On the Mat

There is no race, no class, no gender.

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, no matter your background, on the mat you’re the same.

You show up, shake everyone’s hand, line up, spar, and leave better for it. You leave your ego at the door. In the first 6 months, you will lose a lot. You’ll tap out to big guys, small guys, teenagers, women. You’re there to learn. If you last 6 months, it will start to make sense.

Some do it to compete, for blaze and glory, others just to stay fit.

It transforms people.

On the mat, you work on yourself, condition yourself in the face of adversity, stay calm in hopeless situations, and learn to breathe. Off the mat, you fix your relationships, your depression, your addictions.

Like anything, it has its downsides. It can be very culty, it can become an obsession, your vocabulary changes, you recruit your friends, idiots get tattoos of their gym’s logos.

In today’s fragmented society, where religion has less and less reach, we still need a sense of community, a sense of belonging. Anywhere around the world, Jiu-Jitsu principles are universal, and if you abide by them, you’re always welcome ON THE MAT.