(skip to the linked article)
It's a tad more challenging to find interesting things to blog about when you are not training...at the minute I am doing more posting links and academy information on twitter and on facebook.

I do have an article about swimming for jiu jitsu I am working on and I can tell you my dog is enjoying my not dashing out to train after work these nights.

I am also looking at all the positives that being injured *can* bring. Like learning about healing and your body and developing knowledge that you can give to other people whether it be about exercises or things you are doing to stay living jiu jitsu everyday even when you cannot be training.

And perhaps when you are benched you think (mentalization as we say on the mat) about jiu jitsu and it's role in your life. Or how addicted you are to it.

Why BJJ is Addicting, Maslov and the Hierarchy of Needs, and the Jiu-Jitsu Journey

That is the title and it deals with Dr. Abraham Harold Maslow's (pic) paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” and his idea of self-actualization and the hierarchy of needs.

The author of the article, Roberto Torralbas, opens with
"Not too long ago I started to wonder, Why so many people are addicted to BJJ?  Why do their lives change more and more as they embark on the journey? Why do priorities shift to make more space for BJJ? And why, at the same time, are there some students who never get caught up in the lifestyle and move on?"

later on...

"Some readers who saw the pyramid can probably already think of examples of how Jiu-Jitsu can help at each of those levels. This small discovery and connection to BJJ, while simple, is so enlightening because it easily explains why so many people restructure their lives completely once introduced to a good program that allows them expand on each of those areas."

...The article looks at a Pyramid which has 5 levels of needs and examines how BJJ helps each of these levels.
To me it was a fascinating and easy read. I would like to take on board more of this type of psychology and thought maybe you can relate to this like I did. Or maybe you disagree. You can always leave a comment.

Keep an eye out for this article to appear here on the website but for now you can head to this webpage to read the full article at bjjengineer.net - it's solid.

• 12 Commandments of Jiu Jitsu by Carlos Gracie Sr: (2010-05-07)
• Questions and Answers (2010-03-23)
• The Man In The Arena (2010-03-18)
• Philosophy (2009-11-23)