The Mat as Equalizer: How Martial Arts Can Bridge America's Political Divide

A few weeks back, I saw a Facebook post by comedian Ronny Chieng that stopped me in my tracks.

The recently-promoted BJJ purple belt made an observation so simple yet profound that it crystallized something I've been thinking about for years:

How both Democrats and Republicans can learn something transformative from training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

According to Chieng, sensitive snowflakes can learn the resilience-building skills of getting beat up and coming back stronger, while the more independent-style conservatives can learn about how rising tides raise all ships and helping each other out makes everybody better.

This insight resonated deeply because it highlights something I've witnessed firsthand in martial arts communities:

The unique ability of physical challenge and mutual respect to transcend political differences and create genuine human connection.

In a time when America feels more divided than ever, martial arts offers something our political discourse desperately needs—a space where people can disagree respectfully, challenge each other constructively, and grow together despite their differences.

The BJJ Phenomenon : A Global Community Without Borders

There is one thing that I really love about BJJ culture that I didn't have as much in hapkido and other striking styles, and that's the open community of traveling and visiting gyms all around the world.

This global interconnectedness creates something remarkable: a universal language of respect, learning, and mutual development that transcends nationality, politics, and cultural differences.

The Meraki Experience : A Microcosm of Global Unity

I'm blessed to train at Meraki, where we often have a steady flow of visiting professors and students, especially when there's a big competition in Las Vegas or here in Los Angeles.

Just last week, I was fortunate to roll and learn from a whole slew of visiting BJJ practitioners.

On open mat Sunday, there were four people—two black belts from Brazil and two purple belts from the Virginia/DC area—and I got to roll with all of them.

Just the other day, at our Monday noon class, we had seven professors on the mat—two from Brazil but now living/training in Orlando, Florida, and another one, Alex Smith, from London, UK, from the Roger Gracie school.

This diversity isn't just geographical—it's ideological, cultural, and socioeconomic.

On the mat, you'll find CEOs rolling with construction workers, liberals learning from conservatives, immigrants teaching native-born Americans, and people of all races, religions, and backgrounds united by a shared commitment to improvement and mutual respect.

The Universal Language of Struggle

What creates this unity?

Physical challenge and shared vulnerability.

When you're gasping for air after being submitted by someone half your size, or when you're helping a struggling beginner understand a technique, political differences become irrelevant.

The mat strips away pretense and reveals our shared humanity: we all struggle, we all fail, we all need help, and we all have something to offer others.

Prescription for the Left: Building Resilience Through Adversity

Ronny Chieng's observation about "sensitive snowflakes" learning resilience isn't meant as an insult—it's a prescription for growth.

If you're struggling with building a backbone and facing fear, then I strongly recommend training in martial arts, not necessarily BJJ if grappling isn't your thing, but something.

The Resilience Gap

Many people today, particularly those who lean left politically, have been raised in environments that prioritize safety, comfort, and emotional protection.

While these values have merit, they can sometimes create a resilience deficit when life inevitably presents challenges that can't be solved through discussion or appealed away through institutions.

Martial arts provides what psychologists call "stress inoculation":

• Controlled adversity that builds capacity for handling real-world stress
• Physical confidence that translates into emotional and psychological confidence
• Failure normalization where setbacks become learning opportunities rather than traumas
• Conflict resolution through direct engagement rather than avoidance
• Personal agency developed through overcoming challenges with your own effort

The Confidence Transfer

When you learn to remain calm while someone twice your size is trying to choke you, everyday stressors lose their power to overwhelm you.

When you discover you can get beat up repeatedly and come back stronger each time, you develop an unshakeable confidence in your ability to handle whatever life throws at you.

This isn't about becoming aggressive or confrontational—it's about developing the inner strength to stand up for your values, engage with difficult people, and navigate conflict without retreating into safe spaces or calling for outside intervention.

Breaking the Victimhood Cycle

One of the most powerful aspects of martial arts training is that it makes victimhood impossible.

You can't blame your training partner for submitting you—you have to figure out what you did wrong and how to do better next time.

This mindset shift from "what was done to me" to "what can I learn from this" is transformative both on and off the mat.

Prescription for the Right: Embracing Interdependence

And maybe you're a little too thick-skinned and "independent," then martial arts training at a good school can help you open up your eyes and heart and see different people as more alike than different, and that we can all agree on some things, even if not everything.

The Independence Illusion

Many conservatives pride themselves on self-reliance and individual achievement.

These are valuable traits, but taken to extremes, they can create isolation and an inability to accept help or acknowledge how much we all depend on each other for success and growth.

