Here’s how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can help you live a better life

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art form that has been derived from the traditional jiu-jitsu martial art. The modern-day BJJ combat sports use a combination of different types of submission holds and ground fighting techniques. The main emphasis is laid on developing the skill to take an opponent to the ground and gain a dominant position by controlling the opponent’s movement. The first draft for the BJJ martial art form was brought into existence in 1920 by two Brazilian brothers after learning the basics from Kodokan Judo and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. Over the years, there were different fighting and defense techniques developed in BJJ and it officially became a combat sport.

How effective is BJJ as a martial art form?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is highly effective when it comes to self-defense during an unprovoked and unwanted attack in real-life situations. People trained in BJJ can easily take control of the situation and the enemy by deploying different self-defense techniques aimed at taking a dominant position. Taking control of the situation without aggressively hurting the other person is what BJJ teaches when it comes to self-defense. The fundamentals of BJJs allow one to learn about the basics related to how different body movements work. You will be able to come up with quick solutions to surprise attacks and stressful circumstances in the real world. It is important to note that practicing the moves frequently using the right protective gear is the only way to master the art.

Life-altering benefits of BJJ

Now that we understand what BJJ entails and how it can provide you with an effective way to improve self-defense, let’s dig deeper into some life-altering benefits that it can offer to people learning this martial art form. These benefits are related to both the physical and mental well-being of a person.

1. Toughness

One of the most important physical benefits that BJJ offers is toughness. The training sessions will be jam-packed with a lot of rough on the ground instances. You will be facing an opponent who will have a similar body stature so you must be prepared to be thrown on the ground during their dominant moves. To win a contest, you need to trip your opponent to the ground and force them into submission using different combinations of lock and hold. This entire process helps you in building your pain endurance and toughness your body physically to overcome hard situations.

2. Self-defense

Learning self-defense techniques is very important no matter where you are in the world. You might face a situation when you are alone and under attack from unknown enemies. Being prepared to defend yourself will help you put up a tough resistance and can even help you neutralize the opponent’s aggression using different techniques. People who have been training in BJJ for a long time and regularly practice it can easily defend themselves from surprise attacks and other threatening circumstances anywhere. It makes you mentally and physically prepared to fight anyone regardless of their size or stature. This will help you protect not just yourself but also the people around you in need of protection. Self-defense should be on the top of everyone’s priority list and learning this martial art form is the best way to accomplish your objectives.

3. The art of falling

One of the most commonly observed scenarios during BJJ training sessions is trips and falls to the ground. During the practice session, you and your training partner will trip each other several times during the practice sets. During the beginning of the BJJ training sessions, it is important to pass the training without any substantial injuries. This motivates BJJ followers to learn the art of falling to the ground without being hurt during the same. So how does the art of falling help you in real life? Well, many a time, during surprise attacks, the attacker might catch you off guards and thrash you to the ground. Your BJJ training will help you come out with a self-defense plan without many injuries during these circumstances.

4. Physical conditioning

A large number of Jiu-Jitsu training exercises aim to improve your cardiovascular health which improves your aerobic and anaerobic body functions. These exercises are intense and burn a considerable number of calories during each session. The use of different grappling techniques makes it a violent martial art form. The training sessions are designed accordingly to help you endure tough resistance and overcome your opponent during a fight. The training sessions are aimed at improving your overall physical conditioning. Besides cardiovascular exercise, the BJJ training also includes different types of resistance workouts including breathing and stretching exercises.

5. Ability to face fear

In addition to the physical benefits that we have discussed above, BJJ also offers numerous mental health benefits to those practicing the same. Facing your fears is the only way to overcome them and this is at the core of all BJJ training sessions. The mental stress of getting hurt is immense initially but throughout your training, you will be in a better position to face your fears. Developing the ability to face fear is not just useful during combat sports matches but is also highly beneficial for accomplishing other life goals. Being prepared mentally to face the worst is one of the most valuable skills that you can learn in life. Not fearing anything also boosts up your confidence which can help in performing better in all aspects.

