Mental Benefits of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (For Everyone)

Personal development is broken into four different categories. Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are huge components of who we are as individuals. We beleieve that jiu-jitsu is the gateway to hitting all four of these categories at once. Training jiu-jitsu does not just have profound impacts on one’s physical health but their mental, emotional, and spiritual sides as well. In this article, we will discuss the mental benefits of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

Mental Benefits of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

The best part about training jiu-jitsu is not just the fact that you get into excellent physical condition. The best part about taking on this martial art is the mental clarity you receive as a result of training.

Brazilian JIu-Jitsu is a mental game just as much as it is a physical one. This martial art will mentally stimulate your mind like no other sport you have ever taken on, teach you valuable lessons, and ingrain real mental toughness into your soul. 

In our time of training, we have completely been able to level up our mental well-being due to the things we have learned on the mats. We grew up playing sports and nothing has taught us more than the art of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. 

One of the reasons the sport is so deeply impactful is that it is a solo sport. When you mess up there is no one else to blame. If you quit, you are the problem. If you cannot learn on the fly, you are responsible for the consequences. 

Those that embrace this type of personal responsibility and allow for the martial art to reshape their spirit will become new humans through the journey!

Facing Your Issues

Issues in life happen all the time. No one’s life is easy. We all have those little things that irritate us or really large conflicts that could change our lives… whatever it is, they come out of nowhere.

Jiu-Jitsu is a sport that forces you to face problems and react in real-time. By default of choosing to roll on the mats with someone, you are playing a game of human chess. Who can make the best strategic moves to make the opponent submit or lose? You are in a race to the end of the buzzer.

This process in itself forces you to solve puzzles with the other person you are competing with. Both of you are in a game of solving problems that the other person has put on in front of you. How you react at the moment will define the outcome, just like in life.

The Importance of Sucking At Something

At the Grapplers Graveyard, we firmly believe that sucking at things and having the willingness to learn are the best indicators that someone is on their way to success. Sucking at something and learning through trial and error is the only way information sticks.

This process is known as deep learning. When you fall (or get submitted) in jiu-jitsu you are actively partaking in a deep learning process. Over time your skills will grow and you will blossom into a new person from your decision to choose growth over perfection.

We are at our best when we are on a journey for self-mastery!

Getting Uncomfortable

In today’s world, people are too comfortable.

The only way to grow and learn as a person is to step outside of your comfort zone. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is a common term that is thrown around in the motivation sphere of the internet and it has a deep truth to it.

Training jiu-jitsu will make you uncomfortable at times, especially in the beginning. You will walk in for your first 6 months getting beat up… the beautiful thing about that is that everyone in that room training was in that exact same position.

Handling Stress

Jiu-Jitsu introduces stressful situations from day one. This martial art was built as a self-defense technique so its whole goal is to teach you how to handle the stress of someone trying to attack you.

Learning how to handle stress in an effective way is a game-changer for our everyday lives. This has easily been the biggest benefit we have personally received from picking up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The gym NEVER gave us this type of feeling and I would argue it probably never would have. 

Felling a deep sense of calmness in our spirit is a new thing for us. We have always been on the more anxious side. When we look back at the person we were before we started training it is like a night and day difference!

Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu’s Impact on Your Mental Health

Mental health is a growing topic of discussion around the world at this time. In order to live happy lives we firmly believe that mentally we have to be clear and weary of becoming our own worst enemy. Many times we have fallen victim to this type of thinking but something that truly helped us get over this hurdle was Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Anxiety and overthinking are the culprits of robbing people of happiness. Because the community of jiu-jitsu practitioners is dominated by men we will focus on how BJJ can have a positive impact on people’s mental health from a male’s perspective.

We are not the only person who will scream from the mountain tops about how impactful Brazilian Jiu-jitsu can be to those that need it most. BJJ is a transformative, grappling-based martial art that instills a core set of principles into those that truly embrace what this sport has to offer.