BJJ destroys the independence illusion quickly and thoroughly:

• You literally cannot improve without partners who are willing to train with you
• Everyone starts as a beginner needing help from more experienced practitioners
• Your success depends on others' success—you need strong training partners to get better
• Knowledge sharing is essential—hoarding techniques hurts everyone's development
• The community thrives when everyone contributes to each other's growth

The Rising Tide Reality

The martial arts saying "a rising tide lifts all boats" isn't just philosophy—it's practical reality.

When you help a training partner understand a technique, they become a better training partner for you.

When you push someone to their limits during sparring, they push you back, making both of you stronger.

This collaborative competition model offers a powerful alternative to zero-sum thinking where others' success threatens your own.

In martial arts, others' success enhances your opportunities for growth and achievement.

Building Bridges Through Shared Struggle

Most people who have never been on the mat have the wrong impression of it from watching too many TV shows and movies (but yes, there are Cobra Kai style schools to avoid, lol).

The reality is that legitimate martial arts schools are some of the most inclusive, supportive communities you'll find anywhere.

When you train alongside people from different backgrounds, you discover that:

• Physical courage exists across all political spectrums
• Respect is earned through character, not ideology
• Shared challenges create genuine bonds that transcend surface differences
• Everyone has something valuable to teach and something important to learn
• Common humanity emerges through shared vulnerability and growth

The Cultural Bridge: Universal Values in Action

Martial arts communities naturally embody values that both sides of the political spectrum claim to support but often struggle to practice:

Meritocracy in Action

Conservative appeal: Success is determined by effort, consistency, and results, not by political correctness or social connections.

Liberal appeal: Everyone gets the same opportunities to learn and advance, regardless of background, race, or socioeconomic status.

Reality on the mat: Your belt rank and respect from peers comes from demonstrated competence and character, period. You can't fake your way through a sparring session or talk your way out of a submission.

Community and Individual Responsibility

Conservative appeal: Personal responsibility is paramount—you must put in the work to improve, and no one else can do it for you.

Liberal appeal: Strong communities that support individual growth and development, where helping others is a core value.

Reality on the mat: You're responsible for your own development, but that development happens through and with community support. Individual excellence and community strength are mutually reinforcing.

Diversity and Unity

Conservative appeal: Unity based on shared values and mutual respect rather than forced compliance with ideological orthodoxy.

Liberal appeal: Genuine inclusion where people of all backgrounds train together as equals.

Reality on the mat: Diversity is natural and celebrated, but unity comes through shared commitment to improvement and respect for the art, not through political agreement.

The Warrior vs. Worrier Transformation

Martial arts really can heal the planet by creating more warriors and leaders and having less "worriers" and losers.

This transformation from worrier to warrior isn't about becoming violent or aggressive—it's about developing the internal strength and external skills needed to face life's challenges with courage and confidence.

The Warrior Mindset

Warriors approach challenges with:

• Confidence in their ability to handle difficult situations
• Willingness to engage rather than avoid conflict
• Responsibility for outcomes rather than blame and victimhood
• Growth orientation that sees setbacks as learning opportunities
• Service to others through strength rather than weakness

The Worrier Transformation

Worriers transform into warriors by learning:

• Physical confidence that reduces anxiety and fear
• Conflict resolution skills that make difficult conversations manageable
• Stress management through regular exposure to controlled stress
• Problem-solving under pressure during sparring and competition
• Community building through shared challenge and mutual support

Bridging the Political Divide: Practical Applications

Creating Common Ground

Martial arts gyms naturally create the conditions that political discourse lacks:

Shared Challenge: Everyone faces the same difficulties in learning and applying techniques. Political affiliation doesn't make an armbar easier to escape or a takedown easier to execute.

Immediate Feedback: You can't debate your way out of being submitted or argue that a technique didn't work when you just got tapped. Reality provides immediate, undeniable feedback.

Mutual Vulnerability: Everyone gets beat up regularly. This shared vulnerability creates empathy and breaks down the ego barriers that often prevent productive political dialogue.

Respect for Competence: Political opinions don't matter when someone is demonstrating superior technique or helping you understand a concept. Competence earns respect regardless of ideology.

Learning to Disagree Constructively

The sparring dynamic teaches invaluable lessons about disagreement:

Respectful Opposition: You can train hard against someone, trying to submit them, while maintaining complete respect for them as a person.

Learning from Opponents: The person who just submitted you has valuable knowledge to share, regardless of whether you agree with their politics.

