The number-one reason women are usually given for why they should train jiu jitsu is “because it teaches you how to protect yourself.”
There’s a good reason for it: jiu jitsu is designed for weaker, smaller opponents to dominate larger ones using technique rather than strength. Being as a woman in the United States is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds and has a 1 in 5 chance of being raped in her lifetime, it would make sense that jiu jitsu would be a recommended form of self defense for a group of people that is (usually) smaller and weaker than the people most likely to assault them.
As someone who started jiu jitsu after nearly being sexually assaulted by a taxi driver about four years ago (and has since used it to get myself out of another sketchy situation), I’m a huge, huge proponent of anyone learning BJJ to protect themselves.
That said, jiu jitsu has so much more to offer than just self defense. You’ll get in shape, develop lifelong friendships, and have a lot of fun – and that’s only the beginning! If you know a woman or are a woman who’s been thinking about stepping onto the mats, there are plenty of reasons to do it that don’t involve choking out would-be rapists.
You don’t need to be big and strong to be good at it.
Yes, there are lots of women who are stronger, heavier, or taller than lots of men, but the vast majority of us are not. It can be really intimidating to walk into a martial arts gym and see really fit dudes beating the crap out of each other, but jiu-jitsu allows anyone to beat the crap out of anyone else. Isn’t that beautiful?
A lot of my non-BJJ friends think I’m lying when I tell them that I, a girl who is 5’2” on a tall day, can submit people who are literally twice my weight, but jiu-jitsu is all about technique overcoming brute strength. You don’t need to be a former championship wrestler or a beefed-up weightlifter to dominate your opponent. While that’s certainly good from a self-defense viewpoint, it’s also great for those of us who have lived our lives thinking that only large, muscly dudes can be successful in contact sports.
FIRST BJJ CENTER CARLSON GRACIE UTAH
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU IN SALT LAKE CITY, UT
