Five Reasons Why Jiu Jitsu is Perfect for Women

You’re an intelligent woman. That’s why you are looking into jiu-jitsu in the first place. Sure, you probably want to learn how to protect yourself. Certainly, jiu-jitsu is designed for weaker, smaller opponents to dominate larger ones using technique rather than strength. It may have been recommended to you because you are a woman. It is unfortunate but women are, more often than not, the group of people that is smaller and weaker than the people most likely to assault them.

Is self-defense the only reason for a woman to begin jiu-jitsu training, though? The good news is that there are plenty more reasons this martial art is such a perfect match for women:

Stop struggling with body image.

You can argue about the source all you want and yes, men struggle with it as well. However, when it comes to struggling with body image, the numbers don’t tend to favor women. Many suffer from eating disorders. Others simply live their lives focusing on how small their waist is or how big their bust is. There will always be that elusive body type that you simply don’t have. What can you do about these insecurities?

Focus on all the awesome things your body can do. Insecurity is one of the first casualties of Jiu jitsu training. Thunder thighs are perfect for choking someone out. By the time you’ve exercised enough to tone those thighs and drop some pounds, you’ll be way more focused on your new abilities than your appearance.

Size doesn’t matter.

Some women have always been stronger, heavier or taller than lots of women. They don’t get to experience the thrill of submitting people who are twice their weight. If they were to sign up for jiu-jitsu classes, they would quickly learn that their size is not necessarily an advantage.

Women in Jiu jitsu support one another.

It took long enough but women everywhere are finally getting the message that they do not have to tear each other down in order to get ahead. Martial arts breeds closeness, literally and figuratively. Closeness on the mat tends to translate directly to closeness in life. Sisterhood forms quickly when there are so few women training in the first place.

Say goodbye to gender restrictions.

Has anyone told you that you can’t do something, based on your gender? You can check them out in your rear-view mirror once you enroll in a jiu-jitsu academy. The mat is the great equalizer. Don’t be surprised to find that men who train in jiu-jitsu are hip to gender equality, either. Having their butt repeatedly handed to them by a woman will do that.

Be a role model.

You may not seek to be one, but it is nice to know that your training successes might inspire another woman to practice healthy habits, get disciplined and learn to defend herself. It might be your daughter, niece or sister. It may just be a young lady who decides she wants to be you when you grow up. How cool is that?