If any of you have glanced at my social media feeds or spoken to me for more than 5 minutes in the 9 months preceding this article, you will likely know that I am cultivating a slight obsession with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). To those with no interest in the various sub-genres under the general umbrella of 'hurting people', those words likely mean very little. BJJ is a solely grappling-based martial art (i.e. we aren't punching each other in the face) wherein the end goal is to get your opponent to submit, generally with the use of some form of choke or joint lock. However, reaching this end goal against an opponent who doesn't particularly want to be choked or joint-locked (and is similarly trying to choke or joint-lock you) is no easy task. Therefore, the use of strategy, proper leverage and position become key in BJJ battles, with the ability to maximise these factors significantly outweighing raw physicality. This allows smaller, skilled fighters to effectively best larger, less skilled opponents.
As such, BJJ has developed into an incredibly complex art consisting of countless techniques to take-down, control, gain favourable position on and eventually submit your foe. Put somewhat more concisely by one of the foremost coaches of the modern BJJ (and grappling for MMA) game, John Danaher:
"Jiu Jitsu is the science and art of control that leads to submission."
With BJJ being such a deep discipline, it takes serious time and dedication to develop proficiency. This is something which belt grading reflects, with BJJ black belts existing in rarefied air, earning this grade only after years (and years and years) of training. This incredibly long journey to the upper echelon can certainly put some people off. Especially combined with the fact that when you first start you will likely realise that you can't fight your way out of paper bag and some old guy that is half your weight will have absolutely no problem tying you in knots and choking you with your own arm. However, for those who stick with it, BJJ becomes an incredibly rewarding, fun and addictive past time with a whole bunch of benefits, speaking of...
The Benefits of BJJ
Physical - The most obvious and the basis for the vast majority of this blog, the physical benefits of BJJ are myriad. As mentioned, use of proper technique to maximise position and leverage are key in BJJ and a smaller fighter can regularly beat a larger one, however unless your skill significantly surpasses that of your opponent, being on cruise control is unlikely. Watch two equally matched fighters go at it or watch a less experienced fighter try to survive against a more experienced one and you will soon see that strength and cardio are pushed to the limit.
 |
| Sometimes this is less enjoyable than others. |
Fighting another human being is very different to fighting a set of heavy bench presses or deadlifts. People make terrible barbells, especially when they are trying to kill you. As such, BJJ is incredibly good at building functional strength; strength at odd angles and unusual planes of movement, strength against active resistance and moving forces. The sort of strength your Grandad had, before people got soft. That sort of strength. While most high level practitioners will also weight train (and I would of course recommend weight training) BJJ in and of itself can develop some impressive strength.
One area where BJJ really excels is building grip strength. Whether in a gi (the classic martial arts pyjamas, which BJJ rules allow you to grip and utilise the material of) or no-gi (wearing minimal clothing, like in MMA, or tight fitting clothing which cannot be gripped), grips are a big part of BJJ. Strong grips on collars, sleeves, wrists, ankles and anywhere else that gives you control over your partner are necessary to gain leverage and win positional battles in BJJ. As such the gripping musculature is considerably challenged, leading to strong hands and Popeye forearms.
 |
| Strong people doing strong people things. |
BJJ will also whip you into shape in terms of cardio fitness. Intense drilling and sparring involve many explosive, full body movements and in the case of sparring, the full resistance of another body. What you essentially have is aerobic exercise punctuated with frequent bursts of high intensity anaerobic efforts. What this means in practice is that BJJ is god-damn tiring. It will have your muscles, lungs and heart all working overtime and your sweat glands demanding a raise. However this also means it is incredible in terms of fitness development, energy expenditure and as such weight loss for many people. This fella reckons that a fairly intense hour long BJJ class will burn in the region of 700 calories for an 80 kg man, which doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Turns out grappling another human to the (simulated) death is hard work, who'd have thought?
Strength and fitness are the big attributes that most people care about when undertaking a physical endeavour, however the benefits don't stop there. BJJ requires a technical and accurate movements to be effective, which as a beginner, you almost certainly will not possess. However, you will soon find yourself going from being an ungainly, slow moving oaf to pulling off movements that to the untrained eye could almost be called graceful. Through your training you will make impressive improvements in bodily co-ordination and motor skills leading to a precision of movement seen in high level athletes that exists in very few other domains. A further attribute that is somewhat of an optional one, but will likely increase somewhat concurrently with BJJ training is flexibility. Flexibility is of great use in grappling arts and as such many choose to train this along with BJJ, however many such as myself also find that beginning as a not particularly bendy person, simply going through the motions of drills and training can bring about a significant increase in active range of motion. So now I can shave my whole back on my own, which is nice.
 |
| Bendy people doing bendy people things. |
Psychological/Social - In my opinion, being able to fight in some capacity is probably a good idea for life. Now, I'm certainly not saying you should fight, it should generally be an absolute final option and never of your own initiation. However, there are times when all de-escalation options have been exhausted wherein fighting can become a necessity, and in these times, it is preferable to have some self-defence capabilities. I'm generally not a huge fan of promoting martial arts for their self defence credentials, however the nature of BJJ makes it ideal for subduing and neutralising a would be attacker without causing them too much harm. I think this is far from the primary reason to train BJJ, but it's a nice side benefit to know that after a year or so of good training, you can probably deal with the average untrained person fairly handily.
