START JIU JITSU
The art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a highly dynamic, and systematic form of ground fighting. BJJ can cater to people from all different walks of life, as even though the art is highly complex, many of the concepts are simplistic in their nature. In this day and age people need to learn how to defend themselves, and the people they love, as BJJ can offer a systematic form of self defensive principles that everyone should learn. Even though BJJ has an extremely high element of sporting competitiveness, there is also the underlying factor of its self defense systems. The art began as a self defense combat system, which was designed early on by the Gracie family.
What This Article Covers:
- Why Should People Learn BJJ
- Where to Start Learning
- How to Improve at BJJ
- Moving Through the Ranks
- What to Steer Clear of
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be practised by people of all ages, as kids will commonly train at the age of five. No matter how old a person is, BJJ can still be practised by young adults, ranging all the way to jiu jitsu for seniors. No matter what age or fitness level a person is, starting a journey into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is exactly what they need to heighten their fitness, strength and conditioning, and their knowledge of self defense. The Brazilian art has become extremely mainstream, as the growth rate of the sport is rising exponentially every year.
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WHY SHOULD PEOPLE LEARN BJJ
There are many reasons why people should start training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. First of all the physical health benefits are incredible, as even people starting jiu jitsu at 50 are using the art to stay well conditioned. BJJ increases a students cardiorespiratory endurance, and this is extremely important as it will improve the oxygen intake into the lungs, and the heart, which can help a student sustain longer periods of physical activities. BJJ has elements of explosive cardio, but also reflects on its nature for endurance. A prime example of this is when a student rolls with another student, as they will both sustain long periods of high intense physical movements. This kind of physical training will help students of all ages achieve many of their athletic goals.
There are other physical benefits like the increased flexibility that students can achieve. BJJ uses a full range of movements throughout all of their body, this includes rotational hip and leg movements. When a student begins using muscles they don't usually use, they will open themselves up to increasing their mobility. Training in these aspects of BJJ will help students become more balanced on their feet, and feel like they have more control over how their muscles work. Not only will students' muscles become more flexible, they will also increase significantly in strength. With the combination of fast twitch, and slow twitch muscle fibers, BJJ helps students increase levels in both. Many of these exercises involve students using explosive power from deep within their core, as well as sustained endurance, which can help them in training for longer periods.
There are also a range of mental health benefits that students will discover. Quite often students will begin a journey into BJJ in search of needing to fill the void, or trying to build themselves back up again. There are many reasons why life can break a person down, and when this happens the benefits of BJJ will help put them back together. The atmosphere, and camaraderie inside a BJJ academy is outstanding, as students will meet a diverse range of people all with common goals of becoming fitter, stronger, and more mentally prepared. Recovering from mental health can be a huge step, but with the constant human connection involved in BJJ, the task of recovery starts to feel achievable. The Jiu Jitsu community is well known for their inviting, and encouraging attitudes towards the Martial Art, as coaches and members are all there to support every student inside their academy.
WHERE TO START LEARNING
One of the hardest facets of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is knowing where to start. The best age to start bjj is obviously as a young child, this is how the student will become exceptional at BJJ. All students begin their training unsure of how to execute many of the fundamental movements. The complexity of each movement seems foreign, and increasingly hard to understand. The great aspect of a BJJ academy is an instructors willingness to articulate all of the foundations incorporated. Students will soon be able to break down the mechanics involved, as they will learn how to move the right way. The art has an intricate series of dynamic movements, and due to the complexity of some of the maneuvers, students will need to start at ground zero.
A good starting point is to understand the guard, as this is the main defense against a pressure passer. The guard is also used as an attacking platform that students can launch for sweeps and submissions. There are many different types of guards, but the main ones a new student should focus on are the closed guard, the half guard, and the knee shield guard. It is extremely important that beginners learn to use guard retention not only as a defensive position, but as a way to transition into attacks. Other important components include students learning positional control. There are four main positions that need to be mastered: the guard, the mount, back control, and side control. Understanding these positions will help new students begin to develop many aspects of their game style. Students will need to focus on maintaining their pressure, while attempting to plan submission attacks.
Another important aspect of the beginners phase is how to engage an opponent. Quite often students will not have an idea about concepts like staying in base, closing the distance, and gaining dominant grips. Students will learn how to use their footwork, so they can remain balanced in the stand up aspect of BJJ. They will also learn how to use explosive power through their core after changing levels. The need to grip and regrip can be the determining factor for a student to secure a takedown. Some of the most basic takedowns are great starting points for novice students, the single leg takedown, the double leg takedown, and basic foot sweeps and ankle pics, are maneuvers that new white belts should be working on.
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HOW TO IMPROVE AT BJJ
There are many different ways to improve a students grappling proficiency. Improvement starts at the core, and this means to master the fundamentals of the sport. Spending too much time practising advanced movements won't help them in the short term, and this is also apparent starting jiu jitsu at 30, as the importance of fundamentals are extremely high. To maximise a students ability to improve they need to build a solid core foundation, and this will help them develop the building blocks they need to be able to add more advanced movements to their repertoire later on down the track. There is no real trick to improvement as it really comes down to hard work, perseverance, and continuity.
