Almost all fights, professional and street attacks, end up on the ground or in very close proximity. There are countless viral videos of men and women getting slammed to the concrete or pinned down with no ability to protect themselves. Smaller, weaker people are at an even worse disadvantage – this is a harsh reality. Many women are afraid to walk alone and feel defenseless, but training practical martial arts can turn that fear into awareness rather than hopelessness. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a ground based martial art, rooted 100% in self-defense that helps bridge the gap between strength and technique. BJJ is for everyone – big, small, tall, short, young, old, men, women, and children.
Benefits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Self Defense
BJJ is 100% focused on the self-defense aspect of martial arts. There are countless techniques and maneuvers that have been developed to work for everyone, regardless of strength and size. With even a fundamental understanding of BJJ, a small framed woman can manipulate and control the body of a much larger and stronger man. By focusing on proven techniques you can avoid very dangerous situations, neutralize threats, and escape. Learning BJJ is even more crucial for smaller, weaker, or vulnerable individuals.
Reality
Because BJJ is a ground base martial art with no striking, you can safely spar (fight) with high intensity and resistance. Unlike many traditional martial arts, sparring is built into the training regimen. Not only do you learn practical techniques, you test them with resistance under pressure. Without testing yourself with real feedback you gain a dangerous false sense of security. BJJ teaches you how to safely act and react to avoid dangerous situations. If you were to ever be in a terrible scenario where you are being violently attacked by a stranger, BJJ prepares you to be able to control an unpredictable opponent set out to hurt you.
Focus
Aside from the physical aspect of learning new and exciting techniques, you develop strong mental awareness and control. It is completely natural for people to panic or lose control when they are being held down, have trouble breathing, or are in pain. Very few people have ever been in close physical contact with another person aside from intimacy and relationship. The natural mental barrier that almost everyone unknowingly has built into them can prevent your body from performing when you need it most. Practicing good technique in a controlled environment allows you to be comfortable in these uncomfortable situations. BJJ requires mental focus not only to perform techniques, but to also prevent a bad situation from becoming worse.
Self Confidence
Learning something new that is difficult is very rewarding. Learning new techniques, overcoming obstacles, and the feeling of progression strengthens you physically and mentally. BJJ empowers you by overcoming fears on and off of the mat. Training with a diverse group of people, all sharing the same interest, builds a sense of community and strength that allows you step out of your comfort zone to try, fail, and succeed. Learning anything new is hard – BJJ allows you to safely invest in failure so that you can progress and feel confident on and off of the mat in everything that you do.
Health
BJJ is physically demanding. Depending on intensity, you can burn ~900cal in a 1 hour class! If you have ever struggled with weight or fitness and don’t like going to the gym or traditional workouts, BJJ is a perfect alternative. It can seem intimidating if you feel that you are not in “good enough shape,” but Jiu-Jitsu is fun! Not only are you learning valuable skills, you are getting in shape while doing it. Training new techniques has a fun game aspect to it that will get you in the best shape of your life without the boring treadmill. You learn to push yourself and your fellow training partners to new limits physically and mentally every class. Health and fitness is obviously important for your overall quality of life, but vital in self-defense scenarios. Fatigue makes cowards of us all. If you don’t have the stamina and willpower to push through adversity, your body will fail you when you or your family need it most.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone. You may be anxious or afraid to take the first step in trying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for the first time. No one expects you to be good at it or know what you are doing when you first start – everyone has to start somewhere. A BJJ class is filled with people that are excited that you are joining them on the journey to better your life. Whether you do it for self-defense, health, confidence, bully proofing, or pure interest, you will be welcomed with no judgement.
