Jiu Jitsu undoubtedly has a lot of physical benefits. It will make you stronger, fitter, help you drop some extra weight, and give you some self defense skills but what about the mental and emotional benefits of Jiu Jitsu?
Does Jiu Jitsu Build Confidence?
Jiu Jitsu does build confidence. BJJ gives you confidence knowing that you can defend yourself in a physical altercation. BJJ improves your body image by increasing your muscle mass and helping you lose weight. BJJ gives you a sense of belonging as you join a new community.
BJJ Self Defense Skills Will Improve Your Confidence
Many people go through life lacking confidence because they are constantly frightened of being the victim of an attack. They have no faith in their ability to defend themselves. This results in unconfident behavior such as being hesitant to voice opinions, walking with your head down, not making eye contact when speaking to people, and generally trying to avoid uncomfortable moments in life all in an effort to minimize the chance of conflict.
BJJ has the ability to skyrocket your confidence by teaching you practical and highly effective self defense skills. After 6 months to a year of consistent training in BJJ you will have more than enough skills to handle yourself in a physical altercation with a person of similar size. After training BJJ for 2 years you should have no problem dealing with a person of any size in a self defense scenario.
The confidence boost a person will receive knowing that they no longer have to be scared of a potential fight is profound. People start talking differently, slowing down their speech, voicing their opinions, able to crack jokes, express themselves deeply and willing to offend people to ensure they aren’t taken advantage of. Their posture and body language change, they start walking with their head up and looking people directly in the eye.
When you are interacting with people who are comfortable in their ability to defend themselves they have a quiet confidence and calmness that you can immediately pick up on. Anyone who learns BJJ can absolutely develop this same level of confidence.
BJJ Will Improve Your Body Image
A major source of insecurity and lack of self confidence is poor body image. BJJ can quickly make you fall in love with your body and fill you with the confidence that you deserve.
BJJ is a great tool to aid in weight and fat loss. With over 30% of Americans actively trying to lose weight many of us are looking to boost our self confidence by shedding some unwanted fat. BJJ is so effective at helping us lose weight because it is an intense workout that pushes all the muscles in the body. This intensity can lead to you burning up to 700 calories an hour. This means in a standard BJJ training session that lasts 1.5 hours you will burn over 1000 calories.
The other reason BJJ is good at helping people lose weight is that it is just so much fun. Losing weight is all about consistency and because BJJ is so much fun you won’t have any trouble training multiple times a week, week after week.
BJJ won’t just help you lose extra fat it will also tone your body and help build muscle. After training BJJ for 6 months many new students start looking like professional athletes with muscular physiques and low levels of fat.
By training Jiu Jitsu you will improve your body composition and create a body that you are proud of. This will give you a new surge of confidence.
When you increase your physical activity and lower your body fat you start to feel better. How many of us feel horrible after spending far too much time sitting on the couch or behind a desk. When you start moving your body and shedding that extra fat you feel amazing. You can expect to be met with a rush of energy and feel like you have a new lease on life. It is easy to be confident when you feel great.
BJJ will also teach your body to move in ways you never thought you were capable of. You will develop coordination that you thought was impossible. Finding out the true capabilities of your body and all the amazing things it can do will also help you fall in love with your body and fill you with confidence.
BJJ Will Help You Find A Community
Let’s be honest life is easier when you have a strong support network and friends to rely on. Unfortunately for many, they find themselves lacking a community and even meaningful friendships. More and more people are lonely and looking for connection. This loneliness and lack of support have a negative effect on people’s confidence. However, BJJ offers a solution.
If you have ever spoken to someone who trains BJJ you may have mistaken them for a cult member. They are so enthusiastic about their new hobby and are completely consumed by it. The reason for this is the strong community that BJJ has.
For many when they join a BJJ gym they are welcomed into a new community where they can form new friendships, find people to share emotions with, and mentors. For people who are lonely and lacking connection, this is a miracle.
The relationships people form on the Jiu Jitsu mats can have a huge impact on their confidence. Friendship is a fundamental desire for people and when they are adequately fulfilling this base need they feel much better about themselves and start displaying higher levels of confidence.
Conclusion
Jiu Jitsu is a great tool to boost self confidence have you feeling great about yourself. BJJ will give you the confidence to know that you can defend yourself during a street fight. BJJ will help you develop a body you are proud of. BJJ will give you access to a community where you can form relationships and friendships.
