How BJJ Can Change Your Life?

Tomislav Zivanovic
Martial Arts Unleashed
6 min readJun 14, 2020

--

Martial arts classes are fun and they have a ton of health benefits. No matter what style you choose, turning yourself into martial arts in one is one of the smartest decisions you can make. Over the years, Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ) has emerged as one of the most popular martial arts choices among all ages.

A BJJ fighter trying to set up the armbar on his opponent

Whether you are a young teenager or an old man, BJJ has benefits for all. But, make no mistake about it, BJJ is very hard and it will put your will to the test.

Yet, jiu jitsu will help you grow into a person with good manners and great fighting abilities. The thing is, jiu jitsu is a lifelong journey of learning and sharing the passion for sport with other people. So the classes are full of positive vibes, respect, and self-discipline.

We have heard many times that BJJ can change a person’s life. So, we have decided to find the things you can learn on the mats and how they apply to everyday life.

5. BJJ boosts your confidence

BJJ is one of the best ways to boost your confidence. It will support you to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Over time, you will develop a strong mindset that always seeks to explore unknown territories.

BJJ fighter submitting the opponent via armbar

If you stay committed to your BJJ dream, we assure you will feel amazing confidence growth. The thing is, once you begin making progress on the mats, you will know that the bad things are behind you. Whatever bad happens in the future, you know you can overcome it.

Parallel with your progress on the mats, these changes will begin to apply to your daily life as well. You will have the ability to deal with everything that life throws at you. I mean, isn’t that what we all want?

4. It teaches you how to be patient

In jiu jitsu, being patient is one of the best personal skills a fighter can have. As you may know, it takes a long time to become good at BJJ. You have to dedicate yourself, give up many things in life, and face constant failures. But, the key is to stay humble and trust the process.

The thing is, some people are just less tolerant than others. So, it’s normal for a BJJ student to feel frustrated and being stuck at a certain level. I mean, there’s nothing worse than putting a massive time into any martial arts and not feeling any progress whatsoever.

Two BJJ students rolling on the mats while the other two students are watching

There will be many breaking points in the career of every grappler and you don’t want to rush your decisions. We saw many talented grapplers leaving the mats and giving up on the BJJ dream because of the lack of patience. You don’t want to be that person.

Also, patience positively affects your work on the mats. BJJ is a chess match on the ground and being patient can improve both your survival rates and finishing abilities. In many scenarios, you must wait for the ideal opening to attack or escape. Rushing the moves in these moments may cost you a victory.

3. BJJ allows you to take control of your ego

One of the first things you will learn in BJJ classes is your biggest enemy is your own ego. But as in life, the ability to control the ego is what separates the great grapplers from the average ones.

Remember, if you have a hard time winning any grappling exchange, it’s not your partner’s fault. You are the one who must learn how to embrace the struggles, deal with being down, and rise above.

Sparring between the two BJJ fighters

After spending some time on the mats, BJJ will teach you that you don’t have to be perfect and good at everything you do. The secret behind the BJJ positivity is that experts don’t care when the lower-ranked student submits them. Allowing the negative emotions to kick in is bad for you both in BJJ and in the outside world as well.

Every martial arts expert has the ability to control the ego and swallow their pride. In their minds, there is no such thing as differences in skill levels. We can all learn from each other regardless of the ranks.

Putting ego under control is one of the best things you can do to improve the quality of your life. It gives you the emotional stability to look at things from a rational perspective and make good decisions.

2. It teaches you how to keep your cool and remain calm

BJJ includes a lot of close hand to hand rolling sessions that can be very unpleasant. Moreover, many positions will trigger the panic button and turn on the survival mode. Panic and impulsive reactions are the cause of many injuries and conflicts between the two grapplers.

A BJJ fighter taking the back of the opponent

But, this is not what BJJ stands for and every person must learn how to keep their cool. If you feel the anger coming on the surface, step away from the mats for a moment and take a couple of deep breaths. You can do the same thing if you had a bad rolling session or an unpleasant choking experience.

We know this may sound formal, but learning how to calm down is very important in both BJJ and life. It allows you to enjoy the BJJ experience the right way and go through life without stress.

1. You will meet many happy faces and new friends

As said above, jiu jitsu fighters and students are among the most positive people on the planet earth. Despite all the work and effort that every student has to put in, there’s always time for a chat and to share a good laugh.

One BJJ student choking the other while they are both smiling
Just a regular BJJ friendship

Even if you have a hard time meeting new friends or talking to people, trust us, jiu jitsu will show you how easy that is.

Also, BJJ supports you to share your journey and passion with others. Regardless if you are a beginner or a senior student, we are all at the gym with the same mission. Students are always there for each other and ready to help any person achieving their martial arts goals. It may sound weird, but there is no room for judgment, jealously, and negativity of any kind.

Thus, BJJ allows you to meet many new people and potential lifelong friends. Also, there is nothing better than entering the martial arts gym with a smile and leaving with the one after the brutal workout. Few sports have that type of culture.

Instagram — ⚡ Twitter — ⚡ FacebookTiktok

💬 We also have a chat room! (We use Discord) join here

--

--