One HUGE reason as to why I love it is it's practically EVERYTHING in ONE! -- if you're talking about not having enough time in your life to do everything you want to, there is no other activity that I can think of that covers the amount of basic human needs that BJJ covers... for example:
(1) Need for something Therapeutic - Some people pay money to go to a therapist for counseling on their mental & emotional issues. Some people pay money to buy alcoholic drinks to de-stress. Some turn to drugs. Some do Arts & Crafts. Some play video games. Some dance. Some eat junk food. Some watch movies, do yoga, or some other sport. In Jiu JitsuIn Jiu Jitsu - I consider it meditation.. because you need to be present and in the moment to do it or else you'll get smashed or choked out. I call it "forced meditation" because you'll be hurting if you think about anything else. This is perfect for those who consider themselves ADHD, “scatterbrained” or have trouble focusing on any one thing for a while.
2) Need to be Social -- Some examples above in #1 cover both, but some spend money to go to bars, to party, to clubs, etc.. In Jiu Jitsu - you make lifelong friendships and they basically become like family. You will find you will be going to BBQ’s, open mats, watching UFC’s, and going to other social events with them, etc.
(3) Need to physically protect yourself -- Some people pay money to take martial arts classes that teach eye-gouging, groin strikes, etc. and yes, these would be suitable for life and death situations on the street with some unknown thug... but not every situation is life and death... like would you be comfortable using those techniques on a drunken family member? drunken co-worker? drunken classmate? A neighbor? For women, if a dude you know who didn’t respect your boundaries--does that warrant gouging their eyes out? OR would you rather just physically subdue them until they calmed down (or go unconscious)? In Jiu Jitsu - you can scale the amount of force you need for the task at hand.. you can subdue a rowdy family member without hurting them, or you can break an attacker's arm/leg or choke them unconscious
(4) Need to be physically fit -- Some ppl pay gym fees to go workout by lifting weights, doing pilates, yoga, swimming, basketball, football, or some other sport/activity. In Jiu Jitsu - or grappling sports in general are the hardest and most dynamic total body workouts ever! AND what other martial art can you go 100% and stay relatively safe? You can’t train boxing 100% and expect not to get a concussion, but you can train jiu jitsu 100% and expect to get in a GREAT workout! Not to mention the need to get better at it will help give you that extra push to eat cleaner more healthy foods to give you that extra endurance!
(5) Need for mental stimulation -- Some people do crossword puzzles, some play board games like chess, some play strategy games, video games, some talk about philosophy, some go to school. They go out and seek things that would challenge them! However, if it’s deemed “Too Hard” they won’t try, but if it’s “Too Easy” it doesn’t keep their interest, so there needs to be something with just the right amount of difficulty. In Jiu Jitsu - the puzzles are DYNAMIC, meaning it's constantly CHANGING because your opponent is a living, thinking, person who is trying to submit you as well! each person is their own unique puzzle and each person can scale back or go 100% so you can always achieve that perfect difficulty level... Also, it gets harder as the gap between the two training partners in skill, size, strength, athleticism, etc becomes wider! It's basically Problem-solving at it's highest level.
(6) Need for Personal Growth -- There are many things that ppl can do to build self-confidence, self-esteem, and realize one’s potential like other sports, other skills, other martial arts, but none actually keeps you as humble and in tune with reality as Jiu Jitsu does In Jiu Jitsu - you’re constantly reminded that there are always people who are more skilled than you, and I am always grateful when they impart knowledge and wisdom in my direction. It’s a process of continuous growth and learning! So there you have it!.. Considering the many things Jiu Jitsu can be, it’s really quite a small investment if you put into the equation all the other things and activities ppl spend MUCH MORE money on. Saving money and fulfilling 6 basic human needs are just a few of the many more amazing benefits Jiu Jitsu can give you.
