Changes over time: Ideally you should look at jiu jitsu as a lifetime activity. Of course there will be times you have to train less, or perhaps not at all, life is complicated and uncertain, sometimes our jiu jitsu training will reflect that – but you can always return and resume. An interesting facet of life time training is the changes that occur naturally to our game over time. Sometimes these changes occur rapidly, other times they are barely perceptible even to ourselves. Sometimes they are due to changes in priority. When my sensei Renzo Gracie first came to NYC and began teaching, his bottom game was based around tomoe-nage sweeps from open guard and lapel and Ezekiel (sode guruma) strangles. When he began professional fighting and no gi ADCC grappling, he had to change his bottom game drastically towards hook sweeps (Sumi gaeshi) and guillotine strangles. Other times the changes are due to changes in our bodies (usually due to age and damage). Whatever the reason, I always see change over time as a healthy thing. There is more to jiu jitsu than victory over an opponent. Much of its value comes from self expression, self knowledge and enjoyment. All of these are enhanced by variation and change in our game. If we just stuck to the moves most likely to generate a win the game would soon lose its appeal. It would become monotonous and boring and we would experience no growth over time. When we experiment and move in new directions we may initially lose some combat effectiveness (though I am confident that in most cases you will eventually increase it by having a wider repertoire to attack with) but we gain so much more. One of my favorite examples of change over time is that of my friend and coach, Matt Serra. When he first began as a standout grappler at the Renzo Gracie Academy his game was based around open guard work combine with lightning fast heists to guillotine strangles or rear strangles. After a long mma career and half a lifetime of change his game now is totally different, almost unrecognizable, based around top pressure passing and kimura attacks. Yet it is every bit as effective as the game that first made him a world and adcc champion.