Continuing Relationships: After intense sparring sessions, you shake hands, discuss what happened, and look forward to training together again.

Growth Through Challenge: Opposition makes you stronger rather than weaker, creating appreciation rather than resentment.

Building Emotional Intelligence

Martial arts training develops emotional regulation skills that could transform political discourse:

Staying Calm Under Pressure: Learning to think clearly while someone is trying to choke you develops remarkable composure for heated discussions.

Reading Others Accurately: Understanding your opponent's intentions and reactions becomes crucial for effective technique application and defense.

Managing Ego: Regular defeat and correction teach humility and openness to learning from anyone.

Controlling Reactions: Training teaches the crucial skill of responding thoughtfully rather than reacting emotionally.

The Global Perspective: Lessons from International Training

Beyond American Politics

The international nature of BJJ provides perspective that transcends American political divisions.

When you train with practitioners from Brazil, Japan, Russia, Iran, and dozens of other countries, you realize that:

Human challenges are universal: People everywhere struggle with fear, self-doubt, and the desire to improve themselves.

Respect transcends borders: Mutual respect based on character and competence needs no translation.

Learning has no nationality: Good technique works regardless of who developed it or where it came from.

Community is possible: People with vastly different backgrounds and beliefs can train together harmoniously when focused on shared goals.

Cultural Exchange Through Combat

The visitor dynamic I experience at Meraki demonstrates how martial arts naturally facilitate cultural exchange:

Brazilian visitors share not just techniques but perspectives on family, community, and enjoying life.

European visitors bring different approaches to training methodology and work-life balance.

Visitors from conservative regions and liberal cities train together without political tension because they're focused on mutual improvement.

Economic diversity disappears when everyone is wearing the same gi and learning the same techniques.

Implementation: Making It Happen and Putting It On the Mat

For Individuals

Start training: Find a reputable gym and commit to regular attendance. Consistency matters more than intensity initially.

Approach with humility: You will be terrible at first. Everyone is. Embrace the beginner's mind.

Stay open: You'll train with people whose politics you disagree with. Focus on what you can learn from them.

Be patient: The transformation takes time. Trust the process and stay committed to growth.

For Communities

Support martial arts programs: Encourage schools, community centers, and youth organizations to offer martial arts training.

Create exchange programs: Facilitate visiting instructor programs that expose students to diverse perspectives.

Focus on character development: Emphasize how martial arts training builds character traits that benefit society.

Bridge building: Use martial arts as a platform for bringing together diverse groups around shared challenges.

For Political Leaders

Model the behavior: Leaders who train martial arts often demonstrate better conflict resolution skills and emotional regulation.

Support programs: Advocate for funding that makes martial arts training accessible to underserved communities.

Learn the lessons: Apply martial arts principles to political dialogue—respect for opponents, learning from defeat, long-term relationship building.

Create forums: Establish spaces where people with political differences can engage in structured, respectful challenge and dialogue.

The Mat as Metaphor for Democracy

The martial arts mat offers a powerful metaphor for how democracy could function at its best.

On the mat, people with different backgrounds, beliefs, and capabilities come together around shared values: respect, growth, courage, and community.

They challenge each other intensely but fairly, learn from both victory and defeat, and build relationships that transcend their differences.

Imagine if political discourse operated like a well-run martial arts gym:

• Disagreement would be seen as an opportunity for mutual growth rather than an attack to be defeated
• Respect would be earned through character and competence rather than tribal affiliation
• Learning from opponents would be valued rather than seen as weakness
• Long-term relationships would be prioritized over short-term victories
• Everyone would be expected to help newcomers learn and grow
• Failure would be normalized as part of the learning process
• Physical and emotional courage would be developed rather than avoided

This isn't utopian fantasy—it's the daily reality in thousands of martial arts gyms around the world.

People who disagree politically train together, learn from each other, and build genuine friendships based on mutual respect and shared commitment to improvement.

The prescription is simple:

Get on the mat.

Whether you're a sensitive liberal who needs to build resilience or a rugged conservative who needs to learn interdependence, martial arts training will challenge your assumptions, expand your capabilities, and connect you with people you might never have met otherwise.

In a time when America feels more divided than ever, perhaps what we need isn't more political debate but more shared physical challenge.

Perhaps what we need isn't more warriors or more worriers, but more people who understand that true strength comes from helping others become strong, that real courage involves vulnerability as well as toughness, and that the best communities are built through mutual respect earned on the battleground of shared struggle.

The mat is waiting.

The question is:

Are you brave enough to step onto it?