, and then conform your life to them.
I don't claim to know that much about Eddie but he has been my Jiu Jitsu instructor for about a year and a half now. I feel like Eddie is the ultimate conformist. Watching Eddie do a defense/escape drill is fucking crazy. I feel like the dude refuses to give into his appetite to quit, or rest, or take the path of least resistance or whatever you want to call it. The same goes for the clinching style. When I really squeeze for long periods of time, my muscles scream at me to let go, but I think if you want to survive a fight as a grappler at this point in time, your game has to be based on avoiding punches. The weird thing is that Eddie practices the clinching style day in/out even though there aren't any punches thrown in practice.
I always had an idea of Eddie as a rebel, but I now think that is wrong. For example, with the whole ditching the gi issue, I think the natural appetite is to not make waves and not have an army of people in your martial art hate you.....but, the ideal behind Jiu Jitsu is to practice the most effective techniques for grappling and submitting your opponent in a real life situation. The fact is training in a gi hinders your ability to properly prepare for a fight. If that isn't your ideal, that is fine, not everybody has to do bjj b/c it is the most effective way of winning a fight. But, if that is your ideal, to give into the appetite for acceptance is not true freedom according to Kant.
If this sounds like blowing smoke up Eddie's ass you really don't know me, and I trust Eddie enough to call me out and put me in my place as he regularly does at hq with many things (the warm ups are the most recent example). It's food for thought and the way I think about things, thanks if you took the time to read this. If it sounds stupid just brush it off, I'm not asking anyone to see the world the way I do. I am raising a 5 year old son and trying to teach him how to be a good man. In order for me to do that, I have to figure out how to be a good man myself and hopefully I will before I turn 100 :) What is crazy to me is Jiu Jitsu is the best thing I've ever done in that pursuit which is weird b/c I had no idea when I started, I just wanted to be able to defend myself/family :)
