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The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Jiu Jitsu for kids is Self Defense 🙅🏻‍♂️

But the benefits your child will gain from training go way beyond.

After just a short period of time, you will start noticing that your children will have a much better ability to control their impulses, behaviors and emotional responses, specially when faced with distractions or temptations. 

For kids, practicing inhibitory control is crucial for their emotional and cognitive development.

As a result you will start noticing improvements in their:

👉🏻Discipline & Focus

👉🏻Managing Emotions

👉🏻Control Over Aggression

👉🏻Problem Solving Under Pressure

If you are interested in your child trying jiu-jitsu for free, click here.

Nutrition plays a fundamental role in our overall health and well-being and whether you are a Jiu-Jitsu fighter or not, you can still get inspired by people who live the healthy lifestyle that this martial art proposes. 

The Gracie Diet, developed by Carlos Gracie Sr., is a unique approach to nutrition that emphasizes not only what we eat but also how we eat it. Based on the principles of balance, moderation, and food combining, the Gracie Diet wants to optimize digestion, energy levels, and physical performance. In this article, we will talk about the key components of the Gracie Diet, its principles, and potential benefits.

The Origins of the Gracie Diet

The Gracie Diet was developed by Carlos Gracie Sr., the Brazilian fighter and professor who created Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and carries the name of our school. Carlos Gracie Sr. believed that proper nutrition was essential not only for physical health but also for mental clarity and emotional balance. Bringing inspiration from his own experiences and observations, he formulated the Gracie Diet as a way to enhance the well-being of himself, his family, and his students.

• These are the Key Principles of the Gracie Diet:

Food Combining

One of the central principles of the Gracie Diet is the concept of food combining. According to it, certain foods should be eaten together, while others should be consumed separately to optimize digestion and nutrient absorption. For example, proteins and starches are typically not eaten together, as they require different digestive enzymes and can lead to digestive discomfort when consumed in combination.

Proper Food Sequence

 In addition to food combining, the Gracie Diet emphasizes the importance of eating certain foods in the correct order. For example, fruits should be eaten on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning, to ensure optimal digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Following a proper food sequence can help prevent digestive issues and promote overall health.

Avoiding Industrialized Foods

The Gracie Diet advocates for a diet that is based on whole, natural foods and avoids processed and industrialized products. This includes minimizing the consumption of refined sugars, flours, and oils, which are believed to contribute to inflammation and other health problems.

Listening to the Body

Another key principle of the Gracie Diet is listening to the body’s hunger and satiety cues. Rather than adhering to strict meal times or portion sizes, individuals are encouraged to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are satisfied. This intuitive approach to eating promotes mindfulness and helps prevent overeating.

Holistic 

This way of nutrition can lead to improved digestion, which helps people to do physical activity; increased energy levels, because whole foods help stabilize blood sugar levels and provide sustained energy throughout the day; enhance the athletic performance, recovery, overall health and well-being.

The Gracie Diet offers a holistic approach to nutrition that goes beyond simply counting calories or macronutrients and many athletes and practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu have reported improvements.

A Lifestyle: join Jiu-Jitsu!

Jiu-Jitsu is a lifestyle and, the more you train, the more motivated you get to fuel your body well: not only for a better performance on the mats, but also because it introduces you to the wellbeing of living a healthy life. Physical exercise is one of the most important elements for longevity and if you want to start your healthy journey on the mats,

Click below to schedule a free intro class at Gracie Barra Thousand Oaks!

In today’s world, where personal safety is a significant concern for both men and women, the quest for effective self-defense techniques is more relevant than ever. Among the different martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) stands out as an important tool for self-defense. 

BJJ emphasizes leverage, technique, and strategy over size and strength, making it accessible to individuals of all ages and physical abilities. Here’s why jiu-jitsu stands out as a powerful tool for real-world self-defense:

Technique Over Strength

Unlike many other martial arts, which rely heavily on strength, BJJ prioritizes technique and leverage. This means that practitioners learn how to use their opponent’s force against them, enabling smaller and weaker individuals to effectively defend themselves against larger, stronger attackers. By mastering proper body mechanics and leverage, practitioners can neutralize threats without relying on brute strength.

For women, that’s really important because they are normally weaker than men in attacks and, with Jiu-Jitsu, they have their chance to mobilize the opponent in a practical way. 

Effective Ground Fighting Skills

A significant portion of self-defense situations end up on the ground. Whether due to a surprise attack or a fall during a confrontation, being able to defend oneself in this position is crucial. BJJ excels in ground fighting, teaching practitioners how to control and submit opponents from various positions, including the mount, guard, and back mount. By learning how to navigate these scenarios, individuals can effectively defend themselves in real situations where standing techniques may not be sufficient.

Practical Application Through Sparring

In BJJ, practitioners engage in live sparring, known as rolling, against resisting opponents. This allows them to test and refine their techniques in a controlled environment, simulating the intensity and unpredictability of a real confrontation. By regularly sparring with training partners of different sizes and skill levels, practitioners develop the ability to remain calm under pressure, adapt to changing circumstances, remember and execute techniques effectively.

Emphasis on Self-Control

Self-defense is not just about physical techniques but also about mental preparedness and emotional control. BJJ develops focus, teaching practitioners to remain calm and composed in stressful situations. Through consistent training, individuals learn the confidence necessary to respond effectively to threats without the need to use unnecessary violence.

