The Paradox of Choice

The Paradox of Choice

How often do you go to the store and get stuck on trying to decide on what you want?  We, as consumers, love to have the freedom of choices, but in BJJ that can create frustration and second guessing.  Don’t get me wrong… having choices is great, but for someone just starting out it can be overwhelming.

For some people, the solution is simple: train more.  When you’re new to BJJ, the first couple of months are some of the most trying.  This is the period of time where the majority of people who do quit will quit.  This is partially because grappling is so much different from the average person’s daily activities.  As such some people are able to overcome this hurdle by just training more often.

For others it isn’t always that simple.

We often say that jiu-jitsu is “infinite” and there is some degree of truth to that.  There are countless variations of each technique with each student putting their own tweaks into it (once the technique is mastered) to better fit their own style.

But to someone just getting into BJJ it can be very overwhelming.  When you’re in a position where you are presented with near limitless choices, then you may get snagged trying to filter through each choice to find the one you want.  This effectively causes you to make slower decisions and can cause your mind to go blank.

In a book called The Paradox of Choice, American psychologist Barry Schwartz argues that eliminating consumer choices can greatly reduce anxiety for shoppers.

Autonomy and Freedom of choice are critical to our well-being, and choice is critical to freedom and autonomy. Nonetheless, though modern Americans have more choice than any group of people ever has before, and thus, presumably, more freedom and autonomy, we don’t seem to be benefiting from it psychologically.

—Ch.5, The Paradox of Choice, 2004

So what’s the solution to the problem?  Limit your choices.

Master Carlos Gracie Jr.’s Fundamentals curriculum is a great place to start.  After enough practice you can begin to expand your number of choices until you are comfortable having a variety techniques at your disposal.

Remember, to get better at jiu-jitsu you need to do jiu-jitsu.  Train hard and live well.

JIU-JITSU FOR EVERYONE!

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