In my most recent article, Why a PhD and BJJ Aren’t So Different, I suggested Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu be studied the way academic disciplines are studied. I also suggested one of the similarities between BJJ and an academic discipline is in how the practitioners demonstrate autonomy. The demands of academe are endless; there is always another article to read, another page to write, another class or conference to attend. In BJJ, there are similar demands: drilling, training, conditioning, dialing in our diet, preparing for competition, and on and on. In both contexts, if we allowed ourselves to, we could spend every waking moment focusing on our chosen domain and still feel like we are falling far short of where we want to be.