In conclusion, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a perfect tool for people looking for safety, through techniques, confidence and by being a workout that will prepare your body and mind for difficult situations. Investing time and effort into learning BJJ can empower you and that’s what we do at Gracie Barra Thousand Oaks. 

Click here to schedule a free intro class and begin your self-defense preparation!

Being one of the most famous martial arts in the world today, Jiu-Jitsu has gained attention over its benefits in physical and mental health of its practitioners.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

A recent study made by the Journal of Physical Education and Sport showed that with as few as 2 hours of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training per week it is possible to improve all physical fitness parameters. 

In this study, significant increases were observed in women and men practitioners of Jiu-Jitsu, such as in strength, flexibility, aerobic power, VO2max (the maximum capacity of an individual’s body to transport and metabolize oxygen during incremental physical exercise), Time to Exhaustion, Maximum Heart Rate, Maximum Anaerobic Power, Average anaerobic power and in 1RM (which is the maximum amount of weight that a person can possibly lift for one repetition).

MENTAL HEALTH

In terms of brain health, as a high intensity exercise, the dopamine, serotonin and endorphin released give you a sense of happiness, wellbeing and stress relief. It also helps you feel a more energized and disposed person, and improves the quality of your sleep. 

Another study, made in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation University of Alberta, showed personal benefits reported by the involvement in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, mostly in self-confidence, analytical thinking, perseverance, stress-relief, and physical health.

Jiu-Jitsu is not only a physical sport but a mental one. The confidence you gain in yourself after each class when you push yourself to your best, improve with the help of good coaches and connect with people that have a sense of community and respect is crucial to a healthy state of mind. 

COMMUNITY

The community you create is another key aspect that characterizes Jiu-Jitsu: this martial art has as one of its greatest values the partnership, the camaraderie and the sense of belonging. It’s a sport known as an environment of making great friendships and a community for life, and the most important, friends that carry great values as this sport teaches.

And this is already proven as one of the great aspects for human happiness, as we are social beings that need connection and valuable bonds.

The same study showed that training this activity had contributed to a number of participants losing weight within a few months of training. This applies for women, men, elders and kids: when it comes to Jiu-Jitsu, being fit and staying in shape become easier to achieve. Each class can burn around 1000 calories at the same time that you gain definition and detoxify your body with the transpiration that comes with it. 

START TRAINING BJJ!

When you start practicing this martial art, you will be more motivated to start eating healthier and getting inspired by this lifestyle, at the same time that you will be able to have a more flexible and less restricted diet because the training speeds up your metabolism.

Continue following our blog: in the next post we will talk about what the diet of Jiu-Jitsu athletes is like for you to be inspired and go forward with your healthy journey with this amazing sport and lifestyle. 

• • Jiu-Jitsu for safety of law enforcement officials

• • Prevention of confrontations

• • Confidence to deal with encounters
  • Physical and mental health for these professionals

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health research found that between 2012 and 2017, an estimated 303,500 officers were treated in U.S. emergency departments for nonfatal injuries and the main leading causes were workplace assaults: when officers were interacting, detaining, or pursuing a suspect. And since the 1780s to 2023, over 25,000 United States law enforcement officers have died while on active duty, or due to injuries and illnesses obtained while on duty. Gunfire is responsible for over half of all total law enforcement deaths recorded.

That’s where Jiu-Jitsu appears as a tool for prevention.

A study made with 564 police officers that train Jiu-Jitsu mainly in the United States, by a collective of thousands of officers in the USA called Invictus, pointed out that 78% of the interviewed noted that Jiu-Jitsu literally saved their lives (or from serious injuries) while working. The vast majority declared that “Jiu-Jitsu allowed me to control a violent suspect with little to no harm to the subject while giving me the confidence in my abilities.” There were several answers that included very dangerous situations where Jiu-Jitsu was able to immediately control or incapacitate a suspect thus saving them from harm.

Also, 92% of officers stated that knowing Jiu-Jitsu has “allowed them to articulate their use of force better and more accurately, because now they understand concepts like base, angles, leverage, balance as well as body mechanics and range of motion”. This is a way of preventing more serious confrontations and injuries because the officials who know Jiu-Jitsu are less likely to strike or use weapons.

The list of incredible benefits of this martial art for law enforcement officials goes on, and our next observation is that it has a meaningful impact on their psychology with their job. Many cops suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, for example, and Jiu-Jitsu was shown to be a tool to manage it, because they tend to feel mental clarity and more powerful after training.

They all must deal with stress, worries and fear all the time and Jiu-Jitsu, besides being a mental health tool, by releasing beneficial hormones that decreases tension and uplift the life quality, is also a strengthening of self-confidence, very required in this type of job position. The word “confidence” was used 390 times by the officers to describe Jiu-Jitsu gaining in the interview cited above.

Furthermore, learning this martial art is an incredible way for them to increase the cardiorespiratory capacity, very much needed in police operations, and also to get fit, considering high caloric expenditure.

At GB Thousand OAKS, in addition to our GB1 fundamentals classes, in which we teach the guidance of Jiu-Jitsu’s self-defense, law enforcement officers can also participate in seminars that occur about this specific topic. Come join us!