Jiu Jitsu Makes You a Better Medical Provider
The following is an article I wrote some years back while I was still operational as a Paramedic for a large metropolitan EMS system. The principles hold true today. Jiu jitsu holds a host of benefits for it's practitioners that seek to understand both themselves and others better. As Jocko Willink and a whole host of BJJ players have said, it can truly be a super power.
I know it sounds a bit far fetched but Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can truly make you a better field provider! I'm not talking in the sense that most likely comes to mind, self defense. Though that is an obvious benefit. My point is more to the esoteric lessons Jiu jitsu teaches.
Aside from the obvious defensive tactics that are inherent in Jiu Jitsu, there are other aspects of Bjj that translate directly to how you can function better as a field provider of pre-hospital medicine. The main ones I want to focus on here in no particular order are, ego, confidence, strategy, stress inoculation, and being in the moment.
Ego is, I feel, the most important attribute Jiu Jitsu brings to bear in that it forces you to check your ego. It forces you to confront your own abilities honestly and more importantly it forces you to be humble in light of your journey. It easy to think you've got things wired if you never challenge yourself. If you never step out of your comfort zone, its all to easy to take pot shots at others and to assume you've figured it all out. Jiu Jitsu teaches you that there is always more to learn, someone is always better than you, and that to accept defeat time after time builds the resilience, character, and humility to know you must check your ego in all parts of your life. I like to think of it as working on the top of portion of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, self actualization. As a medic how many times has either you or your partners ego been detrimental? As medics we have to have a certain confidence and assurance in ourselves to do the job we do. However letting your ego lead your way you will ensure your self a lot apologizing, hopefully gracefully, not saying you're sorry while telling someone they were wrong. That's not an apology by the way, it's a back handed way of telling someone you're actually not sorry and they're still wrong, you just don't want to admit you had any culpability, because of course you're right!
Ego man! Its a very sharp double edged sword that cuts both ways. Empathy and humility are strengths in any of life's endeavors. The ability to empathize and own your shit takes character. Jiu Jitsu teaches humility relentlessly and equally across the board. The strength of character lies in being able to put ego aside and just be in the moment. Letting go of ego also has the uncanny ability to allow you a greater, wider perspective. A trait that will serve you well in EMS and in life.
The confidence aspect comes on several levels. Jiu Jitsu breeds a confidence that translates well to life in general. Not only in the circumstance of being able to handle yourself in a physical sense but that confidence carries over to your shift on the truck. Its's the same confidence you need to exude when you are treating a patient. No one wants the medic who shows up unsure of themselves, doesn't seem to have a game plan, and is just there. Patients call for help. They are looking for someone to mitigate the chaos they find themselves in. They are looking to you as field provider to show up and take charge.
Sometimes there are those patients who are control freaks. They feel as though they have no control over the situation so they try to control it more. Again confidence and verbal Jiu Jitsu win the situation. Having the confidence to give and take, especially under stress is an art form. That happens on mats across the country in Jiu Jitsu. The struggle to control another person ebbs and flows during the transitions just like in the back of the ambulance. You're hunting the submission. The win. This person needs a higher level of care. Talking them in to letting you help them is the big win. Sometimes it's ugly and sometimes your win is flawless but ultimately that confidence in yourself is what sells. Confidence in yourself and your abilities makes you a great salesperson. If you don't believe in a product how can you sell it to someone else? We are our product. We sell ourselves to people everyday. Our ability, our skill, our friendship, our everything. Having a solid idea of just exactly who you are and what you're capable of comes from confidence. Not to be mistaken with ego. Confidence is the knowledge of who you truly are and what you're capable of. Ego is the blustering in an attempt to cover your shortcomings.
Strategy is an interesting one. Strategy is the ability to put together a game plan in any given situation to achieve a preferred outcome. And its almost always easier said than done. In Jiu Jitsu your strategy is ever dynamic. It changes second to second and inch by inch. It is a dynamic environment where you react to your opponents movements while prompting your own to gain the advantage. Just like a high acuity call in the back of an ambulance, or in a tiny cramped back bedroom, the ability to strategize your way to an optimal patient outcome where the patients condition is constantly changing is a trait that is built over time and is hallmarked by the medics ability to stay calm, breathe, and control the chaos as much as possible. Think of that CPR call with return of pulses and then ever changing rhythms, morphology, and patient presentation. Not to mention O2 sats and Co2, movement of the pt, keeping a secure airway, medication pushes, cooling protocols, loss of pulses, ROSC again, you get the idea.
Jiu Jitsu teaches you economy of movement, of energy expenditure, and of constantly trying to improve your position. Those moments on the mats prepare your body and mind for the chaos. You begin to feel a comfort in being uncomfortable. Thats where the clarity begins and strategy becomes your ally. Like in Medicine and Jiu Jitsu, you thrash around for a while till you find your rhythm, and then you begin to see the strategies that will mitigate the situations you find yourself in.
This leads quite well in to stress inoculation and being in the moment. When you spar with someone in Jiu Jitsu, you aren't thinking about anything else! You are in that exact moment. You don't think about the bills, or work, or your spouse. You are trying to survive. And do it in a dynamic environment with some sweaty dude on top of you wanting to prove he knows just a little more than you. Sparring in Jiu Jitsu time after time you begin to find those places where once you were so uncomfortable and now it's a place where you rest or sweep them, or even submit them. All those sparring matches build up a tolerance to the stress. That tolerance crosses over to everyday life. Not only the comforting feeling of, I've been here before, but the physicality of Jiu Jitsu is therapeutic for off loading some of that stress from the job of EMS. Jiu Jitsu continually puts you in progressively more difficult situations as you learn. But you also learn more and more how to deal with situations as they unfold. This breeds confidence, focus, and strategy to mitigate circumstances. Often dire in terms of possibly being choked unconscious. Fortunately in a safe environment in terms of Jiu Jitsu. Or you tap out, learn from your mistakes, and start again. That's the thing about Jiu Jitsu. You either win or you learn. There really is no losing, no failure, only feedback. The focus on the moment and staying calm under stress you learn on the mats builds confidence to perform under duress. The translation and application of those skills to our job as Medics couldn't be any better suited for each other.
If you have a chance check out a Jiu Jitsu class. I can guarantee it will be unlike anything you've ever done. The lessons it teaches like any martial art will translate to your daily life and make you a better person for it. And, it will definitely make you a better medical provider if you learn the lessons it has to offer.