Why should everyone do martial arts?

So in my last blog post (where I updated the internet on my life) I mentioned something about BJJ.

So BJJ is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It's basically a form of martial arts in which you wear a gi (white baggy, unflattering suits) and fight one another!

I just made that sound like the most boring thing ever... But I love it!

Image from Flickr 

So I wanted to give my input and opinion on why I think it's important for everyone to do martial arts... And I thought it would be more valuable from my point (child's perspective) of view instead of some fully grown 'experienced' adult telling you the benefits.

You can start doing martial arts at ANY age- it's a great way to spend time with the family and have fun!

• Fitness. Obviously, one of the great physical benefits is that it helps you keep active on the weekends and, like any exercise, is good for your health. There are plenty of different forms of martial arts (they are all similar but different) but they all require you to get up and do something. 

• Friends. Yeah, I know it may not apply to everyone, but part of the reason I really enjoy going to bjj, is my friends. Since most of them don't go to my school, I only see them on the weekends and they're so different from the people I usually hang out with, which is good, and I really enjoy having a laugh with them and 'getting away' from my usual set of friends.

• Motivation and Confidence. Basically, if you get beat the first time by some guy you KNOW you can totally crush, it really motivates you to keep getting up after your knocked down, and work harder the next time around. Sometimes the mindset is 'Oh, he's better than me, I'll never beat him.' But I was woken up after a while after I beat the 'class legend,' and even though his motivation now drives him to beat me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME, he now looks at me like actual competition instead of that Asian girl who I can flick off my pinkie.

• Listening. So, basically, a few new concepts are taught each lesson (well, that's how it goes in my class). And then you get time to practice them with a partner. Sure, you can just faff around and not really do anything, but then you'll get crushed and annoyed with yourself when it's actually time to fight one another. 

• Respect. A lot of martial arts is not just respecting the instructor, but the other kids as well. At the end of my jiu-jitsu class, we shake hands with everyone as a sign of respect for each other. While someone might not take the respect aspect out of class and respect the people around them, it's a good skill to pick-up, how to act with respect in certain situations. 

• Open-Mindedness. So every martial art is different, but when you first join a class, and the instructor teaches something really weird (you'll experience this at some point) just go with the flow. One of the biggest things BJJ has taught me is to be open to new experiences and techniques. However, I find it hilarious when a new kid comes in and his eyes jump out of his head because the instructor just slammed some huge guy into the ground. 

So that's all I could really think of, there are plenty of other reasons why people may join, but I hope this gave you an insight and motivated you to go sign-up for that class!