The Top 10 Benefits of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

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Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (also known as BJJ and just "jiu jitsu") goes far beyond mastering techniques and submitting opponents. While rooted in self-defense, this wonderful art offers a myriad of benefits that extend into various aspects of life. Whether someone is looking to get in shape, learn how to defend themselves, or even just try something new, jiu jitsu has something to offer everyone.

In this article, we'll explore the top 10 advantages of practicing BJJ and how they contribute to a challenging and rewarding experience.

Let's Go Over The Benefits

1. Learning Self Defense

One of the primary reasons a lot of people choose this martial art is due to how applicable it is in self-defense scenarios. The core tenant of jiu jitsu is that technique conquers all and smaller opponents are able to succeed in situations where their opponent is larger than they are. Learning how to control, maintain good positioning, and subdue your opponent while taking care of your own personal safety is the obvious reason for taking up any martial but BJJ has proved to be particularly effective.

Most fights end up on the ground at some point and because of it's focus on control and positioning, you'll learn how to equip yourself with the tools for staying safe.

2. Getting in Shape

The benefits of exercise are no secret. Besides the obvious physical benefits, exercise and working out has proven time and time again to have amazing mental health benefits as well. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a total body workout due to the physical nature of the art as well as the live sparring at the end of every practice.

To say it's a great cardio exercise would be an understatement but the amazing part is how quickly time passes while you are training. You will be tired and your body will be sore since it will be performing movements it's not used to, but the training is incredibly rewarding and you'll be amazed at how quickly you'll get in shape with regular attendance.

3. Build Mental Toughness & Resilience

"It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness. That is life."
- Spock

BJJ is incredibly challenging and it takes developing a certain attitude to stick with it. You test yourself in every class and you'll often fail. And that's ok. Losing is a part of life and jiu jitsu is an excellent, low-risk way of finding out what your made of. You'll find that over time you'll develop a "thick skin" in tough situations and along with that, you'll learn that it's ok to lose. Every time you bounce back, you'll only re-enforce the attitude of getting yourself up off the mat and continue trying to get better.

4. Problem Solving Under Pressure

You'll be hot, tired, and uncomfortable but you will learn how to find your way out of bad positions. Keeping a cool head under pressure is a skill you'll quickly develop as you train more and more. You'll have to make split second decisions while being in positions that are physically uncomfortable. Over time, you'll learn the skills needed to focus on what's necessary to get yourself into a better spot. This skill will transfer over into your day-to-day life as you start to figure out that there's always options on what to do next.

Being able to solve quickly changing problems in the face of adversity is the hallmark of our sport and it's a skill that can be improved the more you work on it. Over time you'll find positions, and situations, that used to be difficult and overwhelming are now easy to figure out because you are able to keep a cool head.

5. Improve Your Emotional Well-Being

For many, this is one of the top benefits of training. Between the strenuous yet rewarding physical challenge and the supportive community, you'll find the more you train the better you start to feel. The regular routine of class coupled with a community that encourages newcomers, people quickly find themselves motivated to improve aspects of their life outside of the gym in an effort to improve the quality of their training.

A common example is that eating junk food before training can more often than not negatively impact your training. Then you'll find yourself cutting out the junk food not in an effort to lose weight or some other health benefit, but because you want to feel at your best doing something you love.

6. Become Disciplined While Learning Patience

Getting better takes effort. But when you are able to set and then achieve goals you've set for yourself, it makes it easier to keep going. One of the first lessons you'll learn is that there are levels to this art and in order to improve at a consistent pace you'll need to attend classes on a regular basis. There will be days where it's hard to convince yourself to go and maybe you have a bad day, but it's up to you to persevere.

Remember, improvement takes time but it's absolutely worth the wait. Day by day you won't notice a change, but when you are able to look back one month, three months, or even a year, you will be able to see all the progress you've made and you will be happy you stuck with it.

7. Increase Your Connection to Your Body

Being as physical of a sport as it is, the more time you spend grappling, the more you will be able to develop a sixth-sense with your body. This can be as simple as knowing when a move "feels right" versus when it doesn't but it can also allow you to be more in tune with your body. You'll be able to truly find where your limits exist and you'll be able to work on expanding those limits as time goes on.

As part of this, you'll also learn to listen to your body when it needs a break. Knowing the difference between just being tired and being truly run down and fatigued can help prevent injuries while also telling you to take a well-deserved break. The more you train, the more you will learn how to understand the art of controlling your own body.

8. Let Out Your Competitive Side

Although it's not for everyone, competition can be a lot of fun and can also be a great tool for gauging where you are based on your experience level. In the gym we train as a team and compete amongst ourselves, but competition can be a good outlet to really let loose and test yourself. Like anything, succeeding at competitions takes practice and the more you compete, the easier (and less stressful) it'll become.

Competition also has the side effect of showing you where your weak spots are so when you get back to the gym, you can work on improving those areas. Win or lose, people who compete frequently progress much faster on average than those who don't.

9. A Supportive Community & Lifelong Friendships

You'll find very quickly that the BJJ community is unique. It's a group of people from all walks of life that all share a common interest, all coming together to help each other achieve their goals. This martial art (and sport) fosters a tight-knit community where practitioners support and encourage one another. Training partners often become lifelong friends, creating a positive and motivating environment that extends beyond the gym walls.

10. Life Long Journey of Learning

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a journey of continual learning and growth. The belt system signifies progress and proficiency, motivating practitioners to pursue lifelong improvement. This emphasis on self-discovery and personal development extends far beyond the physical techniques, making BJJ one part of an enriching life. You'll often hear practitioners talk about being "addicted" to training and that's all centered around a simple feedback loop. You encounter a challenge, you set a goal, you achieve that goal, this feels good, and the cycle repeats.

Come discover why this art is becoming increasingly more popular!

In Conclusion

While this list is not exhaustive, it covers a lot of the immediate benefits you get from training. As time goes on, you will find your own personal benefits to training and those will be what drives you. Everyone wants to get better and everyone is getting better at their own pace. This is the "journey" that you so often hear people talk about. Finding out what motivates you and continuing to pursue your goals are skills that extend beyond the mats and can really have a major positive impact on other aspects of your life.