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5 Reasons Why You Should Start Doing Jiu-Jitsu This Week (And One Reason You Shouldn't)

Writer: Tim Bolton
Tim Bolton
1 day ago
8 min read

Note: The gym I wrote this article for has shut down, so I have removed the images I used for it and left [Image] tags where they had been.


If you’ve never done Brazilian jiu-jitsu before, but find yourself thinking about trying it out, you might not know where to even begin. You may have seen people rolling once or twice and thought it looks so complicated, not to mention exhausting.


And seeing world-class competitors roll might be super intimidating because you don’t have a clue what’s going on.


But before you give up on trying the sport out yourself, pause for a second. Think about how your life might be different if you gave jiu-jitsu a shot.


I’ve only been doing jiu-jitsu for only a few months, and there are five key reasons why I keep showing up to learn about the sport and train.


I’ll break down each of these reasons for training below. And I’ll end with a warning about why picking up jiu-jitsu might not be for you.


Keep reading to learn more about how exactly you can approach your training in order to progress in various areas of your life.


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  1. You’ll instantly become part of a supportive community


When you walk into a gym for the first time, you might think that everyone in the room views you as fresh meat and wants to choke you out. But nothing could be further from the truth.


The people who train with you want you to succeed. They’re rooting for you. And they want to help you get better.


Why? Because when you get better, so do they.


The people who train with you are on your team. It would be impossible for anyone to master jiu-jitsu in a vacuum because you need to roll with a partner who is actively struggling against you in order to get better.


So the best thing anyone new to jiu-jitsu can do to improve their game is lean on that community. Ask questions. Research the sport on your own (more on that in a bit). And learn to be a better teammate yourself so that you and your training partners can reach your goals. 


  1. Your self-confidence will skyrocket


The first few times you get submitted, you might start to feel like you don’t belong. You could think you’re wasting your time. And you could even start to question why you signed up for a class when it just makes you feel weak and pathetic.


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But before you walk out the door and turn your back on jiu-jitsu forever, stop. Look around you at the other people in the gym. Some might be new to jiu-jitsu just like you. Others could have been doing it for years.


But for whatever reason, they’re all still in the same room as you.


Some of them might be wearing a belt that’s a different color than yours. But that just means they’ve been doing jiu-jitsu for longer than you have.


The best way to get better at jiu-jitsu, as with almost anything else in life, is to just keep showing up.


See, the best players learn something every time they roll. It could be a more efficient way to set up a move. Or maybe they gain an insight on how to put more pressure on their opponent. Or they could just learn how to stay calmer and use less energy when they roll.


Regardless of what the lesson is, they file it away in their memory bank, and then they face the next opponent.


You might be a little bruised, and you may even feel somewhat humiliated after you get submitted multiple times in a row. But those are the times when you need to swallow your pride and get back in the game as fast as possible.


Because that’s how you build confidence.


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Jiu-jitsu grows confidence in anyone who keeps going with it because it forces players to evaluate themselves over and over again. It’s a game of constant struggle against your physical opponent, yes. But it’s also a struggle against the thoughts going on inside your own head.


And the players who are able to grapple with both their physical opponents and those living inside them are likely the ones who become capable of conquering both.


  1. You’ll be able to handle yourself if you ever have to fight anyone on the street


Here’s a secret you should know before you step into a gym: The people who know how to fight don’t actually want to fight other people.


Let’s pretend you’re an hourly worker at a factory. Every day, you wake up in your too-small apartment and get ready for your boring shift at the warehouse. You work 40 hours a week plus overtime at a job you hate. After work is over, you go straight to the bar and get hammered because you feel like people accept you there.


Now let’s say one of your coworkers comes into the bar, and you can’t stand the guy. Your coworker started at the factory months after you did, but you heard through the grapevine that he’s already being considered for a promotion. And he always seems so relaxed and in a good mood at work, which makes you hate him - and your job - even more.


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And oh, one more thing. Your coworker talks about jiu-jitsu almost constantly, and that annoys you. In fact, when you see him walk into the bar, you say to yourself that if you overhear him mention the sport just one time, you think you might punch him in the face. 


Your coworker approaches the bar and greets you politely. Then he orders a round for him and one of his buddies. But he says to the bartender that he owes his friend a beer because his buddy made him submit twice that night at the gym.


And that just makes you snap.


You fly off your barstool and send it toppling to the ground. You fling your right fist at your coworker’s face. But before you know it, you find yourself with your face smashed against the bar grimacing in pain. Your jiu-jitsu-loving coworker is holding you down, and it feels like he is about to rip your shoulder right out of its socket.


Through the pain, you hear your coworker saying to you that he doesn’t want to hurt you, and that he’ll let you go if you leave the bar and go straight home in an Uber.


