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Jiujitsu is not for everyone however most people take to it when they try. Be warned - I am by no means an expert (although I hope to be one someday).
The sport involves taking an opponent to the ground and grappling to secure dominant positions. From these dominant positions, your aim is to manipulate a joint or apply a choke until your opponent “taps out”. So why does anyone take part in this activity?
1. Self Defence - Learning to defend yourself is essential. Rather than promoting violence, knowing you can defend yourself and your loved ones provides a palpable confidence that deters altercation. Equally, if you are forced into altercation, this kind of training means that you can decide the outcome.
2. Physical Fitness - Jiujitsu requires physical strength, flexibility, stamina and endurance. This may not translate into the world’s biggest bench press; it does however translate into
functional applied fitness - what you can actually do with your body.
3. Emotional Management - Jiujitsu is meditation. It requires a singular focus. You cannot think about school, work or personal drama when someone is trying to stop you breathing.
When you leave a session, the big problems you walked in with feel small. Jiujitsu puts life’s problems into context. It is very unlikely you will walk away from jiujitsu stressed or hotheaded.
4. Remaining Humble - Ego is a disease. It will grow insidiously and consume you, slowly make you sick without warning. We all have an ego and it needs to be kept in check. Consistently. Jiujitsu does this. It is difficult to walk around thinking “I’m the man” or “No one is better than me at x” when 7 different people have choked the life out of you and forced you into submission. Why? Because a tap is you saying - “If this was a real fight, you would have killed me.” That is humbling. It keeps your ego at bay.
5. Discipline - Turning up regularly to participate in something uncomfortable requires mental and physical effort. This is good for you. This discipline will carry over into your work and your personal life. For this reason, Jiujitsu makes you better at life.
I am not saying to go out and start jiujitsu today. But I am not saying not to either.
