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Here’s How BJJ Cultivates Discipline

Here’s How BJJ Cultivates Discipline

Guest post by Evolve MMA, Asia’s premier championship brand for martial arts. It has the most number of World Champions on the planet. Named as the #1 ranked martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, Evolve MMA is the top rated BJJ gym in Singapore.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is one of the most popular martial arts in the world right now. It is a martial art that many people find captivating and fulfilling, and it often inspires dedication in students in a way few other activities, hobbies, or workout routines can match.

Talk to anyone who has trained BJJ for a long time and they will tell you how addictive and transformative it can be. Those who decide to give BJJ a try often find themselves gaining a variety of useful attributes like improved problem-solving skills, fitness, and discipline. It also happens to be one of the most effective martial arts in the world. BJJ practitioners have enjoyed lots of success when matched up against other martial arts styles.

Here’s a breakdown of how learning BJJ teaches students to be more disciplined.

1) It’s interwoven into the sport

 

Brazilian Ju-Jitsu is derived from traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. The word “Jiu” means gentle, while “Jitsu” stands for art. That makes BJJ the gentle art and that philosophy is deeply interwoven into BJJ culture. It is one of the many reasons why most police academies and military units tend to lean towards BJJ when it comes to combat training.

BJJ is all about being disciplined at all times. It teaches you to use only the necessary amount of force to subdue an opponent. It allows you to subdue a dangerous opponent without even using punches and kicks. Law enforcement agencies love it since it teaches their officers how to do their job without creating a liability for the department.

Just imagine if the average police officer was only taught how to strike or use a baton. Such an officer would likely cause some damage to a suspect when if he/she use strikes or a solid object to restrain the person. Conversely, an officer who knows BJJ can simply take the person down, mount them and slap on the handcuffs.

Train BJJ consistently and you will also be able to defend yourself while using the least amount of force necessary.

 



2) It makes you constantly evaluate your skills

There is no hiding on the mat. That is one of the things that separates BJJ from many other martial arts. It’s also one of those things that makes BJJ one of the most effective combat styles. From the first time you step on the mat, you will be required to grapple and drill with other students.

You are taught techniques and you are told to drill them repeatedly. When you’ve lost count of how many times you have drilled each move, you then get to test your moves out when you roll. Unlike during drills when you partner cooperates with you and allows you to execute your techniques, you have to deal with a dancing partner who has plans of their own when you roll.

Any holes in your techniques are revealed during these sparring sessions. Sure, you might get away with sloppy technique when you roll with white belts, but more advanced students will make you pay dearly. Your mistakes will be obvious to them and they will know exactly how to capitalize on it.

This means you are constantly reevaluating yourself when you start learning BJJ. You are constantly testing your moves on different people, making slight changes to them as you progress through the ranks. It teaches you to be very disciplined with your training.

When your instructors breakdown techniques in class, you will start to pay more attention since you are aware of how significant each tiny detail is in a practical scenario. You will eventually find yourself paying that much attention to little details in other aspects of your life.

If you ever need to defend yourself against an attacker, you’ll already know which one of your techniques are most effective against a resisting opponent.

 

3) Your hard work always pays off

 

It is hard to be disciplined if you can’t see any results from all your hard work. Even the most mentally tough people will eventually give up if they feel like all their efforts at something is being wasted. Fortunately, it does not take that long for you to start reaping the rewards of all the work you put in on the mat.

Within a few weeks, you will start getting a deeper understanding of many fundamental techniques, a bit longer, and you will start submitting some of the newer students. Your body will begin to change as fat is replaced with muscle. You will notice physical changes even if you stick to your normal diet. If you make an attempt to eat healthier, you will have your dream body in no time.

It all improves your discipline. All of a sudden, you realize you could have lost all that weight years ago if you were more disciplined. You realize you will be as good as the blue belts if you keep training for another year or so.

BJJ really puts things in perspective and it highlights the importance of sticking to something and not giving up the first time things do not go your way.

 

4) You feed off others

 

One of the best things about learning BJJ is the many cool people you will meet. Many of them will become good friends who will inspire and motive you. You will notice how disciplined some of your training partners are – particularly those at the top of the class – and you’ll eventually start implementing some of the things they do into your training.

When you train at a high-level gym, some of the most disciplined students there will go on to do big things, and their accomplishments will strengthen your resolve to be more disciplined.

 

BJJ is more than just a martial art. It teaches you how to be a better version of yourself. It teaches how important being disciplined is if you want to be successful at anything.

If you want to give BJJ a try, sign up for a complimentary trial class today!