What Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Has Done For Me

Over Christmas, my whole family and I were plagued with the dreaded flu.

I won’t bore you with the details as I don’t want to bring you, or myself, down but let’s just say I slipped into bad habits.

I just couldn’t seem to claw myself out of the lethargic slump I found myself in, despite having capability and expertise to do so.

Conor McGregor explained the exact feeling in a recent interview – the feeling of knowingly doing things you shouldn’t and not doing things you should.

Just like McGregor, I needed to listen to myself, I needed to focus and I needed to execute.

For the past few years I have been interested in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), not only as a martial art, but as a culture.

I never practiced it, mainly because there weren’t any local academies and I knew I wouldn’t enjoy another hour in the car three times a week, but it was something I really wanted to do, something that I felt a real attraction to.

So, during my slump, I followed McGregor’s advice and followed my internal instruction, searching for local academies that could give me something to focus on, to execute on and commit to.

After literally two minutes of searching, there it was – Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Wombourne – ten minutes from where I live.

From the very first class, my ten-year-old daughter and I loved it.

The instructor Chris and all the guys have been extremely patient and fun to train with, we are learning tons of new skills and, like McGregor, I now have more passion, focus and drive – “I’m doing what I feel I need to do”

During the start of my training, I quickly realised how significantly my physical conditioning had dropped after my slump – I felt heavy, stiff, and sluggish.

I also noticed how foggy my brain was – I found it difficult to focus and absorb new information.

So now, before I make any decision regarding my physical and/or mental health, I ask one question:

If the answer is yes, I do it, that’s it.

To me, if I’m improving at Jiu-Jitsu, I’m improving at life.

The small, positive, incremental habits I develop every day around Jiu-Jitsu, spill over into other, more personal, areas.

If the answer is no, I don’t do it.

This helps me shed bad habits, as if I’m slowly pulling the weeds of negativity from my life.

I didn’t go to the dark depths that Tyson Fury went to, but I understand his perspective…

Just like McGregor and Fury, adding focus and commitment to my daily routines, as well as stimulating my mind and body, has been essential for the quality of my mental and physical health.

This is what Jiu-Jitsu has done for me.

My life is now a constant meditation. All I think about is Jiu-Jitsu, from morning to night. I even dream about Jiu-Jitsu (I know, I am a bit weird).

It’s a different form of meditation, like the practices McGregor and Fury allude to, and the ones introduced in our Ultimate Guide To Meditation (coming soon).

Many people struggle to maintain their mental health, and traditional meditation techniques just don’t work for them – they don’t know what it is, they don’t know how to do it or they don’t feel comfortable sitting cross-legged in silence – that’s why we created our guide.

Take it from me, when you are rolling, you’re not thinking about anything but rolling.

Couple that with the benefits of improving your movement, strength, endurance, flexibility and pretty much every other aspect of your physical health – it’s a win-win.

Imagine hanging off a cliff by your fingertips. You’re just about to fall and suddenly a hand shoots down, grabs your arm and pulls you to safety, this is what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has done for me.

Thanks BJJ.