Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has obvious benefits. It helps with fitness and teaches you how to protect yourself, but it also offers benefits that may not be obvious on the surface. The biggest of these is camaraderie. If you miss being part of a team, or need to boost your social life as an adult, BJJ is a good way to go. Another is confidence, if you are introverted like me, BJJ is a good way to slowly build your social skills. It sounds weird and maybe somewhat threatening, but being thrust into a group of strangers and having to do a partner activity takes you out of your shell. BJJ has a lot of benefits, some are obvious and some are not, but the best way to see what it can do for you, is to try it for yourself.

Recently Luana Alzuguir and Ana Carolina Vieira opened a women’s only academy in Florida, which is pretty cool. My whole Jiu Jitsu career, BJJ has been pretty male centric, so it’s good to see that as a possibility. It’s going to take a while for that to spread, so here’s some second hand information for if you want to train, but the room full of dudes aspect is a little overwhelming.
​1. Try out as many different places as you’re willing to travel to. Every gym’s culture is different, don’t rule the whole activity out based on one experience.
2. Watch classes, if you’re not sure BJJ is the activity for you watch the class before you take it.
3. Bring a friend. Coax someone else to come with you. It’s someone to commiserate with, an immediate training partner, and someone to hold you accountable.
BJJ has benefits for everyone and it’s not always the best at monitoring inclusivity, but if you want to train, with some work you’ll find a place where you fit better than you imagine.
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