# BrianBrief #12 (The Sense Of Play)

- Link: https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/12/brianbrief-12-the-sense-of-play/
- Published: 2026-11-12T18:30:00-05:00
- Author: Brian Johns

## One thing that attracts many to the martial arts is the opportunity to play. For nearly all adults, there is not much opportunity to play.

[An article recently appeared](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/11/us/elections/scott-colom-mississippi-senate-protein-ad.html?unlocked_article_code=1.P1E.YQqA.PkijFgdbQuv-&smid=url-share)
in _The Athletic_ that delves into why Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become so popular.
The article focuses mostly on women in BJJ and their experiences on the mat.

> She was initially drawn to BJJ by the prospect of learning some form of self-defence,
> but after the first few classes it was something else that kept her hooked: **
> the sense of play**. She did not have that anywhere else in her adult life, and
> she loved it. It felt like she was on a playground every time she was on the mats.(
> Emphasis added by me)

I often encourage a sense of play in my private lessons by mixing up concepts from
different drills. For example, [an off the shelf drill](https://brianejohns.com/2021/02/22/blog-low-high-palis-palis/)
involves a mixture of a_banico corto_ and _palis palis_. Whether to use them depends
on the angle of attack. _Abanico corto_ is better for high-line attacks. On the 
other hand, _palis palis_ is best used on lower-lined attacks. I often randomly 
mix up the angles of attack. The students love it.

But not every student is into “play.” Some folks love the strict drilling of Okinawan/
Japanese martial arts or similar traditional arts.

## So for my readers, what do you prefer? Drilling or playing? Or a combination?

### Share this post:

 * [  X ](https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/12/brianbrief-12-the-sense-of-play/?share=twitter)
 * [  Facebook ](https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/12/brianbrief-12-the-sense-of-play/?share=facebook)
 * [  LinkedIn ](https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/12/brianbrief-12-the-sense-of-play/?share=linkedin)
 * [  Threads ](https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/12/brianbrief-12-the-sense-of-play/?share=threads)
 * [  WhatsApp ](https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/12/brianbrief-12-the-sense-of-play/?share=jetpack-whatsapp)
 * [  Email ](https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/12/brianbrief-12-the-sense-of-play/?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20BrianBrief%20%2312%20%28The%20Sense%20Of%20Play%29&body=https%3A%2F%2Fbrianejohns.com%2F2026%2F11%2F12%2Fbrianbrief-12-the-sense-of-play%2F&share=email)
 * [  Print ](https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/12/brianbrief-12-the-sense-of-play/#print?share=print)

### Like this:

Like Loading…

### _Related_