4 Benefits of Practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

By Jason Gee

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In addition to being a very effective combat sport and self defense method Brazilian Jiu Jitsu also offers its disciplined practitioners a variety of health benefits. This art is extremely rigorous and difficult to master, and through this arduous process martial artists can expect to gain physical and mental benefits that may be unavailable through other means.

1) Increased Fitness & Stamina

The first health benefit a Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner can expect to gain is increased stamina. This is because of the long duration of the physical demands of practice. The average class length ranges anywhere from one to two hours. This is not idle time, this is time spent in motion, going through calisthenics, technique and sparring. Even the most fit individuals can expect to feel deplete by the end of a session. Over time though and with consistent attendance to regular classes you will gain the ability to complete these grueling sessions feeling more composed and prepared.

2) Improved Strength

The second health benefit you can expect to receive from practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu is to see greatly increased strength. Almost every class will incorporate some type of strength training or sparring. Sparring is when two students go over the live application of techniques in free motion. Strength is essential in order to apply techniques live. Gripping the kimono or gi which is the traditional uniform requires a lot of hand strength. Even more so because your training partner will by doing everything in their power to make break your grip on their kimono. This means that you will have to grip and re-grip over and over again.

3) Better Memory.

There are literally an infinite amount of techniques and positions in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Expect to have your memory worked to its very limits. An arm bar for example is just one way to attack your opponent but while this is just one movement there are hundreds of ways and angles with which to apply this attack.

4) Patience

Patience is perhaps the most important benefits of practicing this art. This sport takes a lifetime to master, even for those who are diligent. Even those who have mastered this art to a certain level are sure to face defeat in competition or in the academy. No matter what your level of skill or ability there is always someone or something that can be learned from or overcome. Only those who are truly committed will be able to gain this benefit.

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Muscle Fiber Types and MMA, BJJ Training By Jim Troth

There are three primary types of muscle fibers. Each type has different abilities. For mixed martial arts, MMA for short certain muscle fibers are more predominately used. By the use of proper training a person will condition those muscle fibers best geared towards BJJ and MMA fights.

MMA is a sport that relies on explosive power for punching, kicking and for going for take downs and submissions. The methods in which a person trains can go a long way towards a person achieving goals in this type of event. Even if a person is not a fighter or has desire to train in any martial art the ability to train correctly will enhance ones ability to do well.

Your muscle are made up of three types of muscle fibers; slow twitch (Type I), fast twitch (Type II), and there is a type that is a fast twitch type but has some limited endurance capability (Type IIb). Each muscle fiber type is trained differently than the other types.

The slow twitch fibers have little overall strength, however they have excellent endurance capabilities. These are the fibers that are mainly trained while doing high repetitions of exercises at slow speeds such as running for two miles.

The fast twitch fibers have almost no endurance capability, but they are strong and quick, and therefore important in speed and power. These are the types of muscle cells that are trained when lifting heavy weights for low reps (4-6 reps). Power-lifters when they train are training this muscle fiber type. Power-lifters can move tremendous amount of weight but they would likely have a difficult time exerting themselves continuously for several minutes due to fatigue setting in.

The Type IIb has strength and speed but also has a better endurance capability than the Type II. They do not have the endurance ability to the extent of the Type I, however. The Type IIb muscle fibers are the ones most important in a fight. If trained properly and enough they give the individual the ability to move and strike hard and fast repeatedly without fatiguing too rapidly. Having poorly conditioned Type IIb muscle fibers will leave a person depending upon the Type I fibers which are too slow and weak, and depending upon the Type II muscle fibers which will tire out far too quickly.

When training for an event that relies on a mixture of speed, power and endurance it is important to train each type of muscle fiber. This is done by a carefully planned conditioning program designed for bjj mma exercises geared towards competition.

About The Author
Jim Troth is a former National Champion in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and has been involved in exercise much of his life. He has trained others in martial arts and in general health and fitness. He has also developed a DVD which features the routine he did to increase his fitness for tournaments. This same routine is used by him to stay healthy. Find out how this DVD is changing people's lives and how you too can live a longer, healthier life... beginning today. Go to http://www.homeworkouts.info/

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