“I observe that people who are at the Pinnacles of different Arts are often doing things that are much more similar than people who are in the same art from them but at lower levels,”
Waitzkin noted.
Training with Marcelo Garcia
Training at Marcelo Garcia‘s academy proved transformative for Waitzkin’s understanding of martial arts. Garcia, a nine-time world champion whom Waitzkin describes as “perhaps the greatest Grappler pound-for-pound to ever live,” approached training with a unique philosophy focused on constant movement rather than static positions.
“If you’re training Jiu-Jitsu with most people they’re always finding a position and holding it,”
Waitzkin explained.
“Marcelo Garcia, who is known as the King of the Scramble, spends his entire time in transition. If you’re training Jiu-Jitsu with most people, they’re always looking for a position and then holding it. Marcelo, however, never held positions. One of the unique aspects of his training life is that he was always moving, always in the in-between.
In most arts, people believe the art is in the positions they see. But at the highest level, the art is in the space between the positions. If one position leads to another position, for most people, there are no frames in between, or maybe just four frames. But if I have 100 frames in between, I can play in pockets that others don’t see.
“If your life and training process are focused on the in-between and the transitions—if you’re always moving rather than holding static positions—you spend all your time developing this fluidity. In practice, this means you’re not holding positions; you’re constantly moving. Most people who hold positions are static, while you are gaining exposure to endless transitions.”
“If you go to a Jiu-Jitsu school and sit to watch, notice this one thing: the amount of time spent static versus in motion. Marcelo was always in motion. There’s a beautiful clip of him in an old documentary called Suave. It’s about 25 years old and available on YouTube. It’s an 8-minute clip of Marcelo training as an 18-year-old, and you can watch him learning this transitional approach even then. He’s never stopping, always allowing his opponent to move, and living in the transitions.”
“However, to train this way, you have to get past the egoic dynamics. You can’t focus on dominating your partner all the time. In Jiu-Jitsu, when you’re in a dominant position, you want to hold it because you’ve “won.” There’s a dynamic between opponents—a need to dominate. But if you release that and focus on the learning process, you stop holding and start moving. By doing so, you get constant exposure to the in-between.”
“If you spend your life training in the in-between, you’ll have more frames than others, and that’s a significant advantage. That’s what a lot of illusionists are doing as well, right?.”
This approach mirrored how high-level chess is about understanding the spaces between obvious moves.
The Career-Ending Injury
While training for the BJJ World Championships, Waitzkin suffered a devastating setback when he ruptured his L4/L5 disc. Despite the severity of the injury, his competitive spirit led him to continue training for a year and a half. However, doctors eventually delivered a stark ultimatum – he needed to stop training jiu-jitsu or risk being crippled for life.
This marked the first time Waitzkin was forced to move away from an art not on his own terms. The injury proved to be a pivotal moment that shifted his focus toward training others, though he admits he
“I wasn’t playing chess, and my study of Tai Chi became extremely accelerated. I started competing, winning, and eventually won in the fighting application. I went on to win national championships. This led me to become deeply involved in the study and exploration of thematic interconnectedness, which has truly become my life’s work.
My martial arts journey took me all over the world. I won some world championships, and later transitioned into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where I trained for many years. I was preparing for the world championships in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after having already won in Tai Chi Chuan. During this period, I ruptured my L4/L5 disc during a training camp.
At the time, I co-owned a school with Marcelo Garcia, a nine-time world champion and one of the greatest grapplers of all time. Training at such a high level, I was determined to continue despite my injury. I pushed through for a year and a half, training with a severely damaged back. However, my doctors ultimately warned me that if I didn’t stop, I could be crippled for life. For the first time, I had to step away from an art not on my own terms. It was a brutal experience.
This turning point led me to focus on the art of training others. Since I could no longer compete at the level I aspired to, I poured all my energy into coaching elite competitors in mental and physical performance. I dedicated myself to helping others train with the same intensity I once reserved for my own journey. Though I love coaching, I never truly found anything that compared to being in the arena myself.”
Cold Exposure
Throughout his journey, Waitzkin incorporated cold exposure as a key component of his training regimen. For over 15 years, he has used cold plunging to develop mental resilience and physiological control.
“We have this theme hunting adversity on the team,”
he explained, viewing challenges like cold water as opportunities for growth rather than obstacles.
His current practice involves contrast training between cold plunges at 42-44 degrees Fahrenheit and sauna sessions, typically doing 3-4 rounds. While he previously engaged in extended exposures of 11-12 minutes in 36-degree water, he now generally keeps his cold plunges shorter, with one longer session per week.
Finding New Horizons
After stepping away from BJJ, Waitzkin eventually found his way to ocean sports, particularly foiling, which he now practices 3-5 hours daily in Costa Rica where he lives with his family. Alongside his own training, he works with elite performers across various fields, from finance to sports, including ongoing work with the Boston Celtics.
