The Little Things That Make BJJ People Happy
Jiu Jitsu has a thousand little joys hiding inside the everyday grind — here are the small wins, in-jokes and tiny mercies that keep BJJ people smiling between rounds.
With Emilia Tuukkanen
Jiu Jitsu has a thousand little joys hiding inside the everyday grind — here are the small wins, in-jokes and tiny mercies that keep BJJ people smiling between rounds.
1. When your favourite gi is clean, dry and folded by the time you need it.
2. When the instructor announces tonight's drill and it just happens to be your favourite technique.
3. When Mikey Musumeci, Ffion Davies or one of the Ruotolo brothers likes your post on Instagram (fan girl drool, fully intact in 2026).
4. When you get that little notification that says your new gi is at the post office, waiting for you.
5. When you have one of those rare days where you can roll hard, round after round, and never quite gas out (happens about once a lifetime, but still).
6. When you do really, really well against someone who has always kicked your butt.
7. When you nail some brand-new technique on the very first try.
8. When your pants, gi, belt — and long hair — all stay where they're supposed to for an entire round.
9. When you find out your jiu jitsu idol is doing a seminar somewhere near you.
10. When there's something about BJJ on the news, a Netflix doc, or trending on your feed and your non-training friends actually have to ask you about it.
11. When you hear that some celebrity has started training (still looking at you, Ashton Kutcher — and the entire cast of every podcast on earth now, apparently).
12. When your weight cut goes smoothly and without drama (still waiting for this to happen to me personally, but I've heard rumours that it's possible).
13. When your relatives have finally stopped saying you do "judo" and actually know what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is, more or less.
14. Going on holiday somewhere far away and finding an awesome gym to drop in on.
15. Açaí.
16. Seeing that one of your favourite YouTube channels or instructional apps has dropped a new video (hello there, Trumpet Dan, still going strong).
17. Meeting one of your idols in person and actually managing to keep your cool. (Unlike my boyfriend, who, when he met Marcelo Garcia in 2012, just stood there silently and then literally ran away without a word after Marcelo said "Hi" to him.)
18. Meeting that idol, taking a picture with them, AND actually looking decent in the photo (unlike me in basically every single photo I have with the Mendes brothers).
19. When the professor pulls you up to demonstrate the technique.
20. Seeing in slow-motion that drop of sweat landing just shy of your open mouth.
21. Spotting another jiu-jitsu nerd while you're at the supermarket, the post office, or some other completely mundane place — and giving each other the quiet little nod.
See you on the mats — happy about all the little things.
Originally published in Jiu Jitsu Style with Emilia Tuukkanen. Refreshed for 2026.