Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is an incredible sport and a martial art in where you never stop learning. For an average person it takes 10-15 years to earn their black belt and that’s because BJJ is extremely difficult. BJJ can be practised as a hobby, a competitive sport, a way to get fit, stress relief, a social outing and a very effective form of self-defense.
In your first few sessions, you will learn the fundamental moves and concepts which will carry you through to more advanced techniques later down the track. Usually you will repeat the technique on a partner without any resistance, which is called drilling. The next step of training is where you test out the technique or sequence you just learnt with live resistance from you training partner. This is a great way to give you feedback on how effective your execution is and where it could be improved. Probably the most enjoyable part of training for many is the sparring part – or ‘rolling’ as we call it in BJJ. This is where you train with full resistance with an aim of having positional control over your opponent and eventually making them ‘tap out’.
In your first month of training, you should expect to have a lot of fun. You may see yourself dominated by a smaller, but more skilled opponent, which means that the sport you are choosing to do actually works. You will learn new skills, meet some wonderful people and become a part of a friendly community. You will get fitter but also realise that the more efficient you become at the technique, the easier it gets. You will learn about patience and discover things about yourself – be it on a physical or emotional level. The beginning is often tough, but all you have to do is keep turning up with an open mind and be ready to learn. Training BJJ for whatever reason you may choose is a journey absolutely worth having.
As they say, a black belt is a white belt who never quit.
Livia Gluchowska
#iamabsolutemma
