Anyone that trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will tell you about the countless benefits it has to offer in your life. I truly believe that training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and if everyone trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the world would be a better place. The following are a few key benefits that training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will bring to your life.
1. Confidence Through Effective Self-Defense
I believe that every human being should learn two things: 1) How to swim 2) How to fight(having the proper skills to defend yourself). The importance of being able to defend yourself is one of the greatest tools you can have in raising your confidence. Bullys will never go away but through training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu(BJJ), you will gain the skills and confidence you need to effectively protect yourself and others. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu the focus is not on "flashy" or unrealistic holds but on techniques that are applicable in real life scenarios. Through training BJJ, you will learn how to effectively neutralize a much larger aggressor by taking them to the ground and effectively controlling them there - all while never throwing a kick or a punch. Striking is also an effective way to defend yourself, but it's more likely that you will injure yourself and your opponent in the process which is not ideal. Enroll yourself in a Jiu-Jitsu program near you and your confidence will radiate in all aspects of your life.
2. Psychology Of Touch
The majority of people don't get much physical contact with other humans other than the occasional handshake. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling art and from the first day that you step on the mats for your introduction to BJJ lesson at Team DNA BJJ in Whitby, you will be grappling and training techniques while making body to body contact with your training partners. That contact triggers the release of neurochemicals in our brain and hormones throughout our body, which make us more aware, focused, and connected. Oxytocin is one hormone often called the “cuddle” or “empathy” hormone, which is released in our bodies during such physical contact. It is likely one reason why friendships develop so quickly and deeply amongst BJJ students." It's no coincidence most of my closest friends, I have met through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! For more information on this read: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/women-who-stray/201412/the-psychology-brazilian-jiu-jitsu
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Physical Health Benefits + Minimizing Your Risk Of Disease
The beautiful thing about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is that it truly is "The Gentle Art" and can be trained at different intensities, so everyone can go at their own pace depending on their age, goals, and current fitness level. Regardless of the pace that you are training at, you will constantly be challenged and pushed to your limits. Training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a fun and effective way of doing High Intensity Interval Training(HIIT) as it will challenge you in many ways, from the warm up, to training techniques, and actively trying to control and submit your opponent while they are trying to do the same to you. There are many benefits to doing HIIT, one of the greatest being that HIIT induces the production of healthy, new mitochondria in your body, which is referred to as "mitochondrial biogenesis." In short, having many healthy mitochondria in your body means that it will work optimally and that your chances of getting sick or catching a disease will be lower. Other benefits of HIIT include: increasing your metabolic rate, helping you lose fat, gaining muscle, improving your oxygen consumption, and reducing your blood sugar + blood pressure. HIIT has even been shown to increase our natural killer cells which help us fight against cancer.
Sources:
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. Boosting Your Brain Power + Reducing Your Risk Of Alzheimer's
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is human chess and perhaps one of the most powerful forms of meditation for your utilizing your mind and body together. You will need to stay calm under the pressure of having an opponent try to control and submit you in order for you to choose the best technical maneuver to apply in many different circumstances. The benefits of meditation include, reducing anxiety, boosting your brain power, improving concentration + attention along with reducing your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease which is becoming significantly more prevalent. Another way training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will benefit your brain, is that the techniques are limitless and there is nobody that will ever know it all as the martial art keeps evolving leaps and bounds every year meaning that those that train will constantly have their brain stimulated and looking for new solutions/techniques in many different scenarios and getting even more of the benefits listed above.
Fun Fact: Training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before learning will help pump up your short-term memory, and training after learning seems to help with long-term recall, which can be especially helpful for school students!
Sources:
__________________________________________________________________________________
If you are located in Durham Region and are interested in enrolling your child (or yourself) in martial arts, come try a full week of free classes at DNA BJJ to see why we are right gym for your family.
Your child's first class will be an intro to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lesson with one of our instructors (usually Coach Sarah) where they will learn how to fall safely, fundamental movements, and to help them get comfortable in a new environment.
Does your child feel too intimidated to try a class? Check out our schedule and come watch one of our classes from our viewing area with your child to see what we are all about. We specialize in teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but also have a Judo and Wrestling program to complement it.
Contact us today to book your child's free intro to BJJ lesson and kickstart their 7 day trial, we are located in Whitby, close to HWY 401 and the Oshawa border.