Jiu-Jitsu is an ancient martial art. The word “Jiu-Jitsu” is a derivative of the Japanese words: “Ju” and “Jutsu.” While “Ju” means “gentle,” “Jutsu” means “art.” So, you can regard the inherent meaning of Jiu-Jitsu as gentle art.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is fundamentally a ground-based martial art that uses the principles of leverage, angles, pressure, and timing. For the practitioners, the knowledge of human anatomy is essential to achieve a non-violent submission of their opponent.
Unlike other martial arts that focus on strikes and kicks, Jiu-Jitsu focuses on close-contact “grappling” holds and techniques. And the application of chokes and joint-manipulations.
A Bit of History
The origin of Jiu-Jitsu can be traced thousands of years back. Although there are many theories about its origin, many agree that it originated around 4,000 years ago.
It is also widely believed that it was the Buddhist monks in India who first popularized the martial art. They practiced Jiu-Jitsu so that they can protect themselves during their travels without inflicting harm on their attackers.
Subsequently, Jiu-Jitsu spread to feudal Japan. And there it developed into an art form and a competitive activity. And gradually, it transitioned into effective hand-to-hand combat for warfare.
However, some arguments support its much older origins than in India, dating back to the earliest forms of “grappling,” which are immortalized on the walls of ancient Greek and Egyptian ruins.
How Jiu-Jitsu can Change Your Life
Jiu-Jitsu is an impactful martial art and all-around activity that can bring positive changes to your life.
Let us see how:
Teach You Humility
Humility is a big lesson that Jiu-Jitsu teaches you. As it is technique-oriented, the size of the participants has nothing much to do. So, a smaller participant could defeat a more prominent opponent. Such an eventuality will be a big blow to the bigger participant’s ego and teach him humility.
Makes You Patient
Patience is a key attribute for success in life. When you undergo Jiu-Jitsu training, you will find the progress somewhat slow, and it will take considerable time for you to graduate from one belt to another. It also leads to frustration. But you will learn to wait, overcoming your frustrations. And that will create patience in you.
Inculcate Never Give-Up Attitude
Jiu-Jitsu is all about ups and downs. During your training tenure, you might come across times when you think about giving up the training. But, when you will see the black belts, you are likely to be motivated to believe that when they can achieve the feat why you cannot, and that will develop in you a never-give-up attitude.
Increase Confidence
During the training, you will gradually learn how to overcome your disadvantages and remain calm under pressure. And as you will master one technique after another, you will slowly become confident in your intrinsic abilities.
Enable You to Defend Yourself Better
Jiu-Jitsu is an impactful self-defense art that has been tested in real-life situations. When you master the techniques, you will be able to defend yourself against any attacker to get better in self-defense.
Improve Life Quality
Jiu-Jitsu influences your body and mind positively. It teaches you to be humble, patient, how to deal with pressure. So, you will see a dramatic improvement in the quality of your day-to-day life.
What are the Physical and Mental Benefits of Jiu-Jitsu?
Jiu-Jitsu benefits you not only by empowering you to defend yourself against attackers but also helps you physically and mentally. Here is the list:
An Aerobic Workout
Jiu-Jitsu is an excellent aerobic workout that is an effective cardio exercise to maintain your heart’s health in good condition. Your body will get more oxygen, and you will feel good.
Better Flexibility
Flexibility is another useful derivative of Jiu-Jitsu. At first, you will find it a bit difficult to execute some moves. But your body will eventually become flexible in performing all the actions as you go on practicing.
Stress Reduction
Jiu-Jitsu practice is all about focussing on the moves while controlling your thoughts and anxiety. As such, you will be able to keep stress at bay.
Lower Blood Pressure
Jiu-Jitsu is a perfect solution if you suffer from high blood pressure. When you practice it regularly, your blood pressure will come down. Apart from managing your blood pressure, you will see substantial improvement in your fitness level too.
Fight Mental Illness
Practicing Jiu-Jitsu can help in fighting some types of mental illness. For example, you can get rid of mental depression by practicing Jiu-Jitsu regularly.
Build Body Strength
Jiu-Jitsu is a great way to build your body and tone up your muscles. As you will put all your muscles to work during training sessions, your muscles will become stronger. As such, your body will become stronger.
Better Sleep
Jiu-Jitsu training will synchronize your body and mind so you will remain calm at night. As the training involves a balanced workout, it is conducive to better sleep.
Less Aggression
When you perform Jiu-Jitsu moves, you will become happier and confident. When opponents grapple each other, they release the hormone known as oxytocin, which creates a sense of happiness. As such, there will be less aggression in your life.
Conclusion
You have now come to know why you should join a Jiu-Jitsu gym. So, why not type on Google, ‘Jiu-Jitsu classes near me’ to locate such gyms near your place of stay? You can undergo the classes to reap fantastic benefits.