When people sign up for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, they do not really do so because of the mental health benefits, they are more than likely interested in the physical benefits or heard from a friend, maybe an influencer, about how fun the sport can be. The reason people stick around is a mix of reasons.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not only a fun and dynamic way to get into the best shape of your life but it is also an art form that truly will mold you into a new person and force you to dig deep to find new layers of yourself that you never knew existed. Jiu-Jitsu will expose you to certain aspects of your mindset that you may have been aware or unaware of, it is your job to identify those lessons at the moment and either learn from them or ignore them.

Pushing through hard times, getting back up after getting beat up, learning a new skill of how to defend yourself, problem-solving on the fly, and how to stay consistent with something that is challenging are all lessons that BJJ will ingrain into those who practice the sport, male or female.

Mental Clarity

Something that many people do not talk about when it comes to the benefits of training Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the mental clarity you get after training sessions. BJJ requires you to stay present at the moment and think a lot. It is just as much a mental workout as it is a physical one.

When you are forced to stay present in the moment during your sparring sessions you find that in a way you are almost meditating through violence. You are playing chess with another human that is actively trying to get to an advantageous position so they can win that match, stopping to think and not allowing yourself to give into someone’s will force you to dig deep.

In those moments, nothing else matters. The outside world is invisible. Sometimes, we just need an escape. Reality can be a tough place to be in and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu allows you to escape to a place that many do not get the opportunity to do very often. 

Stress Relief

Due to the nature of the sparring sessions that take place on the mats, people find that Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a great way to relieve stress that may have been weighing them down from their everyday lives. Most people that train BJJ have day jobs that they go to and many people with those day jobs incur a lot of stress along the way. BJJ has been and will continue to be an excellent outlet for people to get their minds off things that may be bogging them down in their everyday lives.

Thinking Through Problems – Problem-Solving Skills

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has been known to be referred to as a game of human chess. When you are sparring with a partner you are actively trying to solve puzzles that the person in front of you is presenting to you. In real-time you have to make decisions that either benefit or hinder your ability to get to a good position.

This is the number one reason why we have become addicted to the sport and why many other people continue to show up every day. Folks like Joe Rogan and Lex Fridman are both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts and have gone on to spread this same message to their massive audiences. If you are looking for a sport that will not only push you physically but also stimulate you mentally, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu may be the sport you need to pick up today!

Benefits of Jiu-Jitsu For Kids

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a martial art that is exploding in popularity across the United States mainly due to the increase in popularity of the UFC and MMA. Many more young boys and girls are starting to get interested in training the grappling-based martial art themselves.

As parents, we want what is best for our kids and want to give them the best opportunities to flourish as adults. We may not initially want them to start grappling in hopes of keeping themselves in not like any others that you may find yourself comparing it to. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a martial art that ingrains strong principles into the people that embrace the sport.

Due to the popularity of the sport exploding over the last decade, there are way more opportunities for young people to compete and potentially make a name for themselves in the circuit. We are seeing more and more young people jump into the sport, train for a couple of years, and find themselves becoming some of the best grapplers in the world by their early 20s.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu can offer a lot of our kids that may not be genetically blessed enough to make it to the NFL but still aspire to become a professional athlete. Along the way, they learn how to define themselves in a dangerous situation, create self-reliance, and develop real skills in mastering the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Self Defense & Bullying

Bullying is still a problem in most schools around the United States. It is very stressful as a parent sending your kids off to school without you ever knowing what type of things could be happening. Brazilian jiu-jitsu was originally created as a way to protect yourself, a martial art built for self-defense. BJJ was designed so a smaller person could protect and potentially beat a bigger and stronger opponent.

As the world grows increasingly more chaotic, teaching our kids the skills to handle situations will only be a plus. We firmly believe that bullying has no place in schools but we are also not nieve enough to know it does not go on. Give your kids the opportunity to stand up for themselves by at least letting them spend one summer training, they are bound to take away something beneficial.

