Most adults looking for martial arts are interested in one or more of the following: fitness, self-defense skills, the social benefits of a healthy hobby and improved mental health. At our Martial Arts school we provide those with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Physical Fitness
Martial Arts is amazing for your physical fitness because it provides a whole body workout consisting of moves that are practical and efficient. Some martial arts teach kicking and punching, but Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu uses grappling or wrestling techniques to subdue someone else. So instead of punching mitts or hitting a punching bag you are learning to incapacitate another person. So generally you are having to not only move your body in space but control another person as well. This provides an immense workout. We hooked a fit bit onto one of our students for a beginner class and they burned 800 calories. According to this study from Harvard that is more than equivalent to running at 6 miles per hour for an hour or more than rowing, an elliptical, hiking, swimming or playing tennis, racquetball, soccer, basketball or boxing for an hour. So you are getting an incredible workout and in my experience time is going by way faster when you are learning something new or trying to resist an opponent. Also Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is low impact compared with trying to produce concussive forces of other martial arts which can strain shoulders, elbows. And if you are trying to hold mitts or pads for someone else to hit that isn’t easy on the body either.
Self-Defense Skills
If you are looking for self-defense, martial arts is a great idea especially Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Most self-defense situations end up in a grappling situation which is why even when loaded up with weapons, the US Army bases their combative curriculum on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Studies show that almost 20 percent of soldiers used hand to hand combat in at least one encounter in their deployment and the most common skill was grappling (72.6%) followed by the use of their weapon (21.9%) and striking was the least reported skill (5.5%). That is amazing that soldiers who were carrying knives, rifles and baton’s used grappling more than 3 times more than a weapon which was on them and 13 times more than throwing a punch or a kick. Grappling is what happens in self-defense and hand to hand combat situations and that is what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specializes in. Striking looks good in movies or on Pay Per View, and everyone thinks they would have time to use their weapon if they carry them, but in reality grappling happens whether you want to or not.
Healthy Hobby
When you are doing martial arts you are doing something that is difficult, that is challenging. You are putting yourself in uncomfortable situations and learning your strengths and weaknesses. Martial arts is one of the best ways to make you a better human being. We are constantly surrounded comfort whether it is climate controlled houses and vehicles or delicious food and beverages. Martial arts pushes our boundaries and gets us out of that comfort zone. Also you will be surrounded by others who are pushing themselves to be better people as well. This is who I want to spend my time with on a daily basis. People who are pushing themselves to improve and that helps drive me to get out of my comfort zone, to challenge myself and keep growing. You are always learning in martial arts, moves and counter moves and that makes the students around you better as well. Martial arts can not happen alone but with a group of like minded people.
Improved Mental Health
Martial arts will improve your mental health through stress relief, improved confidence and the the focus and mental discipline that helps with anxiety and depression. When you are learning and growing in martial arts and surrounding yourself with a great culture it doesn’t take long to see how much you have improved your skills and your ability to deal with adversity. Sometimes just the warm ups are intimidating when you get started and a month later they are so much easier and you see a new person that reminds you of where you started. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu especially you are able to train at full speed without getting hurt. You know when you successfully completed a move or when one was done to you unlike other martial arts that require almost a play-acting ability to know whether that eye-poke would have worked. This gives you real confidence that you have been put in bad situations like a headlock and escaped or got that bigger, stronger, younger guy to tap out. Also the mental focus and discipline helps you stay motivated and thinking clearly when life throws a hectic situation at you that you can breath, problem solve and make it through this. I have had countless students talk to me about how therapeutic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is.
Conclusions
With all these benefits of martial arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in particular I think you need to invest in yourself and your own overall well-being and give our academy a shot.