“ Autopilot is great, and removal of thought is one of the highest ideals of training. But removal of thought in the moment must be preceded by purposeful thought beforehand. Chris Matakas
“ Have a clear-cut plan on what you wish to improve, and seek opportunities to improve it. The more conscious and honest we can be about our shortcomings, the more strength we will have to improve them.… Chris Matakas
“ It appears, at least from my perspective, that each and every position in Jiu Jitsu regardless of the seeming complexity is really governed by no more than a handful of minimum viable products. Pursue… Chris Matakas
“ Imagine a true master of the art, someone with complete skill in every aspect of Jiu Jitsu. This master would not force anything. He would simply allow the roll to take whatever form it does, and in e… Chris Matakas
“ In Jiu Jitsu, we often fall into the trap of simply trying a technique "harder," rather than recognizing that it is a poorly chosen tool for the task at hand. Chris Matakas
“ Any advanced student will tell you the best way to recover guard is simply not to get your guard passed in the first place. Chris Matakas
“ We must not learn to try harder. The key is to learn how not to try in the first place. Chris Matakas
“ By becoming a black belt, you will become whatever it is you wanted to be in the first place, and Jiu Jitsu will have served its aim. Chris Matakas
“ Jiu Jitsu can be a source of total transparency such as a mirror, but it takes a conscious choice to see what it has to say. Chris Matakas
“ I have seen far by seeing through the lens of Jiu Jitsu. I have exchanged a great deal of physical health for these insights, and these were trades worth making. My efforts were worth the return. I ha… Chris Matakas
“ We call it training. Not because we are training for Jiu Jitsu. We are training for life. Chris Matakas
“ I wanted to get to the most essential aspect of my being, and look around for a while. I wanted to explore what I am in my most basic self. I wanted to chip away at all of the nonsense I have acquired… Chris Matakas
“ Jiu Jitsu has shown me that we are not confined to the lot which we inherit. We are not bound to these fetters eternally. They are temporal. We can transcend them should we sincerely choose to. Sincer… Chris Matakas
“ If Jiu Jitsu does not make you a better father, son, mother, daughter, wife or husband, you are missing the point. If Jiu Jitsu does not leave you viewing strangers in a kinder light, you are missing… Chris Matakas
“ Jiu Jitsu is meant to serve us, not the other way around. It is meant to make you more of whatever it is you already are. It is meant to separate the wheat from the chaff. It is meant to bring to cons… Chris Matakas
“ We seek to understand Jiu Jitsu as a vehicle to understand ourselves. We have different explicit goals, from getting in shape, learning self-defense or competition, but tacitly we all seek mastery of… Chris Matakas
“ This is the opportunity the fellowship of Jiu Jitsu affords us. To reach our highest potential of self, and then to offer that self to another. Chris Matakas
“ It is fellowship, this most fundamental need on our way toward achieving our highest expression of the human experience, which Jiu Jitsu provides. Chris Matakas
“ Jiu Jitsu provides a place of fellowship that, unfortunately, our society has largely failed to create. Chris Matakas
