If you’re reading this, you’re already interested in trying Brazilian jiu-jitsu. But maybe you’re on the fence, for whatever reason. This post is designed to inspire you to take the plunge and walk in the door for the first time.
Jiu-jitsu is tremendous for self defense, provides an opportunity to test yourself in a competitive format, and is one of the most effective activities you can pursue for personal empowerment.
These are just some of the benefits you’ll get from training. It’s also one of the most important martial arts to focus on if you plan to train or compete in MMA. Even if you never step in a mixed martial arts cage or on a competition mat, though, there are almost too many benefits from jiu-jitsu to list. Still, let’s try!
First, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is Fun.
When people ask me the martial art, or exercises, that they should do, I generally say “The one you enjoy the most — because that’s the one you’ll actually do and stick with.” It doesn’t matter if we can scientifically prove that, say, ultramarathons are the single healthiest activity for you. If you hate doing them, you’ll stop.
People who like jiu-jitsu people generally turn into people who love jiu-jitsu, becoming BJJ lifers, and that’s partially because it’s continually fun and interesting. I’ve been training just about every day for eight years, and there are still extensive parts of the art that are new and exciting to me. The sheer number of positions possible in jiu-jitsu ensure that I’ll never know everything there is to know — and that means every day is a new chance to learn something life-changing. That makes me smile just thinking about it.
Plus, jiu-jitsu competitions let you play the game against other people who may have a totally different style — and you can keep doing that, against people your own age if you want to, for the rest of your life
Also, one of the most amazing parts of training Brazilian jiu-jitsu: you get the chance to meet and train with the very best. If a recreational basketball player gets to shoot around with Michael Jordan or LeBron James, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that becomes a lifetime memory.
In jiu-jitsu, though, it’s a small enough global community that you can meet, get on the mats with and learn from the elite. Whether you’re talking about today’s best competitors, like Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida, Mackenzie Dern or Gordon Ryan, or legends of the art like Rickson Gracie, Marcelo Garcia or Michele Nicolini, if you do jiu-jitsu long enough, you’ll probably get the chance to see what makes them great firsthand. That’s pretty cool.
You Get in Great Shape Doing BJJ.
The best exercise doesn’t feel like exercise. You’re so focused on the task at hand that you don’t’ realize how tired you’re getting until class ends and you realize, “Hey, I’m soaked, and I need to drink some water!”
I know running is good for me. I know this. But I’ll never do it, although I’ve tried numerous times during my life. I always start, and then I get about a mile in and remember that I hate this, and there’s no one there to stop me if I just decide to go get coffee instead. But BJJ gives you a constant slate of short-term goals and long-term goals alike, and it’s hard to get distracted. Also, if someone is trying to choke or armlock you, you’re going to keep going
Plus, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a complete, full-body workout. Grappling shape is a different kind of shape. If you’ve wrestled or done judo or sambo, you have a sense of this, and you can get similar results from training BJJ.
Jiu-jitsu is Challenging in Ways You Don’t Expect, and Some Ways You Do.
People have different expectations about what training jiu-jitsu will be like. One common thread is that most people know it’ll challenge them, and it will — just not always in the ways you might expect.
It challenges you to get better at everything, every day — not just on the mats, but in your life. For me, jiu-jitsu is about finding the best and most efficient ways to complete every task. This type of precision and attention to detail — to say nothing of the mental toughness it takes to pay attention to those details in physically stressful situations — is so valuable.
Everybody faces challenges. Jiu-jitsu is a fun, exciting and effective way to learn how to solve those problems.
This is the second post in a series called the White Belt Starter Kit, advice for newer students. This series will answer some of the most common questions you might have, like how to get the most out of drilling, how to roll safely and well, how to maximize your training benefits, and how to be a helpful and valuable training partner. There will be a dozen or so posts in the series, which will be available here and updated consistently.