When was the last time you did something different?
No, not something small, like eating at a new restaurant or branching out a bit on Netflix. When was the last time that you went completely out of your comfort zone to be a day-one beginner in something you’ve never tried before?
As kids, we’re encouraged to try new things. Whether we liked it or not, our teachers introduced us to new subjects and fields of knowledge. Maybe you were fortunate enough to have parents who could afford to enroll you in a variety of activities, but at the very least, you were probably given an intro to a number of sports and athletics through P.E. class. You had constant opportunities to meet new people and try new things, and then, as as you got older, those opportunities may have tapered off.
Being an adult puts us into a rut pretty easily. We develop a routine that is simultaneously comforting in its predictability and frustrating for how boring it gets. We wake up, get ready, go to work, come home, and commence our evening routine before we go to sleep and do it all over again.
For many grown-ups, this is… it. Maybe we experience a few big shakeups, like falling in love, buying a house, switching careers, or having kids, but once you settle into that routine, it may be years, even decades, before you step out of your comfort zone and dedicate yourself to learning something new just for the sake of it.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu provides the perfect opportunity to break out of this rut, especially for people who have never practiced wrestling, martial arts, or other combat sports before.
When you first start training, jiu-jitsu is overwhelming. There’s a lot of close contact, and you’ll find yourself forced to move your body in ways that it hasn’t moved since you were little and wrestling around on the floor with your siblings. You’ll be forced into a lot of uncomfortable positions, and it will be a long while before you start dominating your teammates like they dominate you.
Even though you’ll get better at jiu-jitsu with time, BJJ is perpetually new, even for people who have trained for years. There’s such an endless amount of material to learn that the feeling of “newness” doesn’t stop even after the initial stage of getting comfortable with the positions and learning basic submissions. There’s always something new to learn, some obstacle to overcome, someone better than you to submit. It’s what makes it so frustrating, but so fun.
The emotional components of jiu-jitsu aside, the challenge that it provides is exactly why more adults should give it a try. It’s open to people of all ages, from young kids to seniors alike, and you can insert it as a long-term fixture to your routine without feeling like you’re just doing the same thing day in and day out. And when, after a few years, you do start to feel the occasional bout of boredom or frustration on the mats, there are plenty of ways to break out of it.
It’s never too late to try something new. Do a search online for BJJ schools in your area, and drop in for a trial class. You may decide that it’s not for you, but if you do, you could set yourself on a lifelong path of new challenges, goals, and achievements.
