[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”3″ ][x_image type=”none” src=”4662:full” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][cs_element_text _id=”5″ ][cs_content_seo]001 – REASONS TO COME BACK TO BJJ POST-COVID
January 21, 2021
Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners, health and safety permitting, should return to the mat post-Coronavirus. Before the reality that has been Covid-19, the world was a much different place for many of us in the world of Jiu-Jitsu. We trained a few days a week ( depending on our goals), went to open mats, competed in tournaments and enjoyed the BJJ lifestyle. Then Covid hit and it’s impact has been severe! Precautions and lockdowns not only kept people from training/competing but they have also closed many academies. As we move into 2021, optimism is on the rise in the BJJ community as vaccines and treatments are being discovered and people are slowly getting back on the mat. While we are not “there yet”, in terms of being totally past Covid-19, gyms are opening back up and competitions are making their way back. To be clear, the purpose of this piece is not to define WHEN you, as an individual, should feel comfortable coming back to BJJ or even to define WHAT “post-Covid” means to you. The purpose is to encourage you and give you a few key reasons why you SHOULD return whenever you find yourself ready!
Physical & Mental Benefits
Let’s start by touching on the obvious physical benefits of BJJ! There are very few workouts that are as efficient at getting us and keeping us in shape as consistent grappling. As evidence, all of our academies have examples of men/women who started training and had their bodies/overall physical health completely changed by the BJJ lifestyle. My Facebook memories are often full of training anniversaries that look more like progression pictures of my students at Buckhead Jiu-Jitsu (Atlanta). BJJ is an incredible tool to help people optimize physical health!
The mental benefits of training are often a little less obvious but just as impactful! I recently spent some time talking to one of my purple belts, Kennith Jackson, about how BJJ has made and kept him sharp and steady mentally during tough and stressful times. Kennith runs a top producing team and region for a Fortune 100 technology company and the nature of his job brings a constant flow of challenges. Kennith credits the process of self-improvement that is needed to advance and succeed on the mat with being a big part of the formula (of course, also including his family, personal traits, etc) that has allowed him to have great success during tough times. Kennith also uses training for simple stress relief…which bleeds across the line between physical and mental benefits! All up and in, Kennith has used BJJ to stay mentally strong and sharp enough to help him have great success off the mat. That is something we can all take advantage of if we choose to!
Friendships and Camaraderie
In 1999, I was preparing to move to the Washington DC area for a job. I was a blue belt and one of my priorities was finding a suitable gym to continue my training. To that end, I flew up there with a friend to compete at the East Coast championship tournament run by the Yamasaki Academy.I met and lost to (which he never ceased to remind me of)the late David Jacobs in the final of our division. Little did I know, that day would be the start of a lifelong friendship. We soon became teammates, training partners and very close friends. We spent holidays together, celebrated the good times and worked through the tough times over the years. David was a brother to me… And, I would never of had that friendship without Jiu-Jitsu. Over the years, I have had and seen many other close relationships born on the mat.
I have also seen the value of the camaraderie that people experience when participating in the sport. The camaraderie springs naturally from the fact that everyone there understands that what we are doing is hard work and the innate respects that comes with that forms a natural bond. I have seen that camaraderie put smiles on faces, turn bad days into good nights and help people regroup so that they could go back out and face the world…it is therapeutic. If the only benefits of our sport were the friendships and camaraderie, I would still tell everybody they need to train!
The BJJ Community
There are many positives that come from being a part of and participating in the BJJ community. At its best, it operates as a diverse meritocracy and any prolonged exposure to that kind of dynamic and organization would benefit anyone. In BJJ, people are judged for what they do on the mat and are rewarded for what they earn with hard work and application. The BJJ community provides value to the participants while also giving you a great example for groups in other areas of life.
The community also offers us the opportunity to experience the world. One of my good friends and training partners, Dr Alex Jutis, is a Paul Creighton (Renzo Gracie) black belt who I’ve known for years. When Alex was a blue belt, he started competing nationally and internationally using the sport to visit places all over the world. Not only has Alex has accumulated a significant medal haul including IBJJF Masters Worlds, Pan, National, European and various superfight victories, he has also been enriched by numerous cultures and made many new friends. The BJJ community opened the door for all of that positivity and Alex is a great example of someone maximizing it!
On another note, our community also provides us with a platform by which to “give back” to our local communities. There are many examples of this via things like the social projects and programs run in local communities around the world. A great example of this is Refugee-Jitsu run by Renzo Gracie black belt, James-Michael Smith. James-Michael offers free self-defense classes to a lower-income community in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is just one way the BJJ community helps those in local communities world-wide.
Conclusion
Again, this is NOT an attempt to define what “Post-Covid” should mean for you. This is simply a recognition of some of the awesome ways BJJ has impacted and can impact lives. That makes our gyms and communities worth returning to when we, as individuals, decide we are going on with our lives with some degree of normalcy. Good communities survive tough times but exceptional communities thrive…I believe the Jiu-Jitsu community is exceptional and I’m looking forward to a great 2021! See you on the mat!!
**The author, Sam Joseph, is a 3rd degree black belt and is the owner/head instructor of Buckhead Jiu-Jitsu ( www.buckheadjj.com ). Sam is a two-time IBJJF Pan champion, multiple time IBJJF Open champion, undefeated MMA fighter and former contributor to Jiu-Jitsu Style. Connect with Sam via (sam@buckheadjj.com ) or instragram (@buckheadjj ). **\n\n[/cs_content_seo][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”6″ ][cs_element_row _id=”7″ ][cs_element_column _id=”8″ ] [/cs_element_column][cs_element_column _id=”9″ ] [/cs_element_column][cs_element_column _id=”10″ ][cs_element_social _id=”11″ ][cs_element_social _id=”12″ ][cs_element_social _id=”13″ ][/cs_element_column][cs_element_column _id=”14″ ] [/cs_element_column][cs_element_column _id=”15″ ] [/cs_element_column][/cs_element_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content]