Orwell, war and jiu jitsu: The great English writer, George Orwell, once defined warfare (he fought in the Spanish Civil war) as ninety five percent complete mundane boredom and five percent pure terror and fear. Those extremes are equally represented in jiu jitsu – though with tension and RELAXATION replacing boredom and terror. In sparring and competition, the majority of any given match should be fought in a state of relative physical calm and relaxation so as to conserve energy and create efficient movement. However, when the opportunity presents itself for a major advance or total victory – there must be a flip of the switch and total physical commitment to the move with big power outlays as long as it takes to get the job done or there is a possibility of follow up attacks should it fail. If it does fail, the switch must be turned off and a return to relaxed state must be made. This constant interchange between long periods of relative relaxation and short periods of maximal effort is a big part of jiu jitsu mastery. learning to balance them is a great factor in determining your efficiency. Learning the physical skills of the sport is one thing – but putting them in the context of efficient pacing and tension levels is quite another. Here, Garry Tonon is seen in a moment of maximum tension as he applies a match winning heel hook on Zack Maxwell at a Metamoris event. The power of isometric tension and bodily extension is clearly evident here.
