The BJJ Strategy for Surviving When Everything Gets Expensive (And Worse)

Life just put you in a bad position. Here's how to survive, escape, improve, and eventually dominate.

I pulled into the gas station the other day on my motorcycle.

Watched the numbers spin.

And when I finally topped off the tank, I'd spent almost thirty dollars.

Thirty dollars.

For a motorcycle.

Now, thirty bucks might not sound like much. But it used to cost me twenty. Maybe twenty-two on a bad day.

A fifty-percent increase in three weeks.

Gas in West LA is running five-seventy to six bucks a gallon for regular unleaded. Premium is pushing seven.

And it's not just gas.

Food costs more. Transportation costs more. Everything costs more.

And from the looks of it, we're headed into another forever war that's going to make everything even worse.

Times are tough all around.

For me and my wife, it's just something we talk about on our daily walks. A reminder to be grateful for the life we've built. A reminder not to take it for granted.

Because we worked hard to set up the life we live now.

But a lot of people are struggling. Really struggling.

And it made me think about the last couple of years I've spent getting destroyed on the BJJ mat—and what I've learned about making the grind suck less.

Because life right now?

It's putting a lot of people in bad positions.

And if you don't know how to handle a bad position, you're going to panic, thrash, and make it worse.

But if you understand the four stages of dealing with a bad position—the same four stages every BJJ practitioner learns—you can survive, escape, improve, and eventually dominate.

Even when gas is six bucks a gallon and everything else is falling apart.

The Four Stages of BJJ (And Life)

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, there are four basic stages every practitioner works through in every roll and in their overall skill development:

Stage 1: Survive​
You're in a terrible position. You're getting crushed. You can barely breathe. Your only job is to not get submitted.

Stage 2: Escape​
You create space, find an opening, and move from a terrible position to a less-terrible position. You're still not winning, but you're not dying either.

Stage 3: Improve​
You move from a less-terrible position to a better position. Eventually, you get to a dominant position where you have control.

Stage 4: Control and Submit​
You dominate your opponent so completely that the submission is just the natural conclusion of your control.

Life works the same way.

Life is the opponent you're rolling with.

Sometimes you're in a good position. Sometimes you're in a terrible position.

And the quicker you can assess where you are, the quicker you can improve your position.

Right now, a lot of people are in Stage 1.​

They're getting crushed by inflation, uncertainty, fear, job insecurity, rising costs, political chaos, and the general sense that things are getting worse.

And they're panicking.

Which makes sense. Panic is the natural response when you're in a bad position and don't know what to do.

But panic doesn't help.

Panic makes it worse.

So here's the BJJ strategy for dealing with it.

Stage 1: Survive—Don't Give Them Your Back

When I was a terrible white belt—and I was terrible—I got dominated constantly.

Bigger guys. Stronger guys. Younger guys. Guys who'd been training longer.

Every roll, I got crushed.

And I'd thrash. I'd panic. I'd try to push them off me, which only gave them my arms to attack.

I'd turn away to protect myself, which only gave them my back.

And once they had my back, it was over.

Professor Joe pulled me aside one day and gave me the simplest, most useful advice I've ever received:

That was it.

Face the problem. Don't turn away. Don't expose your weaknesses. Don't thrash.

Just survive.

That's Stage 1.

And right now, if you're in a bad financial position—if gas prices are hitting you hard, if food costs are stressing you out, if uncertainty is overwhelming you—your job is not to fix everything immediately.

Your job is to survive without making it worse.

Here's what that looks like:

Don't Give Them Your Back

Don't turn away from the problem.

Don't ignore the credit card bill, the bank account, the rising costs.

Face it. Look at the numbers. Know where you stand.

Because if you don't face it, you can't deal with it.

Ball Up—Protect Your Essentials

When you're in a bad position, you protect what matters most.

In BJJ, that means keeping your neck, arms, and legs protected so your opponent can't submit you.

In life, that means protecting your essentials: food, shelter, health, relationships.

Everything else is negotiable.

Don't Push Away—Don't Give Them a Limb

When people panic financially, they make impulsive decisions.

They pull money out of retirement accounts and take massive tax penalties.

They take on high-interest debt to cover short-term expenses.

They blow their emergency fund on things that aren't emergencies.

That's the equivalent of pushing your opponent away in BJJ and giving him your arm to attack.

Don't do that.

Hold your position. Protect what you have. Don't make moves that create bigger problems.

Create Space—Find Room to Breathe

In BJJ, when you're getting crushed, your first goal is to create space so you can breathe and think.

In life, that means finding mental and financial breathing room.

Cut non-essential expenses. Cancel subscriptions you don't use. Cook at home instead of eating out. Drive less. Consolidate trips.

Small changes create space.

And space gives you options.

Stage 2: Escape—Move from Terrible to Less Terrible

Once you've survived Stage 1, your next job is to escape the worst of it.

You're not trying to win yet. You're just trying to get to a position that doesn't completely suck.

In BJJ, that means moving from bottom side control (getting crushed) to half guard (still not great, but better).

In life, that means moving from "drowning in expenses" to "things are tight but manageable."

Here's how:

Find the Pressure Points

In BJJ, when someone's crushing you, you look for where the pressure is coming from.

Then you move in the opposite direction—or perpendicular to it.

In life, that means identifying your biggest financial pressures and finding ways to relieve them.

Is it housing? Can you refinance, downsize, take on a roommate?

Is it transportation? Can you carpool, take public transit, bike, consolidate errands?

Is it food? Can you meal prep, buy in bulk, cut back on convenience foods?

