1. It isn’t just for boys
BJJ is NOT just for boys! Out of all martial arts, Brazilian Jiujitsu is the most suitable for girls to try first, as it has no punching or kicking involved. In fact, the word Jiujitsu derives from the Japanese “Jū” meaning “gentle” and “Jutsu” meaning “art”; essentially, jiu jitsu is the “gentle art”. More and more girls and women have become involved in jiujitsu in recent years and are demonstrating just how good females can be at the sport!
2. It will boost your confidence
Any sport or martial art is bound to boost your confidence due to the capability you gain to defend yourself. The interesting thing about jiujitsu is that students see a boost in confidence in a matter of weeks from starting. This is especially prominent in girls, possibly due to the illusion they had prior to not being ‘tough’ enough to defend themselves. Once a girl or woman has this realisation, confidence is boosted dramatically, and this benefits every other aspect of their life.
3. You will make quality friendships
These days, it can be difficult to make quality friendships. At school or university, friends come and go, and some girls are lucky enough to hold onto a few good friends. At BJJ, the community is very strong, and many relate it to a family. The girls that train together create quality friendships. Finding interest in the same sport and training together a few days a week is a recipe for positive and lasting friendships. As BJJ girls, you go through things together that you wouldn’t with other friends like helping each other with techniques, experiencing promotions, and preparing for competitions together. These friendships are priceless.
4. It is FANTASTIC exercise
It’s time to forget endless running on a treadmill at the gym! BJJ training burns from 470 to 670 calories per hour on average. Yes… you read correctly! That includes warm-up, drilling and sparring. It is amazing to see some of the progress people make with both fat-loss and muscle gain with BJJ. And if you’re goals are more towards muscle-building, BJJ has that covered too. Within only a few months of starting the sport, you will feel so many muscles grow that you have never used before. This is because unlike gym exercises which isolate particular muscle groups, BJJ uses them all! It is a whole-body workout – every single time.
The best part is…it doesn’t even feel like a workout because of all the fun. So, if you’re after a healthy body and general fitness, it all starts on the mats.
5. It strengthens the mind, body, and spirit
BJJ is a whole body and mind experience. To be successful at jiujitsu, you must focus on the coach demonstrating the technique and execute it with your training partner. This communicates messages from the mind to the body, which not many sports do in such detail. On top of this, BJJ takes a lot of spirit – the spirit to challenge yourself, to go one step further, and push yourself out of your comfort zone in training. In most sessions you will come out of the class feeling like a renewed and better version of yourself…and that is something very special.
If you are interested in trying BJJ, Gracie Parramatta have a variety of classes available on their timetable. Feel free to book via the timetable or call 02 9687 5480 to inquire.
