What will you learn once you start training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? If you’re hoping for a direct answer to this question, the best one I can provide is “you’ll learn what you’re looking for”. If you’ve gone to a BJJ Academy to learn self-defense, you’ll learn it. Moreover, if fitness and recreation is your goal, you’re all set. Becoming a top competitor? Sure, ti’s more than possible. Mental exercise and a different view of things? This one is guaranteed. I could go on and on about all the things Jiu-Jitsu has to offer to everyone. But how exactly do BJJ lessons work?
There’s a reason why I’m going to be talking about BJJ lessons rather than classes today. Class is something everyone can attend. A lesson, though is what you take away from a class. In that sense, BJJ usually teaches more lessons than classes. However, it is still a highly individual endeavor. Still, BJJ lessons extend well beyond the mats. On the mats though, the come in two distinct formats – in a group or individual setting. Let’s see what each of them can teach you, apart from the technical aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Group Classes
When you start with BJJ, apart from an introductory class, you’ll most likely start off in a group. As such, most academies have fundamental classes that are a great fit for anyone starting the sport. These types of classes, when put together right, end up teaching you everything you need to know about BJJ before you actually start understanding it.
Group BJJ lessons usually follow a very precise structure, and that’s there for a reason. There’s a mandatory warm-up and oftentimes, students are asked to count along with the instructor. Thant’s not jsut there for a goof, but rather makes everyone looser, and eases further interactions between those in class. Nest, the specific warm-up part, teaches the necessary movement patterns that people end up using throughout their Jiu-Jitsu journey. Then comes the technical part of a class, before finally, people get to try it out in positional sparring or full rolling.
What’s the point of BJJ lessons organized in this way? Well, apart from teaching you Jiu-Jitsu (duh) you get to accomplish a lot. First up, you’ll learn that your mind gives up way before your body does. nest, you’ll see that being extremely close to people is no big deal. That in itself is a huge lesson for modern times. Moreover, you’ll get over all your social fears and anxieties, simply because different people will try to bend your joints and squeeze your neck, and you can’t jsut sit there and do nothing. Not to mention the crazy fitness benefits or those competition BJJ lessons that remain burned into your mind.
Private BJJ Lessons
On the other part of the BJJ lessons spectrum, you have the private classes. In most situations, people usually do not start with these. Folks that have been training for a while and want more technical, tactical or other types of insight are most commonly singing up for privates. However, privates are open to anyone, and there’s a lot to learn regardless of belt or experience level.
A private lesson in BJJ is a pretty unique thing. You get to pick an instructor’s brain in any way you like (except for literally). It is something that is pretty specific to Jiu-Jitsu, at least when it comes to sport-based martial arts. Given how usually cool and knowledgeable BJJ instructors are you get to learn much more than jsut a few ways of finsihing an armbar. From tactics, strategies and fundamental concepts, all the way to how to appraoch anything BJJ related. You can lern about nutrition, about conditioning, how to set everything up, figuring your style out, how to cope with some of the challenges you face rolling… The list goes on and on.
What private BJJ lessons can teach you is a lot more than jsut technique. Granted, they’re oftentimes expensive, but where else do you get life coaching, extremely high technical knowledge and rolling experience all in one? However, there’s the drawback of not being in a group setting, which not only robs you of the full BJJ experience but of all other group BJJ lessons benefits.
Off The Mats
As with everything else, it is best to find a balance between group and private BJJ lessons. What is the perfect balance? Whatever works for you. Jsut make sure that you’re including both and you’ll skyrocket through BJJ?
However, another thing that’ll happen when you really get into what BJJ lessons have to teach is a change of perspective. I’ve never been much of a fan of life coaches and stuff. However, Jiu-Jitsu is the best life coaching method that you’ll ever experience. Firstly, it is easily applicable to everyone, and the lessons you lern can be highly individual or broadly applicable. Extremely valuable lessons like dealing with failure on a daily basis and learning how to trust people area mong those you’ll learn really quickly.
Most people nowadays have a very difficult time accepting failure as part of life. That’s why most people that start training try and win every possible exchange in the beginning. The more you try, the more you fail, and that’s a lesson not easily learned nowadays, MOreover, you’ll get to learn trust, since you have to give your most valued possession, your body, to another person to “play with”. You’ll soon find out how important this particular lesson is for everything in life.
Final Words
Training Jiu-Jitsu brings out the best in people, physically, mentally, socially and in every possible sense. There are certain BJJ lessons that will teach you things no other lesson can. In that sense, classes are much more than jsut an hour of random martial arts techniques. Jiu-Jitsu is much more than just a martial art, or a sport, ti is a lifestyle and it has a lot to teach us all, regardless of the belt.