You're not trying to solve everything. You're just trying to reduce the pressure enough to breathe.

Don't Try to Do Everything at Once

In BJJ, if you try to escape too aggressively, you burn energy and give your opponent opportunities to attack.

The same is true in life.

Don't try to fix your entire financial situation in one week.

Pick one pressure point. Address it. Move to a slightly better position.

Then reassess and move again.

Use Frames and Leverage, Not Strength

In BJJ, you don't escape bad positions by overpowering your opponent.

You escape by using frames (your arms and legs as barriers) and leverage (finding angles that multiply your force).

In life, that means using tools and systems, not just willpower.

Automate savings so you're not relying on discipline.

Use budgeting apps so you're not guessing where your money goes.

Set up payment plans so you're not scrambling every month.

Leverage works. Brute force doesn't.

Stage 3: Improve—Get to a Better Position

Once you've escaped the worst of it, your next job is to improve your position.

In BJJ, that means moving from half guard to closed guard to mount to back control.

In life, that means moving from "surviving" to "building."

Here's what that looks like:

Increase Your Income

You can only cut expenses so much. Eventually, you need to earn more.

Side hustle. Freelance. Ask for a raise. Switch jobs. Learn a higher-value skill.

You don't have to do all of it. Just pick one and execute.

Build a Buffer

Once you've stabilized, start building an emergency fund.

Even if it's just fifty bucks a month. Then a hundred. Then five hundred.

The goal is to get to the point where an unexpected expense doesn't put you back in a bad position.

Invest in Skills That Compound

In BJJ, the better your fundamentals, the easier everything else becomes.

In life, the better your skills, the more options you have.

Learn to negotiate. Learn to sell. Learn to communicate. Learn to manage money. Learn a trade. Learn to code. Learn to fix things.

Skills compound. They make everything easier.

Stage 4: Control and Submit—Dominate Your Opponent

This is the stage where you're not just surviving—you're thriving.

In BJJ, this is when you're in such a dominant position that the submission is inevitable.

In life, this is when you've built enough financial stability, skills, relationships, and systems that external shocks don't destabilize you.

Gas goes up fifty percent? Annoying, but not a crisis.

Inflation hits? You adjust and keep moving.

Unexpected expense? You've got a buffer.

Job loss? You've got skills, savings, and options.

You're not immune to problems. But you're positioned to handle them without panic.

And that's the goal.

Not to avoid all problems. To be positioned so well that problems don't break you.

Why Most People Stay Stuck in Stage 1

Here's the problem:

Most people never make it past Stage 1.

They panic. They thrash. They make impulsive decisions that create bigger problems.

And then they blame external circumstances.

"The economy is rigged."

"Corporations are greedy."

"The system is designed to keep us down."

And you know what? Some of that is true.

But it doesn't matter.

Because even if the system is rigged, even if corporations are greedy, even if the economy is broken—you still have to play the game.

And the only question that matters is: are you going to play it from a position of strength or a position of weakness?

Because complaining doesn't improve your position.

Blaming doesn't improve your position.

Waiting for someone to save you doesn't improve your position.

The only thing that improves your position is action.

Assess where you are. Face the problem. Protect your essentials. Create space. Find leverage. Move to a better position.

And keep moving until you're in control.

The Hapkido Lesson: Read the Signals and Move First

I spent years training Hapkido before I ever touched BJJ.

And one of the most valuable things I learned was the happo undo—the eight directions exercise.

It drilled footwork, positioning, and timing until they became unconscious.

By the time I was a black belt, I could read my opponent's hips and eyes and know what they were about to do before they did it.

My favorite was when someone tried to throw a spinning kick.

I'd see the setup. I'd move perpendicular to their line of attack. And just as they spun, I'd step behind them and sweep their support leg or land a light liver shot.

They'd be on the ground before they knew what happened.

Not because I was faster or stronger. Because I read the signals and moved first.

Life is the same.

If you're paying attention, you can see the signals.

Inflation rising. Supply chains breaking. Political instability increasing. Wars escalating.

You can ignore the signals and get caught off guard.

Or you can read them, adjust your position, and move before the kick lands.

The Key: Know What Position You're In

The difference between someone who survives tough times and someone who gets crushed isn't luck.

It's awareness.

If you don't know what position you're in, you can't improve it.

Are you in Stage 1 (survive)? Then your job is to face the problem, protect your essentials, and create space.

Are you in Stage 2 (escape)? Then your job is to relieve pressure and move to a less-terrible position.

Are you in Stage 3 (improve)? Then your job is to build income, skills, and buffers.

Are you in Stage 4 (control)? Then your job is to maintain your position and help others improve theirs.

But you have to know where you are first.

Because if you're in Stage 1 and you act like you're in Stage 4, you're going to get submitted.

Why My Wife and I Can Talk About Gas Prices on Our Walks

When I filled up my motorcycle and saw the cost, it wasn't a crisis.

It was a conversation.

Not because we're rich. Because we positioned ourselves well.

We worked hard to build a life where a fifty-percent increase in gas prices is annoying but not devastating.

We cut our expenses years ago. We built buffers. We invested in skills. We live below our means.

So when things get expensive, we adjust and keep moving.

That's Stage 4.

And the only reason we're in Stage 4 is because we spent years grinding through Stages 1, 2, and 3.

We survived. We escaped. We improved. And now we control our position.

You can do the same.

But you have to start by facing the problem.

Don't give life your back.

Reply with this: What stage are you in right now—survive, escape, improve, or control—and what's the one move you need to make to get to the next stage?

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​Can't Hurt Me — David Goggins​

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