Creating Self Reliance

Any sport that is one-on-one is bound to create a sense of self-reliance. Building skills and being able to depend on your own abilities is something that most people do not achieve even into their late adult lives, imagine giving our children this ability to think for themselves and solve problems in a dynamic way at a young age! It could be a massive course correction for them!

When you are playing team sports, it can be easy to place blame on others for the reason behind losing. Although there are MANY benefits to playing team sports, the benefits of playing a skill-based, one-on-one sport far outweigh that of the team sport. When on you are competing in a tournament you and one other person are sharing the space. If you lose, there is no one else to blame. This can have a positive impact on kids especially if they start to win, they will believe in themselves, and their abilities to accomplish hard things, and push themselves to new heights!

It is important to note that losing is a part of the game. Everyone, especially if you are competing have been submitted and lost a match. Learning how to lose in a graceful way is also an important skill you learn along the way of training in a one-on-one sport.

Building Skills 

Brazilan Jiu-jitsu is not a sport that someone can master very quickly, there are levels to people’s abilities. Skill development is a process that is a very fun way to challenge yourself. Due to the intense nature of the sport, you will find that kids will love coming to training and building up their confidence through real-world applications of skills they learn. 

The self-mastery process is when we believe that humans are at their best. It is important to foster this excitement in children to keep their eyes wide and help them stay curious throughout the remainder of their adult lives!

Physical Health Benefits of Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is a martial art with many benefits for your physical and mental well-being. One of the main reasons people get into martial art is the benefits they have heard of from various sources. Due to the intense nature of the sport, jiu-jitsu forces you into better shape and will have you reevaluate how you are eating. If you are eating poorly while training jiu-jitsu the effect will show up in your training.

Many people that have started training jiu-jitsu lose weight. The intense workout sessions you get in the intermediate or advanced classes is the best way to transform the way you look and feel. 

Cardiovascular Improvement

Cardio is a huge part of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. You are grappling with another person going full speed with the intention to choke you out, so you will be pushing yourself to new limits!

It is nothing to be worried about if you are not in the best cardio shape when starting out. Like many other sports, the only way to get into shape for jiu-jitsu rolling sessions is to actively participate in them. Over time, as you get more time on the mats, you will find yourself gassing out less often and having to take fewer breaks in between rounds.

Cardio is something that you can always train for outside of the mats as well. If you decide that you want to start competing, taking up biking or maybe running a few extra miles each week won’t be such a bad idea. It will only get you in better shape for those rolling sessions that have big stakes on the line!

Muscle Strength

Training BJJ is a dynamic way to engage lots of muscle groups at the same time. With the combination of pushing, pulling, and gripping opponents you will find yourself getting much stronger after training in the sport. 

Implementing weight training into your weekly routine is a great idea for those that want to get the most out of their training and truly maximize their potential. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is a perfect mix of strength and cardio training, it will leave you in the best shape of your life!

Mental Strength

This health benefit is one that gets overlooked by most people that start out training. When we started our journey in Brazilian jiu-jitsu we had no idea how mentally stimulating the sport truly was. When we started to realize that jiu-jitsu was not only a physical game but also a mental one, we became addicted and immediately started The Grappler’s Graveyard.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a martial art that forces you to think outside the box to solve several problems that arise in your sparring sessions. It forces you to stay on your toes, think quickly, and find solutions to problems that arise fast. 

Some days, training is harder than others. Those days where you feel off or tired from the day are arguably the most important for your growth in the sport and as a person. Jiu-jitsu will teach you, in a practical way, how to push through tough things and come out on the other side a better person.

Training Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has been one the biggest game changers for us personally. Going into 2024 we look forward to getting more training under our belt and competing in local tournaments. The Grapplers Graveyard continues to grow and will be the premier place grapplers worldwide choose to go to level up their life! 

Happy Rolling!