I cannot thank Jiu-Jitsu enough.
Like many others, I found the sport at a low point in my life.
I had taken some time off before going to university, instead opting to work full-time at former retail giant American Apparel (three unexpected years of discounts, working through the holidays, and more plaid button-ups than I knew what to do with).
Who knew that folding clothes for eight hours daily could heighten an already raging existential crisis?!
Jiu-Jitsu yanked me from the mundane and brought meaning to my life.
But it’s only now, after spending nearly six years training, competing (why do I do that, again?!), and coaching, that I realize all that Jiu-Jitsu has given me – and most of it is not related to the fighting techniques we spend so much time practicing.
Life Skills
Of course, Jiu-Jitsu has taught me how to defend myself against an attacker, and I’ve learned dozens of ways to break an arm or a leg, or to strangle someone unconscious. Likewise, I’ve improved my body composition, strength and conditioning, and made changes to my diet to accommodate the training and competition schedule.
But what about the other things I’ve learned and developed through the art that may not be as noticeable?
I wrote an article about how every youth athlete should try wrestling, not to learn how to shoot a takedown, but because of the sport’s effect on life outside of wrestling.
Martial arts have been used by many as a vehicle for personal development, and for achieving one’s full potential.
The development of life skills represents not only an important outcome of involvement in Jiu-Jitsu and martial arts but of participation in sport in general.
Life skills are the social, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, and physical qualities needed to function in society.
Social skills (communication, leadership, teamwork, etc.) appear most consistently in the literature, with other findings suggesting improved competency, goal-setting, self-esteem, and time-management, among other positive outcomes of participation in sport.
But what good is a life skill if it is never actually used in life?
Life Skill Transfer
In order for a life skill to be categorized as such, it needs to be transferable. This means that the skill needs to be applied in a different environment that is not similar to the one where it was originally learned.
In this case, that means stepping off the mats, putting on some footwear, and exiting the dojo to make our way to the offices, schools, and family-environments where we spend the majority of our lives.
Yet, there remain many questions about exactly how these skills are transferred across different domains of life.
Life skill transfer can be further divided into two categories: Explicit and Implicit.
Explicit life skill transfer involves planned, intentional strategies used by leaders (teacher, coach, instructor) to develop skills. Then, leaders educate athletes or students about how these skills can be transferred to other areas of life. This can often come in the form of meetings, discussions, or lectures held before or after training sessions.
Implicit life skill transfer suggests that athletes or students will develop sport-specific skills through participation in their chosen sport, and in doing so they may also develop skills that will help them in other areas of life.
However, this does not mean that life skill transfer will automatically occur every single time someone plays a sport.
Research shows there may be certain environmental conditions that can facilitate implicit life skill transfer.
This is important because it means that leaders don’t necessarily need to use explicit techniques (which they may not be comfortable using) to create an environment that fosters life skill transfer.
What the Research Says
Researchers from the University of Alberta, Chinkov & Holt (2015), studied the transfer of life skills among sixteen adults who trained BJJ.
The study consisted of semi-structured interviews, followed by a thematic analysis to further examine the interview transcripts.
Participants agreed that participation in BJJ had changed their lives in a significant manner.
“BJJ has made me a better person, better father, and a better husband,” said one participant.
Another participant claimed, “BJJ has allowed me to kind of build a personality that I felt was missing to start moving forward with my own life.”
Analysis of the interviews showed that participants felt BJJ had changed their lives through the development and transfer of four life skills: respect for others, perseverance, self-confidence, and healthy habits.
Here’s what some of the participants had to say about the different life skills they reported.
1) Respect for others
“BJJ changes your everyday attitudes towards people. You know, you look at people differently and you look at them with a lot more respect. You know, because you don’t know where they’re from, you don’t know who they are, you don’t know. So you just treat people how you should… [how] you want to be treated.”
2) Perseverance
“The single most important value to get good at BJJ is to not give up. It’s to walk through the door every day, no matter how bad you’ll do. To persevere under pressure, no matter where you are… When your opponent’s crushing you down, you don’t give up just because it’s uncomfortable. You persevere, you have heart, you carry on. These values that also take place out into the work place, and take place out into your social interactions.”
3) Self-Confidence
“I have quite a high stress job and… it can be a confrontational job as well. And BJJ has allowed me the confidence to speak to not only my co-workers but to the other people I deal with in my area of business. And then just confidence all around.”
4) Healthy habits
“it’s not just about learning to train a martial art, BJJ is also a way of life for diet.”
Participants also noted that the role of instructors, as well as peer support, were the main factors that contributed to their development and transfer of life skills.
These findings are in line with the concept of implicit life skill transfer as defined above, meaning that the nature of the sport, as well as some key elements in the learning and training environment, are what make life skill transfer possible.
In closing…
When I look back at the sports I played as an adolescent (hockey, soccer, rugby), and I consider the effect BJJ has had on my life as a young adult, I can’t help but reflect on the range of skills I’ve developed over the years.
Sport-specific skills have come and gone, but life lessons appear to occupy a more permanent space in my being.
Sport in general – specifically martial arts and BJJ – have served as key vehicles for my personal development and for that, I’m forever grateful.
What life skills have you learned in your martial arts, BJJ, or sports journey?
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