Fundamental Jiu-Jitsu Lessons from My Cat (Part 1)

I used to think cats were the laziest and most boring pets to own, but recently realized I was just never around long enough to appreciate their unique characteristics. In the last year my wife and I have acquired 2 cats, and it has been enlightening to see them play and roll around with each other. In my opinion, it sometimes looks like a simplified application of no-holds-barred Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Recently I have found myself observing my cats with a keen eye, hoping it would somehow enhance my awareness on the mat. Here are three very dominant traits that I have noticed from my cats, Maru (the runt of a litter born near our apartment), and Tomo (a tomboy adopted from the SPCA).

The first trait would be my cats’ ability to establish a solid guard. While observing my cat in the guard, I noticed how the back of the head was off the ground, the feet were up and positioned between the bodies, and the limbs were used to test the balance and posture of the other cat. Rather than keeping the back flat on the floor, the cat would roll from shoulder to shoulder and post up on an elbow (or whatever joint that could be comparable to an elbow) when there was a small gap between the two. When the cat on top would make a move, it forced the other to reposition in guard using a hip-escape.

The second trait would be the hip-escape. Also known as shrimp-ing, this action is one of the fundamental movements in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Not only is it an essential movement when trying to move and position your body on the mat, but it’s also an essential action to create or take away space. Whenever it looked as though the cat on top was positioned a little out to the side, the cat in guard would casually push off the ground to distance the hips in order to maintain a position where their bodies were facing one another. Within this display of Jiu-Jitsu movements, I realized flexibility was a key factor allowing for the action.

The third trait would be flexibility within the back and hips. Although I have never seen my cats do the butterfly stretch, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have any problem doing so. Their flexibility allowed them to move freely and maximize the use of their body without strain or discomfort. They have also shown me the ability to curl into the smallest ball or arch backwards into a semi-circle.

Although it may be a little silly to compare cat’s play with Martial Arts, we should realize the movements we are acquiring follow principles that exist in nature. The movements we train our bodies to do instinctively “make sense” in nature and therefore are practical and applicable. We are essentially re-teaching our bodies to do what we have untaught ourselves. What tied all of these traits together were Maru and Tomo’s ability to adjust their speed and balance, maintain an element of surprise, and stay relaxed all while having fun.

Eliot Kelly
www.edhbjj.com