More People Die From The Spoon Than The Knife

  1. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can save your life in a fight. There might be a day when circumstances lead you to a place you probably should not be. In this place you might end up dealing with someone who intends to harm you. My friend, if this happens to you BJJ can indeed save your life.spoonorknife bjj

Fortunately the odds of you ending up in a life and death confrontation in this day and age are pretty slim. The odds of you overeating and living an unhealthy lifestyle are statistically pretty good. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States -it is accountable for 23.53% of deaths. If you live in a relatively safe area the odds of you dying from a violent crime are less than 1%.

Here comes the saying from my grandfather Harry Jabara (Dec 29,1979- Mar 5, 1990 Ks), “More people die from the spoon than the knife”. He meant your poor eating habits are more likely to kill you than an act of violence. People fear the knife, most don’t have any fear of the spoon.

The good news is that BJJ can help defend you from death by the spoon. You might find yourself eating healthier because it effects your ability to train. Even if you don’t change your diet, the cardiovascular output of a BJJ workout will help you keep heart disease at bay.

The benefits of BJJ are many, today I highlighted just two. I hope that this article has helped to keep you motivated with your training.Your-First-Year-Of-BJJ-artwork-1199

If you are new to BJJ or in your first year of training check out this audio book! This audio book will help you avoid many common mistakes during your first year. These mistakes can hold back your progress in this important time.

How Has BJJ Benefited You? Story 1

Benefits of BJJ

This story was sent in by an anonymous listener.

6 months ago I was told I was told that the odds of me walking again were slim. I was only in my 20’s but a life of abusing my body had taken its toll on me.

I was an addict, a bad addict, to any number of things. I was in a horrible depression and I weighed damn near 280 pounds, and for a guy like me who is only 6 foot tall that is dangerous. I’d been drawn to MMA for ages and wanted to get closer to the sport, its what I would spend most Saturday nights watching. I was told by doctors that there is a chance I would never be able to walk again, the joints I had in my feet and knees had given up on me, standing up was difficult,

Walking was agony, and I was still in my 20’s.

I went to rehab to detox and spent a month in bed sick, but I wanted to train.

I made what I believe to be a wrong decision, the notion to need to get in shape before trying out for class, but I did it anyway, and dropped 30 pounds in about 3 months. I’d say to anyone wanting to get involved, just try a class, and focus on your conditioning of course, but don’t feel like you ever need to “get in shape” to attend a proper class at a BJJ gym.

It’s been difficult being an out of shape, but what BJJ taught me more than anything else is how to respect your body. One of the things I’ve learned is that the gyms are far more accepting than the ideas we form in our heads about what kind of judgment they are going to pass on us.bjj Benefit01

As someone who has attempted suicide on multiple occasions, my concern was the judgement in the change room, there was no judgement.

As someone who was overweight, my concern was that I would be judged on the mats, there was no judgement.

As someone who was an addict, my concern was that my addiction would interfere with my training, and for the first time in my life I actually have something to invest myself into that means more and has benefited me in ways I can not possibly describe.

So as to how has BJJ benefited me? It saved my life, because I was on a dark path to an early death and the desire to train, quite literally, saved me.

To anyone out there who is in pain, or who is seeking something – just do it, and don’t give up, be consistent, and disciplined. If it could save me, it could, at the very least, be positive to you.

-Anonymous listener of The BjjBrick Podcast

Send in your “How has BJJ benefited you story” to BjjBrick@gmail.com

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – it’s good for you

Lose weight with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

There are many benefits to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.  For many students weight loss is a primary goal for their BJJ training.  BJJ combined with a good diet is a great way to lose weight and keep the weight off.  The first step to using BJJ to lose weight is to just get started.

Start BJJ– Many people feel the need to get in shape before they start BJJ.  This is usually a mistake; just start training, there is no need to get in shape to exercise.  It is better to have a slow start than a delayed start.  Sure it will be difficult being on the mat with extra weight.  If you wanted to lose weight the easy way you would be talking to a doctor for a quick fix, not a BJJ coach.

Doing BJJ– After you do BJJ for a while you will get hooked.  This is the sweet spot for losing weight and keeping it off.  For many people, they have to force themselves to workout.  For people who are hooked on BJJ, they have an internal drive to be on the mat, the exercise is just an added benefit.  If you continue to do BJJ you will live a healthy lifestyle.  Eating healthy will be easier to do, because eating poorly will slow down your abilities on the mat.  You may find after you lose some weight you might need to change your style from grappling like a heavier person to that of a lighter person.

Quitting BJJ– BJJ is difficult at times, but it is imperative that you stick with it.  Not quitting BJJ is your ticket to long term weight loss, and a healthy life style.  It sounds simple, but one of your main goals should be to not stop training.  Make sure that you are having fun as you train.  If you are busy, put BJJ on your schedule.  Injury causes some students to miss class and ultimately stop training all together; get healed up and get back on the mat.  You might feel like you hit a plateau and you’re not improving; just remember you are still getting an amazing workout.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can bring a lot of great things to your life.  Being fit is just one of the many benefits.  People who are hooked on BJJ have a lot of fun and get a full body workout.

Find support for BJJ at Facebook.com/BjjBrick

Other articles you might like:

Take the staff

Getting Past a Plateau in BJJ

What to expect your first day of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu