If you’re anything like me, you’ve tried and failed at dozens of New Year’s resolutions over the years (I’m showing my age here). Giving up Maccas, cutting down on alcohol, saving more money, getting more organised – all sit in my resolution graveyard, forgotten long ago.
Like any new routine, New Year’s resolutions are really hard to pick up, and even tougher to follow religiously. Unless you’re an absolute gun at staying disciplined, chances are that you’re gonna find sticking to your resolution a massive challenge, and it’s gonna end up buried in your graveyard of broken dreams. R.I.P, good intentions.
While there’s no silver bullet, I reckon getting started in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the perfect choice if you’re serious about a positive, long-term New Year’s resolution. Here’s my top 5 reasons why getting started in BJJ should be your New Year’s resolution.
You’ll get more variety
Hands up if this sounds familiar – you walk through the door of your local gym franchise. You’re not really feeling it, you dial in your workout, and don’t really push yourself. 40 minutes later, you’re walking out, questioning what you achieved, and feeling worse than if you’d just ditched it.
No matter how dedicated you are, variety in your exercise routine is only ever gonna be a positive thing. Personally, I have the attention span of a goldfish, so challenging my brain and body with new and exciting information helps to keep me locked in long-term.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is unreal at delivering variety every session you go into. You’ll learn different techniques, roll with different people, and end up in weird and wonderful spots many times in just one class. As you get better, BJJ will also become a creative outlet for you – just prepare to make some enemies if you start calling yourself “The Michelangelo of the Mats”.
You’ll be learning a new skill
Lifting weights is gonna make you look good in a singlet, but putting up 120kg on the bench press isn’t gonna do much for anything outside of your ego. If you’re gonna be spending hours on a fitness-related goal, why not spend it on something that not only makes you look tough, but turns you into an actual badass?
Whether you’re looking to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for self-defence, to compete, or just because it’s cool, the practicality of BJJ makes it a great new hobby to pick up. The feeling of learning something with real-life application is way more gratifying than lifting heavy stuff, and putting it down again.
As you progress with your new skill, you’ll become more confident, more creative, and you’ll find it more enjoyable with every session that passes. Best of all, you’ll be perfectly equipped to show your mates a textbook triangle choke after your next long pub session.
You’ll get personalised support
Some people are great at getting themselves motivated and staying on their grindset. For those of us who don’t have “Life Coach/TEDx Speaker/Entrepreneur” in their LinkedIn bio, a bit of external support goes a long way.
Any decent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym is gonna have a coach that knows your name, knows your game, and is invested in seeing you improve. Their performance as a coach is tied to you being happy, and getting better at BJJ. They won’t want to let you down as a coach, and you won’t wanna let them down as a student – which means you’re more likely to show up, train hard, and improve.
Any coach worth their salt will be able to spend time with you to provide personalised, expert advice regarding your BJJ technique. Over time, this dedicated support is gonna help you to plug holes in your game, and become a beast on the mats. Next step, world domination.
You’ll have fun
Hands up if you like having fun!
Yeah, stupid question – literally everyone prefers to spend time doing things that they enjoy.
With this in mind, why do so many people pursue hobbies that they don’t really like? If you’re someone who enjoys punching out 10km on the treadmill, good for you – but you’re the weird one, not me.
In my opinion, this is one of the best things about BJJ – I’m burning hundreds of calories every hour, and I’m having a blast doing it. Each session on the mats, I’ll be getting a killer workout, but half the time I won’t even realise that I’m tired until afterwards.
Because you’ll be doing something you actually enjoy, turning up to training won’t be a chore – in fact, you’ll be excited for it. You’ll show up more often, train harder, and get better results than you would normally. It really is a case of having your cake and eating it too (just stay away from the actual cake after the session if you want long-term results).
You’ll make new friends
It’s weird to think that most of my best mates try to choke me, pin me, and bend my limbs in weird directions multiple times a week, but that’s BJJ for you.
At a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym, everyone’s working towards a common goal. This helps to build a sense of camaraderie, community and belonging. You’ll experience wins, losses, gradual improvements, applaud for your classmates as they belt up, and be cheered when you belt up yourself.
Building these relationships will keep you motivated and engaged with your goals, long-term. When you take your first step through the gym door, you’ll not only be starting a journey to learning BJJ – you’ll also be meeting heaps of new people, many of which you’ll become good friends with. You’ll look forward to catching up with your rolling partners – just keep this warm, fuzzy memory in mind when they try to wrist-lock you.
Free trial classes
Our BJJ academy is centrally located on Lyn Parade, Prestons. As a respected martial arts school in Sydney’s south-western suburbs, The Grappling Lab is making a name for itself. If you’re in the area of the City of Liverpool. and are interested in a safe and fun martial art, come into The Grappling Lab for a free trial class.
