Life Lessons from the Mat: The Importance of Good Posture

Over the last two years I have learned a lot about life and myself in general. To the surprise of most, those lessons were not learned at church or in school. I learned them while practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu! The biggest lesson I learned is that when it comes to difficult situations, posture is everything.

Allow me to explain.

In Jiu-Jitsu, good posture is everything. The name of the game is breaking your opponents base. If you can get the other guy (or gal) off balance, you will almost always be in a position to finish. During my time as a white belt I was usually the guy who was off balance. I have been tapped by guys who are 60 pound lighter than me simply because of their good posture and technique and my poor posture. My natural tendency was to try to “muscle” out of bad situations. While I used brute force, the other guys patiently waited and conserved energy until I either gassed out or lost my base (posture). Posture matters.

The Bible talks about good posture often.

It says things like “Pride goes before destruction. A haughty spirit before a fall. Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand that He may lift you up. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Be joyful always. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Trust in the Lord. Do not lean on your own understanding.”

Instead of trying to muscle your way through your difficult situation, I encourage you to consider good posture. Consider godly posture. Your posture could be the difference between being down for the count or finishing on top.

See Proverbs 16:18, 1 Peter 5:5-6, 1 Corinthians 15:58, 1 Thessalonians 5:16, James 1:19, or Proverbs 3:5-6 for more on what the Bible says about “posture”.

Written by Carlo Serrano

About Carlo Serrano

Carlo Serrano is a pastor and teacher who is dedicated to helping people become fully devoted followers of Christ. When he is not serving the soldiers and families of the Clarksville/Ft. Campbell area as pastor of GraceLife Church or teaching at Grace College of Divinity, Carlo is pursuing his passion for BJJ. Carlo is Level 1 certified in the Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) and holds a 4 stripe Blue Belt under Ray Casias. Carlo is married and has two sons. Before entering vocational ministry he served 5 years in the US Army. For more information visit gracelifeclarksville.com or email Carlo at pastorcarlo@gracelifeclarksville.com.