Why Jiu-Jitsu?

Jiu-Jitsu is hard on the body, you are constantly under someone’s weight, being folded in the weirdest positions, it’s hard on the joints, people squeeze your neck and bend your limbs in painful submissions. Not to mention that, like any sport, you are at risk of getting injured in every practice.

There is also the mental challenge, you have to deal with the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped without a way out. It’s hard to deal with the idea of tapping out. To surrender to another person’s will is a tough blow on your ego. Finally, you have to put yourself together somehow and do it all over again.

So why do I love Jiu-Jitsu? Why do I like to roll on the mats over playing tennis or soccer? why not other martial art, Judo or Muay Thai?

Let’s see.

I think that the practice of any sport or martial art is a great way to channel one’s energy and will bring great benefits to the individual, stimulating discipline, focus, creativity, mental challenge and fitness.

Despite the fact that the skills learnt in Jiu-Jitsu are transferable to real life self-defense (unlike baseball, golf, soccer, etc) I like Jiu-Jitsu over team sports because you cannot blame your performance on anybody else. You are the sole responsable of the decisions, the performance and the final outcome of a match. There are no excuses if you get beat up. This level of accountability is a great test of one’s character.

What about individual sports such as chess or tennis?

Jiu-Jitsu is not just a sport, although most schools train like it’s a sport, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was originally created as a martial art. As such, the lessons you learn in Jiu-Jitsu are deeper. You can learn about sportsmanship, the importance of discipline and other great values in other sports. However, there is something different about Jiu-Jitsu (martial arts in general). For example, if you lose a match because the other team/opponent scored more goals or points, ok, it sucks, but not like Jiu-Jitsu. A check mate can’t compare with the feeling of getting submitted. If you get tapped out in Jiu-Jitsu, you feel that loss in your body and soul. They made you give up, they essentially “killed” you. The martial artist is forced to dig deep to find the answers that will help them stay alive in subsequent matches and not “die” again. In doing so, the warrior stumbles upon a wisdom that may go beyond fighting, maybe they’ll find answers to the biggest questions of life itself.
I played soccer since I was a little kid and there I learned to pretend to be injured, to complain to the referee, to hit the other player and pretend I didn’t. It didn’t help me build character at all. Jiu-Jitsu in the other hand gave me a tough mindset, made me resilient, patient, taught me to not blame others, to respect my partners, to stay healthy and to be disciplined. Those are the real values that will help me in my everyday life.
Lastly, Jiu-Jitsu is a way of life. Many people dedicate countless of hours to a sport when they were kids and after they graduate from high school they don’t play that sport anymore, it was a thing they did when they were kids. Jiu-Jitsu is a lifestyle, it’s something you can do when you are young and that you can keep doing until you are old. Jiu-Jitsu stays with you forever.

What about other martial arts?

I like Jiu-Jitsu over other martial arts because even though it’s hard on your body, like I mentioned at the beginning; it’s not as bad as Judo, Wrestling, Muay Thai or MMA!

Striking arts are tough, getting kicked in your legs, torso, punched in the stomach, face; it’s not fun. They are amazing, but they are really, really tough on your body.

Judo and Wrestling are definitely harder than Jiu-Jitsu. They favor speed, explosiveness and high intensity action. Even in practice, the throws and takedowns from Judokas and Wrestlers are no joke. Being slammed to the ground repetitively takes a toll on your body, no doubt.

Being mainly a grappling art that specialize in ground fighting, in Jiu-Jitsu you can lay on your back and chill for periods of time. It’s fun! The most advanced AR video game pales in comparison. I’m not saying is not without its risks of injuries, Jiu-Jitsu is a contact sport after all, but there is a reason why many wrestlers and MMA fighters switch to train entirely in Jiu-Jitsu once they stop competing at the highest level. You can train Jiu-Jitsu as your lifestyle/hobby in your 40’s, 50’s and 60’s; it’s way harder to train other martial arts at this age.

In short, I love Jiu-Jitsu because it’s a martial art that challenges my body and mind, it keeps me accountable for my actions, the skills learned can be used in real life to defend myself or others, it gives me a code to understand life’s lessons, and it’s the least hard on my body.

What do you think?
Marco Moreno.