7 Reasons you should roll
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu isn’t as scary as you think.
Dipping your toes into something new can be scary as hell when you are an adult. You don’t bounce, stretch or recoil like you did as a kid. When you were young it took many outrageous trials and errors to discover your pain threshold. With those lessons under the belt, we know that pain all too well and it can be our worst enemy when deciding to jump into a new sport as an adult.
The incredible thing about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is that everyone from three years old to seventy plus is competing and training in the sport globally. We aren’t talking about a young person's game like the usual striking sports that can take a toll on the body delivering injury after injury. Give me a sport that allows me to roll for years to come please. Or on the other end of the spectrum, an exercise like yoga that for some does nothing to calm the nerves. My anxiety does not like to sit with my thoughts and hum. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great for stretching but does not suit my mental health. I need to be so distracted and busy I don’t have time to entertain the tirade of voices floating mindlessly in my head. Enter BJJ…
What is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
You might be intrigued at this point but still lost to what I’m even talking about. BJJ is the art of grappling that uses a dynamic series of movements to gain control of an opponent. Think wrestling and judo. You start on your feet and utilise takedown techniques to knock your partner to the mat. From here it's all about the pressure, game play and technique to gain control of your partner. Transitions such as guard passes and sweeps are used in the process so ultimately you can set up a variety of submission attacks. Here is a great video explaining where BJJ came from, how the game works, different versions of the sport (Gi & No-gi) and some examples.
That’s nice, so why should I do it?
Now that you have an idea about what we are talking about, here are seven reasons why you should try BJJ, even if only once.
#1 Get fit and enjoy working out
The gym can get extremely monotonous with the same old weight and cardio routines. If you are looking to lose some weight or just stay fit, BJJ is a workout that you will never get bored with. It takes years to master the sport and no matter who you are there is always something more to learn. Don’t feel intimidated though, even as a white belt you will make small gains along the way which will make it worthwhile.
#2 Learn self-defence
What makes BJJ special as a martial art is how the sport is designed. No matter your size, this is anyone’s game. The principles of BJJ allow smaller opponents to defeat bigger and stronger people. This is done through technique and grip strength training, which is crucial in self-defence timing to apply them successfully. It can be done by anyone, making it one of the most accessible martial arts.
#3 Make friends and join a community
Where else can you go, choke someone out and still be buddies afterwards? BJJ is unique in that everyone is in it together; bruises, bumps and knocks. The sport has an amazingly supportive culture and camaraderie you honestly just get hooked on.
#4 Build confidence and challenge yourself
BJJ pushes you to your limits, tests your mental and physical strength and shows you things you never thought you were truly capable of. Day one you will find yourself nervous, confused, frustrated and intimidated. However, as you travel along your BJJ journey these feelings will subside and be replaced by an improved self-confidence, determination, self-awareness and hunger to step up to the next challenge. Don’t worry, confusion, intimidation and frustration will remain. It’s the name of the game but the feeling of improving each time you roll is incredible and honestly addictive. You won’t want to stop.
#5 Develop patience and build your character
Learning BJJ is not easy but as I have mentioned previously, completely worth it. You will have good, bad and average days but each time you roll little improvements will show. Even if you don’t feel or see it. As there are so many sequences, nuances and tactics involved in the sport it takes years to perfect and even the highest black belts will say they are still learning. With this you will develop your patience as you continue to learn and with each roll build your character. This is a fight sport so there will be the occasional knock, bruise or bump depending how hard you decide to go.
#6 De-stress (natural mental health booster shot)
I mentioned earlier that yoga is not for me because I get stuck in my head sitting around with too little movement to distract me from my thoughts. BJJ is great for getting you out of your head because you will be so focused on learning technique, sequences and when sparring trying to put it all together. It’s the mental health ‘booster shot’ after a stressful day at work that will leave you feeling refreshed.
#7 Get a good night's sleep
Do you struggle to sleep? I sure do. Hitting the mats regularly allows your body and mind to sync because BJJ is a balanced workout of strength building, cardio and stretching. This helps to rebalance and regulate your system for a good night’s sleep.
Still not sure if BJJ is for you? You won’t know unless you try. Locate your local BJJ gym and head on over to trial a session. Remember not to be scared, everyone is ridiculously welcoming in the community.
Be mindful it takes a while to get the swing of things but if you're patient, attend regularly, train hard and want to give it a solid go, BJJ is a sport you won’t regret. For those super competitive like myself, there are competitions for adults (18-30yrs) right through to masters (31 years+). You can take it as socially or seriously as you want.
