# Friday Recommendation #6

- Link: https://brianejohns.com/2021/04/16/blog-friday-recommendation-6/
- Published: 2021-04-16T10:00:00-04:00
- Author: Brian Johns

If you are not able to view this video, click [here](https://youtu.be/tk9z1uraAY8).

This terrific podcast interview with Rickson Gracie is revealing. He speaks of his
life philosophy that stems from his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu career. At one point in 
the podcast, he expounded on the meaning of “_getting comfortable with hell._” In
short, Rickson’s [training](https://brianejohns.com//2013/08/04/blog-training/) 
philosophy centred on putting himself in difficult positions and working his way
out of them. In other words, he prefers training this way instead of training his
favourite techniques. As a result, he knew how to get out of any potentially compromising
position.

## “_Getting comfortable with hell_” often describes training programs in the Navy Seals, law schools, and medical residencies.

Attending law school in the late 1980s introduced me to “getting comfortable with
hell.” The readers of this blog know that I was born deaf. While I did have a crude
version of an FM transmitter and receiver (connected to my hearing aids) to enhance
my law professor’s comprehension, it did not help with classroom discussions. The
problem was that the discussions often bounced around the room. I knew that I was
losing the legal nuances that were being discussed. To address this issue, I sought
out the best note-takers in class. Often, that was not much help.

To compensate for this deficiency, I read extra case law related to the one discussed
in class. As it turns out, my inability to keep track of the classroom discussions
was a blessing in disguise. Reading extra case law made me more prepared for law
school exams than most of my classmates. This was the way out of hell!

I’ve applied the same philosophy to Modern Arnis and enjoyed pressure testing techniques
with my students. I can’t wait until this pandemic ends so that we can get back 
to live training! Back to Rickson’s training philosophy—he’s on to something there.
You will not grow as a martial artist if you don’t get out of your comfort zone.
Do you like training your favourite techniques? Great—you’ll stagnate!

## On the other hand, if you’re the type to tape something over one goggle eye to inhibit your vision and train under those conditions, you WILL grow! Try it!

## Additional Reading

 * [Martial Arts Training and Learning](https://brianejohns.com/2013/08/04/blog-training/)
 * [Pandemic Solo Training](https://brianejohns.com/2021/05/11/blog-pandemic-solo-training/)
 * [To Hell With Inadequacy](https://brianejohns.com/2016/03/04/blog-to-hell-with-inadequacy/)
 * [Friday Recommendation #9](https://brianejohns.com/2021/05/21/blog-friday-recommendation-9/)
 * [The Downside of “Going With The Flow”](https://brianejohns.com/2023/01/17/blog-the-downside-of-going-with-the-flow/)

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