Hard work means to keep putting in the hours, and studying the art, all while making no excuses for themselves. Perseverance means to keep on going no matter what the outcome is. Often students may find themself feeling pretty flat, or like they are stagnating in their belt rank, and for a student to persevere means to take the bad with the good. There will always be times where students will plateau rather than incline in improving their skills. A good practitioner will endure through any adversity, as they look to build up their credentials for their future progression. Continuity means to always show up to training, as the more a student trains the more understanding they will have of all the mechanics involved in BJJ. Often students become lazy and lose motivation, which can result in them only coming to BJJ once or twice a week, and sometimes even less. The key to progression is to keep showing up as much as possible, and the good thing about BJJ is even if a student feels like they need a rest day, they can still come in and do light technique work, which will help the mind continue on its pathway.
Another way to improve a students skill set in BJJ is to enter the competitive world of grappling. Competing in BJJ tournaments is a great way to fast track a students progression within the art. BJJ tournaments are as close as it gets to a real life fight scenario, and if students choose to enter these competitions then this is the best platform for them to battle test all of their techniques. Whether a student wins or loses, every tournament match is a great experience that they can put under their belt. Competitive BJJ will give students a greater sense of accomplishment, and will boost there confidence exponentially. If a student gets on a winning streak in a BJJ tournament this will also help convince their instructor that they may be ready for a new belt rank. Realistically chasing belt ranks is the wrong mindset to have, as all a student needs to do is put in the work, train extensively, and progression will look after itself.
MOVING THROUGH THE RANKS
Moving through the belt ranking system can be tricky for some, while being easier for others. Kids may find it easy to move through the belt levels, at least until they are older, as jiu jitsu for teens is where they become more technically advanced. A concept that students must keep in mind is that all students learn at different paces, this means that some students might go from a white to a blue belt in twelve months, while others will spend even up to five years as a white belt. There is no discrimination in BJJ promotion, as an instructor will give out belts and stripes based on hard work, continuity, technical proficiency, and character in their community. Students need to understand that if they want to be promoted they must lose their ego, and show humility, integrity, and leadership qualities. At the end of the day becoming a black belt is like a teaching degree, so students need to become role models if they hope to reach the pinnacle level in BJJ.
Moving from a white belt to a blue belt in BJJ can sometimes be the hardest step of all, and this is due to the fact that beginners no nothing, and they need to know a lot before they can wear a blue belt. Trying to teach a beginner that has no idea about balance or movement can be extremely hard, and this is why it takes some people an extensive amount of time to progress. Once the student has a blue belt they will already be well versed in many of the positions in BJJ, and this will give them the platform they need to launch towards their purple belt. Earning a purple belt in BJJ means they are ready to teach, as they will often help out their instructors by taking classes, or assisting the black belts. Progressing through the purple belt level is all about refinement and concepts, as this is the time they need to explore their game styles, so they can build towards the higher ranks of BJJ.
Not many students will reach a brown belt in BJJ, and this is due to the complexity of the art. For the students that do, it is basically about becoming great a teacher, further refinement, and turning their weaknesses into strength. A student that becomes a brown belt is basically a black belt, as they just need to wait out their time to reach that prestigious black belt rank. Progressing through the ranks and reaching the black belt level is one of the most amazing accomplishments that a Martial Artist will achieve, as this can be an extremely hard belt to earn. The journey from white belt to black belt can take some students anywhere from ten to twenty years, as this prestigious rank has been compared to a doctorate in medical science. Becoming a black belt means that students will need to be extremely motivated, and encouraging, as they will often be teaching students of all age levels, their philosophies and concepts of BJJ.
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WHAT TO STEER CLEAR OF
There are many aspects to stay away from when training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Quite often students can get too carried away, as an ego can be the wrecking ball that destroys their own progression within the art. Humility is everything in BJJ, as a student will need to show strength and character by firstly tapping out when they are in bad situations, and letting go of submissions in order to avoid injury. Some students will be reckless, as they try to escape from submissions, and if a student that has no humility continues to apply pressure to the submission, it will almost always result in injury. A good practitioner will not need the tap, as they will play a game of catch and release, which is basically achieve the submission position and let go before transitioning into a new position. Becoming great at BJJ is all about being humble, and integral, as there is no place in the art for narcissistic, or egotistical people.
Another component that students will need to steer clear of is overtraining. Students can train seven days a week in BJJ, but they need to make sure they listen to their bodies, and take their rest days when they need them. This may be taking a day off of Jiu Jitsu, or simply just having a lighter day on the mats, either way overtraining can be detrimental to their learning. Nowadays students will add strength and conditioning in combination with their BJJ training, as the right balance of these can be excellent for progression within the art. However if a student does too much strength and conditioning work they will leave themselves open for numerous injuries while training on the mats. Burning out a student's neural pathways by lifting too much heavy weights is a big mistake, and can be avoided if students take it easy and balance out the right exercise plans. Building the right training regime comes with experience, and for the younger belts in the art, all they need to do is talk to their instructors so they can find the right program that suits them.
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