6. Grit and determination

Another important mental health benefit that BJJ training offers is the development of grit and determination. Trying hard to accomplish an objective and not succeeding is certainly a degrading feeling. During your initial training sessions, you can be tripped to the ground more times than you can imagine. However, learning to raise back up and face your opponent every time you are pinned down builds strong grit and determination to succeed and face adversity. Developing persistence to prevail in adverse scenarios will help you in all aspects of life. BJJ training inculcates a sense of courage and determination to achieve your goals. Applying this same grit and determination in other facets of life will help you overcome all challenges that might come.

7. Develops humility

It is very natural to be afraid of an opponent with a large body stature during a combat situation. However, you will be amazed to know that learning BJJ can help you face any opponent, regardless of how huge they look. A trained BJJ fighter can easily defeat an attacker double their size. During practice sessions, you might come across people who have a shorter stature than you but are easily able to pin you to the ground. This allows one to develop a sense of humility and inculcates humbleness. You are more modest and learn to respect other individuals regardless of their size. Throughout your training, you will certainly develop skills to pin anyone to the ground, however, you will be humble throughout your life.

8. Mental focus and critical thinking

One of the most important advantages of learning BJJ is that it helps you develop mental focus and critical thinking abilities. During your training matches, you will be thrown on the ground by an opponent and forced into submission. To turn things in your favor, you will need to think instantly about a solution on how you can get into a dominant position. You will be more focused on finding a solution and that too quickly and this will help to enhance your critical thinking ability.

9. Problem-solving capability

Finding a solution to get out of a chokehold or joint locks from your opponent is no less than solving a complex math problem. One of the most important skills that you will learn from BJJ is problem-solving. Since you will be constantly facing situations where you will have to find a way to get a dominant angle and put your opponent to the ground, it will improve your problem-solving capability. This is one of the most valuable life skills that will help you in all facets.

Tips to improve your BJJ training

You must have learned by now that BJJ truly offers life-altering benefits and it can help to improve both your physical and mental well-being. Here are some of the most effective tips to help you improve your BJJ training sessions.

1. Learn to visualize

The human mind is a complex tool and its abilities are truly beyond our imaginations. Learning to visualize your exercise sessions can help you practice your moves in a passive way even when you are not tangibly training. You can easily utilize your free time to practice visualization and try to recall the techniques learned during actual training sessions. Visualization doesn’t require you to put in additional time. You can easily practice this before sleep or during a shower, in short, whenever you have free time.

2. Maintain a training journal

Maintaining a training journal and noting down everything that you learn during your training period in the day is a great way to keep track of your BJJ progress. Most of us struggle with retaining what we did a week ago, maintaining a journal can help us put timelines on things and make it easy to recall key elements. Training notes can also help you practice your moves better with assistance.

3. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses

Analyzing your strength and weakness will help you prepare better for BJJ training matches. You can easily prioritize working on your weaknesses and improve your training. Knowing about your strong suit will help you prepare a better defense or attack movement when required. You can list out different techniques involved in BJJ training such as escape & defense, takedowns, guard, back attacks, leglocks, joint locks, and rate yourself on this. You can also analyze your physical and mental strengths individually for comprehensive training.

4. Set objectives

Setting goals and objectives will help you with improving accountability. You should then tie up these goals with your training sessions. You will be more focused on your training as it will help you achieve your goals. Always remember to precisely define your goals and objectives. It should answer questions like what are you trying to achieve, the duration within which you want to achieve this goal, and your means to achieve the same.

5. Learn from training videos

In the contemporary era, you can easily record and watch training videos to learn about your mistakes. This will help you know what you are lacking and help you prepare a plan to address those challenges. Analyzing training videos and watching competition footage from experts in the domain will help you learn new techniques without getting inside the ring. Always make it a habit to learn from your personal and opponent’s training session footage.

6. Read training instruction manuals

Reading training instruction manuals can help you learn about different techniques in a better way. It will provide you with a step-by-step guide to perform various moves involved in BJJ training. You can also find old training manuals and learn unique styles and techniques from them.

Final words

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most popular martial art forms that is practiced around the world. It might not be as old as some other forms such as Muay Thai, however, it is far more pragmatic when it comes to learning self-defense. The benefits of BJJ training exercises expand beyond combat sports. The values taught here apply to all aspects of your living and can drastically help to improve the same. This was a quick guide on how BJJ can help you live a better life. It also sheds light on some effective tips related to BJJ that can help you improve your training sessions and master the art without any hurdles.