The Bushido Eight: Eight Ways of Seeing Jiu-Jitsu

Over the years, I started looking for simpler ways to help students understand Jiu-Jitsu. Not more techniques. Not more moves to memorize. Just a few things they could pay attention to wherever they were. Breathe. Posture. Structure. Base. Connection. Hands. Angle. Flow. Eventually, I started calling these the Bushido Eight.

The Bushido Eight breaks Jiu-Jitsu down into eight concepts we can understand and work on. I use an animal to represent each one because symbols make the ideas easier to remember. The animal isn’t the lesson. It’s just a way to help us understand the concept.

There’s always another technique to learn in Jiu-Jitsu. You can spend your whole life collecting moves. The Bushido Eight gives you something to come back to. Am I breathing? Is my posture strong? Do I have structure? Is my base solid? Am I connecting to the proper connection points? Am I monitoring the hands? Am I using angles? Can I flow from here?

I think of it almost like a checklist. Maybe you don’t need another technique. Maybe your head is dipping and your posture is weak. Maybe your base isn’t stable. Maybe you’re connected to places that don’t matter. Maybe you’re not paying attention to the threat of your opponent’s hands. Before asking, “What move do I need?” ask, “What am I missing?”

That’s where the animals come in. A turtle reminds us to breathe and stay calm. A lion represents strong posture. A crab gives us structure. A rhino gives us a solid base. An octopus connects. An owl watches the hands. A cat creates angles. And the shark flows. Eight simple images for eight concepts you can come back to from every position in Jiu-Jitsu.

These concepts don’t really work by themselves. Your posture affects your structure. Your structure affects your base. Your connections help you feel where the hands are and where the angles might be. When those things start working together, flow becomes easier. You’re not trying to remember eight separate things. You’re learning to feel how they connect.

It’s a little like learning to tie your shoes. When you’re a kid, somebody walks you through the whole thing. Make the bunny ears. Cross them. Loop one around. Pull it through. At first, you have to think about every step. Eventually, you just tie your shoes. The Bushido Eight works the same way. In the beginning, you may have to walk yourself through the checklist. With enough time, you just start to feel it.

When Jiu-Jitsu starts to feel confusing, the Bushido Eight gives you something familiar to come back to. And the best place to start is with yourself. Before you worry about what the other person is doing, get yourself organized. Breathe. Find your posture. Build your structure. Establish your base. Everything else has a better chance of working from there.