1. Mental release

Before we even talk about how great of a martial art/self-defense system BJJ is, you need to know that it will transform the way you handle mental pressure. The act of training, and especially sparring will make you focus on the task at hand and forget about everything else. This type of disconnection from the outside world, even for an hour, has immense benefits for one’s mental state – similar to those of meditation. Most of us desperately need it after a stressful 8+ hours in the office! It’s a mini-vacation for the brain!

2. Getting in shape

A regular BJJ class involves a fair amount of intensity and physical exertion. Starting with a warm-up, position and technique drills, followed by live sparring, you are guaranteed to spend those excess calories and improve your stamina. Improved agility, flexibility, and body awareness are also part of the package!

3. A powerful nudge towards a healthier lifestyle

In our previous posts, we spoke about the concept of a near-instant feedback in BJJ. You can find out whether a choice you make is good or bad very soon after making it (e.g. leave your neck exposed – get strangled). This principle applies to choices outside of the mats as well. If you have junk food for lunch, you will come to regret it at the evening training session, where you will feel cooked and out of breath 4 minutes into the warm-up.

Once you know what your body and mind are capable of after eating clean, a good night’s sleep and a gentle yoga session, every ‘bad’ lifestyle decision results in what feels like punishment. Trust me, you will start avoiding this feeling very quickly and your habits will change.

4. Increased confidence

Although most of us rarely get into physical confrontations on a daily basis, somewhere on a genetic level a need for security proves to be a foundation for a lot of aspect of our behavior. Nothing makes a person feel more confident than a sense of physical invincibility. Jiu-Jitsu training can give you this! Once you understand that a ‘bad guy’ will have a hard time hurting you physically, you become a more confident person in every aspect of life. Although most of us rarely get into physical confrontations on a daily basis, somewhere on a genetic level a need for security remains a foundation for our behavior.

5. An amazing skill set

You will feel like Liam Neeson’s character in Taken.

Seriously speaking though, a lot of people, including myself, will tell you that a black belt in BJJ is an equivalent of a doctorate degree in any field of science, when it comes to the amount of effort going in, complexity of details, the time it takes, and the sense of achievement.

Ideally, you never want to use BJJ outside of the training environment, but you will certainly be capable of defending yourself should there be a need.

The above list is not exhaustive! If you already train BJJ, let us know when benefits have you observed so far – write a comment or drop us a message!

cover image by BJJPix