Who Benefits From Practicing Jiu-Jitsu?
If you want to get in shape fast, improve your mental health, or just get active with your entire family, you can attend a class of Jiu-Jitsu.
After watching highly skilled and incredibly fit people practice martial arts on television, many people may think that only sculpted athletes can perform martial arts.
They may also believe that martial arts are strictly for those that want to learn how to fight. But these assumptions couldn’t be further from the truth.
For example, Jiu-Jitsu is a form of martial art that can be practiced by people young and old as well as folks with varying fitness levels.
The Benefits Of Practicing Jiu-Jitsu
If you are simply looking for a great way to lose weight, an activity to improve mental health, or a regular family-friendly outing, you should explore the martial art of Jiu-Jitsu. Here are the main benefits of this popular martial art:
1. Weight Loss
A great way to lose weight is to find a full-body workout that incorporates cardio and strength training.
Practicing in jiu jitsu San Diego gyms will work out a variety of muscle groups during each session while keeping your heart rate up.
Jiu-Jitsu schools offer classes for beginners, so you don’t have to worry about being in great shape right from the start.
Instructors in these beginning Jiu-Jitsu classes will work with you so that you can slowly learn the movements. As you progress, your fitness level will likely improve to the point where you can incorporate more strenuous moves into your training.
As you progress through Jiu-Jitsu training, you will likely find that your muscles are strengthening and your cardio stamina is improving.
When trying to lose weight, it definitely helps to find an activity that doesn’t bore you. Jiu-Jitsu is far from boring.
Learning the movements will engage your mind in a way that many traditional cardio workouts, such as running and cycling, won’t.
Because you will be constantly learning new moves, you won’t get bored by performing the exact same thing during each class. This variety helps learners to stay engaged and it makes people want to return to classes again and again.
This repetition will help people to reach their weight loss goals while actually looking forward to the next workout.
2. Stress Relief
Those wishing to improve their mental health by relieving stress may find Jiu-Jitsu training helpful.
First, the class itself allows learners a break from the stress of the day. Because the movements are so varied and require a lot of concentration to perform correctly, people won’t have a chance to dwell on any other stressors that may be affecting their lives.
By constantly learning new moves and sparring with a variety of opponents, Jiu-Jitsu practitioners need to remain highly focused. Therefore, time on the mat is time spent well away from the stress triggers of real life.
In addition to offering a stress-free environment during classes, many students report feeling better off the mat because of the satisfaction and confidence that learning Jiu-Jitsu instills in them.
These positive effects often carry through to the rest of the day or the week as people feel accomplished in this aspect of their lives.
In addition, taking Jiu-Jitsu classes can introduce people to friends they wouldn’t otherwise have met, and to people from different walks of life they wouldn’t otherwise have encountered.
This expansion of the student’s social circle can have lasting positive effects of reducing stress and improving one’s mental health.
3. Family-Friendly Activity
If you are a parent who has been searching for a regular activity that everyone can engage in together, Jiu-Jitsu may be for you.
Classes are available for a wide age range and for those who are in varying states of physical fitness.
Regardless of whether your family is wanting to get fit together, stay fit together, or just engage in an activity that will bring you emotionally closer, Jiu-Jitsu can accomplish these goals.
Learning the discipline and the moves together is something that you can all have in common.
Sparring can foster healthy competition, and holding each other accountable can teach valuable lessons.
Parents wanting to instill responsibility in their children can emphasize the importance of not missing their weekly Jiu-Jitsu class. Further, those parents can set good examples by not missing any classes themselves.
You may use the weekly class to spark additional outings by choosing fun spots to go and practice together or by treating the family to ice cream as training goals are met.
With a little creativity, taking Jiu-Jitsu classes together can spark a wide range of new activities.
The Takeaway
The next time you watch a skilled martial arts practitioner on television, don’t assume that the incredibly fit athlete on the screen is the only type of person that can benefit from martial arts training.
Jiu-Jitsu training is a great way for people from all walks of life to lose weight, improve their mental health, and promote family bonding.
Regardless of your fitness level, beginning Jiu-Jitsu classes can take you from where you’re at to an improved state of fitness and mental well-being. Just don’t be afraid to try.