Wisely, you relent. Your coworker releases you, and you storm out the door.


The next day at work, you apologize to your coworker. And then you ask him how he did what he did to you at the bar.


Your coworker accepts your apology and invites you to come to the gym with him that night so he can show you. And you agree.


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End scene.


Having the self-defense tools jiu-jitsu gives you makes you into a calmer, more collected, peaceable person because you know you can use those tools when you need to. But until you are put in a position where you have to use those tools on the street, you will be more than comfortable keeping them in your tool belt.


But if you’re angry at the world and the supposed bad hand you’ve been dealt, you’d likely want to release all your built-up tension in any way possible. And so you walk around just looking for some excuse to knock someone’s teeth into the back of their skull.


It doesn’t occur to you that other people might know how to stop you from doing just that.


  1. You’ll work muscles you never even knew you had


If you ever wondered if there was a way to exercise every area of your body simultaneously, jiu-jitsu is your answer.


After just half an hour of rolling in your gi you’ll be dripping sweat. After just a few weeks of training, you’ll start seeing abs that have been covered up for years. And you’ll most definitely see gains in your arms, legs, chest, back, and grip strength.


The best part is that you’ll be so focused on your technique and strategy while you roll that your muscles won’t even feel sore. Well, not until after you stop rolling for the day, that is.


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Jiu-jitsu is a full-body workout. Period. And as you get stronger, so will your rolling partners. Your improved strength will lead to better rolls, which will increase your self-confidence. And more confident players tend to stick with the sport because of the gains they feel physically, mentally, and emotionally.


  1. The learning doesn’t have to stop once class is over


Jiu-jitsu is a wildly popular sport these days. Gyms are popping up everywhere. There are tons of resources online (both free and paid). And once you become acquainted with the other people at your own gym, you’ll find yourself wanting to talk to everyone else about it.


So if you’re someone who doesn’t like jumping into things, there are plenty of ways for you to gather more information before making any commitments.


The only caveat is that you can’t just read about jiu-jitsu and expect to get good at it. You have to invest your time, energy, and some money to fully develop your game.


If you trust the learning process and keep showing up to train, you’ll grow into a competent player. And then a respected opponent. And then you’ll keep honing your game for as long as you have the desire and strength to do so.


Just know that your level of commitment and your speed of progression are completely up to you.


So why shouldn’t you start training this week?


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There is at least one reason you shouldn’t start doing jiu-jitsu.


If the only reason you want to join a jiu-jitsu gym is because you want to wreck other people to the point of hospitalization or permanent damage, you should steer clear of a jiu-jitsu gym.


Like in our pretend scenario with the coworker at the bar, there is a good chance that someone who has been training for even just a few months knows more about how to fight than someone off the street.


And if you come into a gym and start hurting people, your training partners won’t want to roll with you. But it won’t be because they’re scared of you. It will be because they don’t trust that you are there to get better and help other people.


They will avoid you like the plague because training with you one day could mean paying hospital bills for weeks, months, or even years. You’ll become a loner in one of the most accepting communities around. And eventually, one way or another, you’ll walk out of the gym for good.


Nobody wants to get seriously injured doing something they enjoy. And nobody wants to roll with someone who sees red whenever they pair up to train.


So do yourself and everyone at your local jiu-jitsu gym a favor. If all you want to do is hurt people, don’t pick up the sport. Find a punching bag and start whaling away at it instead.


Bonus: You'll become a better spouse, coworker, friend, and parent


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Unlike many other professional sports, you can compete in jiu-jitsu well into your older years. And you can still be getting better at it when many of your friends the same age as you can only hope to swing a golf club every once in a while.


The sport can teach you a ton about how to handle all kinds of situations in life.


If you don’t see eye-to-eye with your boss, jiu-jitsu can teach you to improve your relationship tactfully and with dignity. When you get into an argument with your spouse, your jiu-jitsu training can help you remain calm and find a solution that works for both of you.


And more generally, jiu-jitsu will help you maintain your composure and remain situationally aware in all kinds of environments.


You’ll learn how to better read other people’s body language. You’ll be more aware of how close you are to the nearest exit when you find yourself in a big room. And you’ll be better prepared if you are ever caught in a dangerous situation.


So if there’s a gym in your area, stop in for a moment and really watch what’s going on. Talk to someone who isn’t rolling and ask them why they started doing jiu-jitsu.


It’s likely because of one or more of the reasons listed above. And know that at some point they were completely new to the sport just like you.


Also know that they’d be more than willing to show you how it’s done. You just have to be willing to learn.


Ready to get started?


Check out the below resources to get started on your BJJ training today:


 
 
 

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