From the outside looking in it can be difficult to know what martial arts would suit you and what martial arts would be worth learning.
For the most part, all martial arts are worth learning. The more people that continue to learn and keep martial arts popular the longer these ancient art forms will be around.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can look very much like a performance rather than a discipline and many people wonder whether it is worthwhile learning and if it would be of benefit to them.
Here we look at the many benefits associated with learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) that prove that it is worth learning.
History Of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) comes originally from the Samurai warriors in Japan. After falling off horseback Samurai would have limited mobility due to their heavy armor, as a result, most hand combat would happen on the ground.
BJJ derives from Kodokan Judo and has been taught since the 1800s. It was brought to Brazil in 1914 by a Japanese emigrant who taught a young Brazilian.
This led to the first Jiu Jitsu academy being formed in Brazil in 1925, the founding academy for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Benefits Of Learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Any physical exercise will hugely benefit participants and with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you can also reap many benefits.
Fitness
In a BJJ session, you can expect to get a cardio workout as well as work out your muscles and overall strength.
As you return to lessons you will notice an overall improvement in your health and fitness as you are constantly challenging your body and the level of endurance, strength, and flexibility you have.
BJJ sessions burn much more calories than a traditional weight lifting session in a gym would, making it a great way to get fit or stay fit as well as being a fun, social way of losing weight.
It is the community that can be found in a BJJ club, as well as the benefits physically, that make BJJ so popular. There is often a real sense of family and this support can help people who may have previously been struggling with fitness to keep coming back.
First sessions can be tricky but as long as you stick with it you will soon reap the rewards of BJJ and what it can do for your fitness.
Self-Awareness
You must be aware of your body, the placement of it, as well as your breathing at all times which is a super way of developing your self-awareness and connection with your body. This can be useful both in BJJ as well as in a student’s personal life.
As students improve they will also notice a boost in their confidence. This can be great, especially for students who have been lacking confidence originally.
Mental Development
BJJ helps students to develop their critical thinking skills as well as their problem-solving. Students are constantly thinking about what to do next to get out of a grapple. This exercise for the mind can also help students to develop mentally.
Stress Reduction
BJJ gives an outlet to channel frustrations healthily. It is known to help reduce stress and harmful hormones, such as cortisol.
Exercise is a great way of creating happy hormones, such as dopamine or endorphins and so you leave class feeling better than you did upon arrival, even though you will be tired leaving.
Self Defense
Many street fights and attacks can often end up on the ground, meaning you cannot get up to strike and defend yourself. In such situations, BJJ is hugely beneficial as it gives you the skills to protect yourself in such situations.
Who Is Suited To Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
BJJ is suited to almost everyone. As long as you have a positive attitude, are eager to learn, and are willing to put in the work, you will do well in BJJ. Find out more about who BJJ is best suited to below.
Women, men, and children can start BJJ at any age. For beginners, classes will be broken up to match certain levels and children’s classes are almost always held separately from adults.
The oldest BJJ competitor was ninety-five years of age before retiring from the sport.
As BJJ is done on the ground many people with amputated limbs or other physical handicaps can find great success in BJJ as the need to stand is not there.
Blind students can also enjoy this sport as during a grapple you are feeling your opponent’s movement and reacting to it, meaning there is no need for sight.
You can also be deaf and partake in BJJ and enjoy the sport. Athletic, fit, or unfit people will also reap the rewards of partaking in BJJ as their overall fitness levels and core strength are improved as a result of their BJJ training.
There are also no height restrictions in this sport and opponents are matched on skills rather than matching those who are similar heights, which can be taken into consideration in other martial arts.
There are also some people for whom BJJ would not be suited, these are listed below:
Anyone who has upper body injuries
Someone who wants to learn how to strike and fight standing up
Those who are discouraged easily and are not patient when learning new things
BJJ is a very flexible sport and so it can be adapted to anyone’s standard, regardless of if they are beginners or experts but you do need to be injury-free and focused to do well in BJJ.
Final Thoughts
Whether Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is right for you and worth learning will depend on you, your health, state of mind, and how much effort you are willing to put in.
Most BJJ clubs will offer a trial class and this can be very beneficial in giving an authentic look into what you could expect in a typical BJJ class.
One trial class is often enough to hook people and if it is not for you this too will be clear to you by the end of the class.
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