5 Lessons I’ve Learned From One Year of Practicing Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu

For Father’s Day in 2023, I asked my wife for an unusual gift — taking martial arts classes. This had been something I’d been curious to explore for years but never had the courage or time. It’s been a year since then and, in reflection, has been one of the best decisions I’ve made recently.

Here are some of the biggest life lessons I’ve learned from the practice so far.

1. Be brave enough to suck at something new

Before last year, I’d never taken a single martial arts class. In fact, I hadn’t participated in any organized physical sport or activity outside of the occasional community 5K run or church softball league since my youth.

So walking into a jiu-jitsu class for the first time in my mid-30s was daunting. A random piece of advice from my brother-in-law helped me enter with a healthy mindset.

He said, bluntly: “You’re going to suck at it at first. But that’s OK.”

He was right — I was awful at jiu-jitsu at first. It was a completely new skill set that worked muscles I didn’t have, both mentally and…