Snowboarding and BJJ
If you’ve been reading my blogging awhile, you know that I love both BJJ and snowboarding. It’s why I named my original blog “B Stuff Etc”, I blogged about BJJ, (snow)boarding, and Business school (which I’m not loving). So, since the school term is now over and I have all these extra hours available again, I’m starting my snowboarding season. Sweet!! I’m off for a day trip to the mountains today.
Anyway, I got to thinking about BJJ and boarding. I haven’t done both for too long and I love them both. Besides those, I saw a few other similarities with my favorite athletic past times:
1. Base and balance. You need them for both activities. A good base is important in BJJ since it protects you from sweeps and attacks. In snowboarding, it’s important cuz without it you’ll wipe out and not have a good time. Balance is key.
2. Chill. In both, you need to relax and breathe. If you force something too much, things won’t go your way. You need to learn to go with the flow since you can’t control everything, whether it’s the terrain of the mountain or the person that’s pinning you on the mat & smothering you.
3. Control. You can’t control everything, but you need to control the things that are, well, under your control. In both the slopes and the mats, it is the difference with avoiding injury to yourself and to others.
4. Taking a hit. Getting hurt isn’t fun but it’s all part of martial arts and snow sports. Whether you eat a knee or plow in the snow, you need to be able to pick yourself up and get going again.
5. Rolling. Rolling makes sense in BJJ. I mean the literal rolling, as in rolling off your shoulder onto your back or feet, not sparring. It’s needed in snowboarding too. I can’t count how many face-plants I’ve avoided by simply rolling off my shoulder…
6. The usual physical attribute stuff. Stuff you generally need in activity things. Endurance, reflexes, practice, heart, rest, safety, common sense, etc…
7. Game plan. Whether it’s a game-plan for a whole roll or just planning how to free a trapped foot in half-guard. Or planning your trails down the mountain or avoiding that oblivious skier on the left.
8. Progression Never Ends. That’s one of Burton’s tag lines for its Learn To Ride program. It’s true on the snow and on the mat.
9. The bottom game. In BJJ you need to learn not to panic when pinned on the bottom. You need to breathe, learn to counter or keep the weight off you, and protect yourself. You’ll need the same things, plus a transceiver if you get stuck in an avalanche.
(That previous sentence is an attempt at humor.)
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