When you start BJJ, you will get beaten. Repeatedly. By pretty much everyone. The good news is that being beaten in BJJ doesn't really physically hurt due to the magic of tapping out, again and again. However, this can bruise the ego somewhat. Another great benefit of BJJ comes in the form of learning to move past this, learning humility and letting go of hubris are important steps in learning and ones that carry over tremendously to the rest of life. When you accept that you know essentially nothing and adopt a 'beginner mind', learning accelerates; if you remain arrogant and stubborn, insisting on trying to do things 'your way', learning stalls.
BJJ will teach you to see the loss as an opportunity for learning in a very clear way, at it's simplest it looks something like: "I stuck my arm out and they almost broke it in two, better not stick my arm out again". It also involves learning from those around you, when someone catches you in a choke, you ask them where you went wrong to eventually end up with no blood going to your brain, building up your knowledge. Over time you will see your knowledge coming together, forming plans and strategies, and solving the physical problem in front of you in real time.
BJJ practice also seems to be an inherently social place; maybe it's the trying to kill each other, maybe it's the close physical contact, maybe it's the fact that people throw thousands of hours of their lives into the sport, but everyone likes to train hard then have a good friendly chat. This may be personal experience, but I have found BJJ clubs seem very amicable with a strong sense of camaraderie, in a way that surpasses other martial arts clubs. Take from that what you will, but in my time training, I find the people and team ethic of my BJJ club to be a significant factor in the enjoyment of the sport.
Another area where people report BJJ giving them benefit is in relaxation and staying calm. Although this might seem counter-intuitive in a sport based on pretend murdering each other, this is exactly how it teaches one to stay in control. Panicking and freaking out is not a particularly good defence strategy, something which will be soon learned in BJJ sparring; instead the way out of a dangerous situation requires a calm enough mind to accurately pin point the danger, plan and execute movements to escape. Doing this repeatedly in BJJ gives practice of staying calm in a stressful situation and thinking logically, not letting emotion or fear dominate, a practice which can have far reaching benefits. Many also report wider stress reduction from practising BJJ. It is a sport that is so physically and intellectually demanding during its practice (in addition to being enjoyable) that it is nigh-on impossible for your mind to spiral off and worry about any extraneous issues. This sense of being in an almost 'flow' state is what seems to get many people hooked on training BJJ.
 |
| Problem: solved |
BJJ practice also seems to be an inherently social place; maybe it's the trying to kill each other, maybe it's the close physical contact, maybe it's the fact that people throw thousands of hours of their lives into the sport, but everyone likes to train hard then have a good friendly chat. This may be personal experience, but I have found BJJ clubs seem very amicable with a strong sense of camaraderie, in a way that surpasses other martial arts clubs. Take from that what you will, but in my time training, I find the people and team ethic of my BJJ club to be a significant factor in the enjoyment of the sport.
Another area where people report BJJ giving them benefit is in relaxation and staying calm. Although this might seem counter-intuitive in a sport based on pretend murdering each other, this is exactly how it teaches one to stay in control. Panicking and freaking out is not a particularly good defence strategy, something which will be soon learned in BJJ sparring; instead the way out of a dangerous situation requires a calm enough mind to accurately pin point the danger, plan and execute movements to escape. Doing this repeatedly in BJJ gives practice of staying calm in a stressful situation and thinking logically, not letting emotion or fear dominate, a practice which can have far reaching benefits. Many also report wider stress reduction from practising BJJ. It is a sport that is so physically and intellectually demanding during its practice (in addition to being enjoyable) that it is nigh-on impossible for your mind to spiral off and worry about any extraneous issues. This sense of being in an almost 'flow' state is what seems to get many people hooked on training BJJ.
 |
| The zen of knowing you can kill everyone around you. |
Intellectual - As previously mentioned, there is a tremendous amount of tactics and strategy in the BJJ game, which is enough to exercise the sharpest of minds. There is a vast amount of techniques to learn, beneath which there is essentially endless potential for variation and subtle modifications. On top of this, the practice of BJJ essentially involves fast paced, high pressure problem solving; deciding which techniques to use at which times to overcome your opponent's defences and nullify or counter their offences. BJJ has been called 'physical chess' and despite this being somewhat cliché, it's somewhat true. In BJJ, as in chess, a master will potentially have thousands of ways to beat an opponent, but will regularly look to to ensnare their opponents in their preferred game through a plethora of pressure plays, baits and traps. All this combines to make BJJ a challenging mental exercise in addition to the physical side, which seems to increase the appeal to more analytical minded and studious athletes.
The Negatives of BJJ
I do a bloody ton of washing and my hands sometimes hurt. Boring and achy, respectively.
All in all, BJJ gives you a serious workout, toughens and sharpens you mentally and physically and is a fun way to spend time with a great bunch of people. I would be remiss not to mention the great club at which I train: CF//24 Jiu Jitsu. If you are Cardiff based (or near) and are interested, come down and join in the fun.
The Negatives of BJJ
I do a bloody ton of washing and my hands sometimes hurt. Boring and achy, respectively.
All in all, BJJ gives you a serious workout, toughens and sharpens you mentally and physically and is a fun way to spend time with a great bunch of people. I would be remiss not to mention the great club at which I train: CF//24 Jiu Jitsu. If you are Cardiff based (or near) and are interested, come down and join in the fun.
