How The Jiu Jitsu Principle of Depletion Helps To Overcome Resistance in Cybersecurity

In as much as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu requires directed focus and mental and physical discipline, it is anchored and guided by several tenets. One of these foundational principles, according to Rener Gracier, is centered in overcoming resistance through patience, persistence and strategic pressure.  In other words, the depletion principle. 

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As defined by Gracie University, the depletion principle refers to “Draining your opponent's physical and mental energy using targeted actions and connections. In a fight, the rate of energy depletion is often the key deciding factor in determining who will win and who will lose.”

So, when you look at the three things that constitute the depletion principle: patience, persistence and strategic pressure, they all need to be employed together in whatever situation you are working through to get the desired result. 

With patience, timing is everything. Rushing for a submission in jiu jitsu often leads rookies into vulnerable positions and a loss at the end. The same thing happens in cybersecurity. If you don’t understand the situation or the problem, rushing to find solutions can lead to either the wrong solution, or worsening of the situation. 

Patience comes in several forms. For instance, in jiu jitsu, when folks are moving, you really can't sit there waiting and being patient. Patience here requires you to persistently and subtly direct them to get into the position that you want to be able to make them submit.

When you are working with an organization towards building cyber resiliency, you need to exercise patience as this may be a new area for them or an area, they lack expertise in and want some time to adjust to it. Trying to rush them into action may result in pushback or further down the line after implementation, they may stall as they try to catch up to the changes. 

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Persistence has been noted as the single most crucial attribute to have when practicing jiu jitsu. Why? Well, when you think about it, if you have speed but stop halfway to your goal, then speed is useless. Persistence refers to one’s ability to stay focused and pursue a goal until it is achieved. Through persistence you can see where and what kind of patience is needed, and how much pressure where and when is required at different stages of a project. 

Persistence also builds consistency. If you're like, yeah, I'll get back to that later, you’re not moving that bar forward. It stays right where it is and sometimes it even goes further back. This is one area that I constantly have to work on because I am queen of setting it aside till later. 

In cyber projects for resiliency, persistence comes in the form of multiple meetings to walk through what will be implemented, along with the pros and cons of the options an organization can take. Organizations require both preparation and assurances along each phase. Again, all of this requires patience. 

Persistence ultimately leads to pressure. As you work on a project, pressure can build from deadlines, and changes in both internal and external organizational environments. However, pressure must be strategic. In jiu jitsu, you can use pressure to make sure that your opponent doesn’t go any other route if you want them to go on Turtle. And this is the same thing with cyber resiliency. If you experience pushback when you are trying to implement new strategies, putting a little pressure by showing vulnerable points or long-term cost efficacy, will move an organization or a department in the direction you want them to go in. 

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My journey in cyber security and jiu jitsu have all taught me to reimagine directions and options. They have also taught me that one can figure out what scares them in moving toward a goal and then to go into it and figure things out. You just need to be patient with yourself or with others. If you're working on a relationship with somebody and building that trust and relationship, whether it's a sales position or you're trying to get clients or whether you're trying to negotiate partnerships, you have to establish some kind of patience.

What helps? As a public speaker and as I coach others in the cyber world, I share more of these different lessons that can really help to guide my audiences in the direction that they're looking for. Bringing it back to the principle of depletion, if what I am sharing aligns with the principles and what I'm focusing on in public speaking, I am depleting resistance. I am also feeding that resistance through whatever scares you in this world and reframing how to get a desired result.

For a long time, all I wanted to do was to protect myself and the way I knew how to do that was to ensure that I was able to provide for myself. I’ve lived by myself for over 12 years. I've had partners and roommates and different situations to ease a lot of the financial burden, but I made sure that my portion was covered, and I didn’t owe anyone.  

As I began to add other goals, I was wearing down my resistance to growth. So, that's what we're doing with he depletion principle. We're setting ourselves up to win by using patience, persistence and strategic pressure. In my case, I first focused on financial goals, then next I focused on being able to physically protect myself.  Other goals will come up from these and as you remove more of that resistance, like, I should not be out of breath, but I run around, I roll, and I'm asthmatic. So, you really try to work through obstacles like that especially when it's harder. It's an excuse. I hate running and I'm going to get over it and we're going to get through it.

The depletion principle is about both internal and external goals – internal goals encompass your own personal resistance points, and external goals are about finding success in cyber projects or getting an opponent to submit in a match. 

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How do you see the depletion principle at work in your life or career?

In what other ways can you see this principle applied in building cyber resiliency?