Why You Should Add Jiu-Jitsu To Your 2024 Bucket List | Alejandro Avila

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the life-changing hobby you're hoping to find in 2024. And it's time you jump into it.

For five years, Jiu-Jitsu has kept me on a spiritual, physical and mental path of improvement that has elevated my outlook on handling the little and big things in life.

I didn't need a 'come to Jesus' moment to start training Jiu-Jitsu; neither do you. As my Professor, and multiple-time IBJJF world champion, Neto Murrillo teaches: Jiu-Jitsu equips you with tools for life.

And yes, for the purposes of this post, I foremost address why men should practice Jiu-Jitsu.

Throw Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on your bucket list for January 2024, and if you're still not convinced, here's why you should start as soon as possible.

(Share your experiences in Jiu-Jitsu with us: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)

You Should Try Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2024... Here's Why

Here's a clear look at the belt system (for adults):

White Belt
Blue Belt
Purple Belt
Brown Belt
Black Belt

Learn To Control Any Situation

The simple case for all to join BJJ is to strengthen one's physical defense against unpredictable situations. Whether you're a son, father, husband, boyfriend, or friend, you're probably responsible for someone's safety. At a minimum, you're responsible for your own.

Jiu-Jitsu starts with learning takedowns, then focusing on overcoming an opponent once the fight goes to the ground.

Stand Your Ground Against Stronger, Bigger Opposition

Like any martial art, some of the best practitioners in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are men or women with exceptional strength. However, BJJ allows for technical mastery to overcome any physical advantages. If not all physical differences among men, certainly most.

In this sport, you can be old and submit a 20-year-old at their physical peak if your technique is sound. Expert blue belts over 50 frequently overwhelm their younger opponents based on simple techniques that have been tirelessly repped with practice. And confidence is an extension of control.

Group of people watching two man fighting on martial arts training.

Royce Gracie — a titan of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu family tree — famously won UFC 1 against a bigger and stronger lineup of competition, putting Jiu-Jitsu's effectiveness on the map.

You can also be stout in scale and overcome a hulking opponent with proper technique. One of my greatest memories in Jiu-Jitsu was holding my own, as a single-stripe Blue Belt, against a no-stripe Blue Belt.

The guy looked like Chris Hemsworth with a blue gi. He boasted a light background in wrestling ... on paper, I'm screwed; trust me on that. The guy had an easy three inches of height and a 50-pound weight advantage.

Still, I went toe-to-toe with him somehow (answer: passable blue-belt technique).

Look Cool At UFC Viewing Parties

Ever listened to your one buddy who swears he knows fighting without any particular training blabber on about "do this" or "do that" during a UFC fight? Butt in with some real knowledge of Jiu-Jitsu — a pillar of UFC combat.

Kick Father Time's (Expletive) With A Sharp Mind, Body

The physical atrophy of getting older is daunting. Push back against Father Time.

Obstacles in Jiu-Jitsu will challenge you to build yourself both mentally and physically.

Jiu-Jitsu is a valuable tool to build discipline.

Since I started in 2018, I've shed 30 pounds and kept off the weight with tremendous results. Yes, even with all the rabid hankerings for fast food and Doritos over the years.

As for the mind, Jiu-Jitsu's rhythm is like a chess game. Position can be maintained, gained, or lost based on your subsequent move. BJJ is a practice of intentional and tactical thinking, applicable on and off the mats.

Become Part of A Healthy Community of Men

The Jiu-Jitsu mats offer this form of 'iron sharpening iron' community as experienced and sage practitioners endow you with patient knowledge.

In five years of training, the best practitioners at any BJJ gym offer their time and attention toward building up fellow Jiu-Jitsu practitioners.

Learning Resilience

Competing in BJJ tournaments taught me that strength comes through being both the hammer and the nail. I've lost tournaments after putting myself through a physical hell and rebounded understanding that wins are built on sticking with the process. This resilience has permeated to other areas of life.

Through multiple injuries, fractures, losses and setbacks, the lessons from Jiu-Jitsu kept me focused on pushing myself to return to the mats.

I'm still chasing that tournament title — certain I won't stop.

Garner Humility, Build Strength

Nobody likes to lose. It's a necessity of life, and a necessity to survive in Jiu-Jitsu. You can't learn to win in Jiu-Jitsu without jumping into your deficiencies on the mat. While 'losing' at practice does not sound favorable, you'll soon understand that it builds strength, making it enticing to embrace the process. The results speak.

The Only Answer Is To Join Now And Enjoy The Ride

When you start, generally you get two kinds of guys to practice against: turtles and gorillas.

The turtles cover up and reserve their attacks, accepting victory in not compromised during a 'sparring' session. Natural-born apes (guys with athletic backgrounds, typically) approach a sparring session using intensity as a boon to their game.

In either circumstance, you'll have fun. If it feels like a near-death experience, you'll be glad you survived and can jump back into the deep end understanding that you'll ultimately make it out of the gym alive. Or, you'll win. Overcoming an opponent in Jiu-Jitsu feels like a result of exercising patience and acuity, making it a rewarding feeling you'll strive to preserve by training with urgency. BJJ is addicting, as evidenced by the late-2010s boom of Joe Rogan-listening Jiu-Jitsu students who are now floating around Brown Belt territory.

Like any challenge in life, staying isn't the obstacle; starting is the obstacle. Jump in the deep end and let Jiu-Jitsu challenge you to evolve as a person in 2024 (and beyond).