Thousands of people have discovered the life-changing benefits of jiu-jitsu and have gone on to lead incredible lives. At the same time, for all the known benefits of jiu-jitsu and the life transformational effects, the reality is, people will still quit no different than they would quit their diet, quit their workout routine, quit school, quit their relationships, or anything else that yields personal improvement. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the transformative benefits of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Benefits of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Training Brazilian jiu-jitsu transforms you into a new human being. On many accounts, millions of people have gone on to say the sport has saved their lives. The benefits of doing jiu-jitsu run deep and you almost feel as though something deep within is changed when you embrace the sport and accept the changes in your life naturally.
Jiu-jitsu is clearly a physical activity so the physical benefits are almost a dead giveaway but many people that are looking from the outside do not know of the mental and emotional benefits that jiu-jitsu has on us. Every human being is wired differently but some core principles seem to be universal in all and jiu-jitsu is a great way to find some of those principles!
Mental Benefits of Jiu Jitsu
Handling Stress
Grappling against another person that is going full speed is a stressful activity. It is not easy to defend against someone who is going full speed against you and by default you are putting yourself in a fight-or-flight situation. When you increase the number of times you train on a weekly basis and expose yourself to these situations, the stress in the outside world becomes much more manageable.
When you work out you put tiny tears on your muscles so they can heal back and grow stronger. Just like normal weightlifting, jiu-jitsu does this for your “stress handling” muscle. Although it may not be scientifically ‘correct’ to call it that the idea is still there. Night after night you are putting your body in an uncomfortable position and over time you get better at handling those situations.
Handling Problems in Real Time
Jiu-jitsu is human chess.
In real-time you have to react to what another person is trying to do and counter it with something that is either going to stop them from getting into a dominant position or put yourself in one to win the match. It is an intensely stimulating thing to actively put yourself through this and one of the main reasons why we fell in love with the sport.
The gym is too boring. Jiu-jitsu is a great alternative to getting strength and cardio done in one setting while also stimulating yourself mentally in the process. By default of training jiu-jitsu, you will be better at handling issues that spur up in your real life. When tasked with something in the real world that may require a difficult decision, you will be able to handle that pressure and stress to make a clear decision in no time!
Sucking At Something
Humans are at their best when they are in the pursuit of self-mastery. When you decide to dedicate yourself to learning a new skill, part of the process is that you suck at the beginning. Jiu-jitsu is no different and when most people start off at the white belt, they suck.
The great thing is that progress in the support is not linear. Yes, the belt system is not going to change for you but as you show up and soak in all the knowledge from coaches over time your growth in the sport is exponential. It is a wonderful feeling when you put time and effort into learning a new skill and can see progress in less than 6 months!
Physical Benefits of Jiu Jitsu
Many people start jiu-jitsu to get into better physical shape and realize very quickly that this sport comes with many benefits outside of just the physical.
It is very easy to lose weight when you train jiu-jitsu at least three times a week. One of our partners who train at our gym has lost over 70 pounds since starting his journey in the past and our resident black belt coach, Alex Martinez lost more than 50!
The one thing that we suggest when you decided to jump into the sport is it allow it to change you. Jiu-jitsu is a sport that weeds people out. If you have bad habits they will be exposed on the mats. If you are going to jump into this sport for the transformative benefits that come with it, take it, and yourself seriously in the process!
A lot of change happens in your life when you embody strong principles. Doing your best and staying consistent with the sport will be a life-altering experience for you! Along the way, you will morph into an unrecognizable human being and make lifelong friends within a community of people who love to push themselves to their limits!
