It’s no secret that martial arts are incredibly beneficial and help us better ourselves in numerous ways.
Many of the martial arts we know today are centuries old, and thousands of people have helped mould, shape, and develop them over the years.
Among the many martial arts out there, Brazilian jiu-jitsu has made a name for itself. Thanks to the unique style present in BJJ, the art attracts many students worldwide.
Today, we’ll go over eight of the greatest benefits of BJJ training.
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What Is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)?
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is an art that initially took techniques and fundamentals from Judo and traditional Jiu-Jitsu. Thanks to development from many people including the Gracie family, the art later developed into a separate discipline.
The popularity of BJJ exploded after UFC 1. The event showcased BJJ’s dominance over larger opponents and untrained grapplers.
Today, it is one of the most popular and effective martial arts in the world.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu teaches us how to defend ourselves and overcome opponents through technique and leverage. Because of that, it’s not uncommon for a smaller person to defeat a larger and stronger opponent.
The premise of BJJ is simple:
Control your opponent and use various submissions and grappling techniques to force them into submission.
To be a successful BJJ athlete, you need exceptional technique, flexibility, balance, coordination, and strength and conditioning.
Eight Benefits of BJJ Training
There are several benefits of BJJ. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is among the most beneficial ways to stay fit, build self-defence skills, improve our mental health, and reap dozens of other health and fitness-related benefits.
With that in mind, here are eight concrete benefits of BJJ training:
1. Weight Loss
When most people embark on a weight loss journey, they go down the traditional path: lots of cardio and severe food restrictions. Sure, this is one way to go about it.
But why make it more difficult than it needs to be?
Martial arts (and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, in particular) are a fantastic way to become more active and trim some weight. The reason for this is simple:
To lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. In doing so, you force the body to start using fat for fuel and get the remaining calories it needs to keep functioning.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is fantastic because it’s challenging and helps us burn lots of calories. It’s not uncommon for fighters to burn upward of 500 calories in a single session. That alone adds up and can lead to significant weight loss without you even modifying your nutrition.
2. Incredible Self-Defense Skills
Let’s face it:
Whether we like it or not, trouble lurks behind many corners. And while most people avoid confrontation and don’t ever want to resolve problems through force, life can be chaotic. It’s not always up to us to decide how to resolve a situation.
Even if you don’t aspire to be an active fighter and win tournaments, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gives you something extraordinary: the ability to defend yourself and the ones you love from external threats.
We certainly don’t condone looking for trouble – that’s far from what we stand for. But we stand firmly for the fundamental human right to defend ourselves.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is superior to other martial arts in this regard because the tactics and techniques revolve around overcoming opponents without necessarily causing them harm. What’s more, thanks to the advanced techniques, it’s not uncommon for a relatively small person to defeat a much larger and stronger opponent.
This makes Brazilian jiu-jitsu the de-facto choice for learning self-defense, especially for women.
Self defence is one of the fundamental benefits of BJJ.
3. Better Conditioning
While Brazilian jiu-jitsu is nicknamed “the gentle art”, this martial art is incredibly demanding, both physically and mentally.
Aside from wit and skill, fighters must have endurance, flexibility, strength, power, and balance to overcome opponents. This is physically-demanding, and trainees often feel exhausted by the end of a training session.
Of course, with practice, your conditioning improves, your muscles strengthen, and you get better at grappling opponents for extended periods before you get fatigued. As with most things in life, difficulties are what make us stronger.
The improved conditioning is a fantastic benefit of BJJ. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu boosts your work capacity, makes your everyday life easier, and helps you become a fitter and more athletic person.
4. Improved Mental Health
We sometimes overlook our mental health and discard the importance of maintaining it. But, whether we like it or not, our mental state profoundly impacts our choices, behaviors, habits, and quality of life.
Practising Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a fantastic way to improve our mental health and keep it elevated. Because the sport involves continual growth and improvement, there is an inherent feeling of progression and fulfilment.
Thanks to the social factor, we also spend time with positive and like-minded individuals who profoundly affect our outlook and world view.
Plus, physical activity as a whole is incredibly beneficial for our mental health, and countless studies show that it reduces the risk of depression and makes us happier and more optimistic.
5. Better Flexibility And Range of Motion
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a versatile way to increase your range of motion while reaping all of the other benefits of BJJ we are discussing today.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is about controlling opponents and preventing them from escaping your submissions. To become proficient, you need to have exceptional flexibility, which allows you to be more fluid than your opponents. To get good at escaping opponents’ submissions, you also need flexibility.
Pushing your body repeatedly is what allows you to become more flexible gradually. It’s not uncommon for BJJ athletes to realize that they’ve become a lot more fluid after some months of training.
Aside from the highly beneficial BJJ training, becoming a proficient athlete also requires additional work, such as yoga. At some point, improving further comes down to flexibility and a superior range of motion. So, it becomes a non-negotiable part of the comprehensive jiu-jitsu training.
6. Improved Problem-Solving Skills
Learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the best ways to develop your problem-solving and critical thinking skills. This benefit becomes apparent on day one because the first and most important thing you need to do each time you step on the mat is to solve problems.
Learning about the systems and techniques of Brazilian jiu-jitsu pushes you to come up with ways to overcome challenges and defeat opponents. Some of the ways to solve problems will be old and tested ones. In other cases, you will have to push yourself and develop innovative ways to escape from a situation.
Plus, as you grow and improve your BJJ skills, you will develop an ever-growing arsenal of systems and techniques for your opponents. You will have to find ways to implement your game during competitions.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu experience is different for everyone because no two people are the same. How you grapple opponents will be unique depending on your style, abilities, and overall skill set.
7. Discipline And Respect
One of the most notable benefits of BJJ training is that you become more disciplined and mentally tougher. Becoming a proficient BJJ fighter is a long and demanding process that requires sacrifice, consistency, dealing with setbacks, and more.
As you grow physically and expand your skillset, you also become more disciplined. You internalize the importance of having a process, you develop respect for hard work, and you understand that failing is part of the game.
This helps you become a more disciplined person who can tackle life challenges with poise and who is not afraid to work hard until they succeed.
Practising BJJ also teaches humility and showing respect to others – both training partners and opponents on the mat.
8. Social Skills And Making Friends
Surrounding yourself with positive, energetic, and ambitious people is a fantastic way to come out of your shell and expand your social skills. Because of its nature, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a fantastic way to expand your social circle and become more sociable.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a sport where you train as part of a team. Almost every aspect of your training involves other people, and you get to share techniques, encourage one another, and grow as a team. When one person fails, everyone else is there to offer support, ideas, and encouragement.
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Summary Of BJJ Benefits
Among the many martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the greatest ones because its benefits are amazing. There are so many benefits of BJJ training!
It makes weight loss incredibly easy, you develop fantastic self-defence skills, and you become more conditioned. BJJ is also exceptional for improving flexibility and range of motion, and for elevating your problem-solving skills.
One of the main benefits of BJJ is the effect it has on our mental health. It also teaches us the value of hard work and having a process. It makes us more disciplined, teaches us respect, and allows us to surround ourselves with amazing people.
If you’re looking for a martial art that will grow you into a stronger, more athletic, and mentally-tougher person, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of your best options.
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