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Hip-hop icon and actor LL Cool J has joined the growing list of celebrities discovering just how humbling Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can be.<\/strong><\/p>\n During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience<\/strong>, LL Cool J revealed that he has recently begun training Jiu-Jitsu in Brooklyn \u2014 and he\u2019s learning under an instructor with one of the most respected lineages in the sport.<\/p>\n His teacher is Brian Glick<\/strong>, a longtime Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under John Danaher and Renzo Gracie<\/strong>. Glick has spent decades within the Renzo Gracie lineage and is described as one of Danaher\u2019s longest-running students.<\/p>\n When Rogan asked about his current training, LL Cool J explained:<\/p>\n \u201cI recently started doing Jiu-Jitsu, which has been a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked where he trains, the rapper answered:<\/p>\n \u201cBrian Glick. He\u2019s in Brooklyn. And he trained under Danaher.\u201d<\/p>\n Rogan immediately recognized the pedigree, calling it a \u201cgreat lineage\u201d and referencing Renzo Gracie and John Danaher<\/strong>.<\/p>\n LL Cool J explained that he was introduced to Glick through his friend Scott Caan and has since been working with the Brooklyn instructor.<\/p>\n But like virtually every new Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, it didn\u2019t take long for the martial art to challenge his perception of his own toughness.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very humbling.\u201d<\/p>\n He then joked about one of the great realizations almost every beginner experiences:<\/p>\n \u201cYou think you\u2019re a tough guy, but you\u2019re really a little old lady. You find out really quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n LL Cool J isn\u2019t completely new to martial arts.<\/p>\n He explained that when he was younger, he experimented with several martial arts, mentioning karate and Wing Chun among the styles he had practiced.<\/p>\n But grappling has given him a very different experience.<\/p>\n One of the biggest shocks, he explained, is discovering just how helpless an untrained person can feel when controlled by someone who understands Jiu-Jitsu.<\/p>\n Rogan agreed, explaining that you don\u2019t necessarily realize how vulnerable you are until someone puts you in a position such as closed guard and simply tells you to escape.<\/p>\n LL Cool J described that realization as part of what makes the experience so interesting.<\/p>\n The exchange also led to a broader discussion about one of Jiu-Jitsu\u2019s defining characteristics: the art doesn\u2019t care who you are outside the gym.<\/strong><\/p>\n Rogan argued that this can be particularly valuable for celebrities because status, fame, personality and charisma have virtually no influence once someone is physically controlling you.<\/p>\n As Rogan put it, there\u2019s no way to \u201ccharisma your way out\u201d of an Americana or Kimura.<\/p>\n For LL Cool J, however, the challenge appears to be exactly what makes the experience appealing.<\/p>\n He connected learning Jiu-Jitsu with his broader philosophy of continuing to learn and trying to maximize one\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n And despite being at the very beginning of his grappling journey, he has already discovered something that generations of BJJ practitioners know well:<\/p>\n The mats have a remarkably effective way of showing you exactly how much you still have to learn.<\/strong><\/p>\n Brian Glick\u2019s credentials make LL Cool J\u2019s choice of instructor particularly interesting. Glick is a veteran of the legendary Renzo Gracie Academy environment in New York and has trained with numerous elite grapplers and MMA fighters over the years. JiuJitsu Magazine<\/p>\n And Glick\u2019s own instructor, John Danaher, is a Renzo Gracie black belt whose students have included some of the biggest names in modern grappling and MMA, including Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon and Georges St-Pierre. BJJ Heroes<\/p>\n For LL Cool J, though, none of those accolades change the immediate reality of being a beginner.<\/p>\n You walk onto the mat.<\/p>\n Someone puts you in a position you don\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n You try everything you can think of.<\/p>\n And suddenly being famous doesn\u2019t help very much.<\/p>\nLL Cool J: Jiu-Jitsu Makes You Feel Helpless<\/h3>\n