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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. How much time. So far, I’m about two years in on BJJ and it’s the best decision I’ve made from a mental and physical health POV. I found

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. How much time. So far, I’m about two years in on BJJ and it’s the best decision I’ve made from a mental and physical health POV. I found a local gym, met the teacher and sat in for a few classes. Now, I train about 3-4 times a week for 90-120 minutes. Effort. Mentally, it’s like physical chess and it helps me relax. It’s hard to worry about the days problems when you have to be focused on your opponent/partner. Other than, the major learning curve is all mental. Relaxation and breathing are important to learn when your training partner is sitting on your chest lol. Why this hobby?. I hate exercise. I’ve tried swimming, running, biking, weightlifting, ball sports and I pretty much hate them all. With BJJ, there’s a self-defense utility that I like and a mental/physical complexity that makes it challenging like a great puzzle.

jstrodd 5y ago
I tried to get into BJJ. It was THE perfect hobby for me, on paper. But then I had to roll with the sweaty guy, then drive home smelling like someone else's body odor, and that was it for me.
- matwood 5y ago
  Getting comfortable being uncomfortable is one of the big lessons from JJ. When stressful situations come up I joke that after learning to relax while being smothered in a sweaty person's rash guard forcing me to struggle to breath, there isn't a whole lot that's worse in my usual day to day.
alexfromapex 5y ago
I also tried BJJ for a few months but I got frustrated because I'm used to learning theory but all the instructor wanted to teach was rote sequences of drills. I'm not talking like 3 step sequences I'm talking like 8 steps with highly technical parts.
- matwood 5y ago
  The school and instructor matters. You need to find a teacher and group of people you mesh with. You're going to end up spending a lot of time with them, and you need to trust them. I recommend trying out a few different schools if you can. With that said, drilling is how to get better. Even though it may not seem like it at lower levels while rolling, the technical details matter. At higher levels, missing those details is the difference between the move working or not.
matwood 5y ago
I came here to say this. A few years ago I picked up JJ as a side hobby, and it quickly became my main hobby. I still weight lift and do cardio, but it's all in service JJ now. The physical benefits are obvious. The non-obvious mental and emotional benefits are where JJ really shines. Putting oneself in stressful situations over and over leads to more calmness when under stress in general. Then there is the ego check where where one is forced to be a beginner again over and over. There's also no way to lie to yourself when a 100# girl chokes you out.

jstrodd 5y ago

I tried to get into BJJ. It was THE perfect hobby for me, on paper. But then I had to roll with the sweaty guy, then drive home smelling like someone else's body odor, and that was it for me.

matwood 5y ago
Getting comfortable being uncomfortable is one of the big lessons from JJ. When stressful situations come up I joke that after learning to relax while being smothered in a sweaty person's rash guard forcing me to struggle to breath, there isn't a whole lot that's worse in my usual day to day.

alexfromapex 5y ago

I also tried BJJ for a few months but I got frustrated because I'm used to learning theory but all the instructor wanted to teach was rote sequences of drills. I'm not talking like 3 step sequences I'm talking like 8 steps with highly technical parts.

matwood 5y ago
The school and instructor matters. You need to find a teacher and group of people you mesh with. You're going to end up spending a lot of time with them, and you need to trust them. I recommend trying out a few different schools if you can. With that said, drilling is how to get better. Even though it may not seem like it at lower levels while rolling, the technical details matter. At higher levels, missing those details is the difference between the move working or not.

matwood 5y ago

I came here to say this. A few years ago I picked up JJ as a side hobby, and it quickly became my main hobby. I still weight lift and do cardio, but it's all in service JJ now. The physical benefits are obvious. The non-obvious mental and emotional benefits are where JJ really shines. Putting oneself in stressful situations over and over leads to more calmness when under stress in general. Then there is the ego check where where one is forced to be a beginner again over and over. There's also no way to lie to yourself when a 100# girl chokes you out.