If you’re like me, most of your friends are people you met through jiu-jitsu, and friends and family who don’t currently train get bombarded with stories and anecdotes from the mats… It’s often the dream of any true jiu-jitsu fanatic to convince their friends and loved ones to train. What’s your best sales pitch?
Here are my top 5 sales pitches that I give people who I’m trying to convince to train:
1. You’ll get in shape. I’ve seen people take up so many different kinds of exercise routines and not really, truly be in shape. If you train jiu-jitsu on a regular basis you’ll get in better shape than you ever thought possible. Now, this isn’t to say that everyone who trains is in great shape, but no one who trains for a while isn’t in better shape than they were when they started, and that’s a truly special claim for any sport or art.
2. You’ll have a better chance of protecting yourself and your loved ones if you ever need to. I don’t make the bold claim that jiu-jitsu is superior for self defense because if you look at most altercations they’re either consensual (2 people get into an avoidable fight) or they involve multiple attackers or weapons… But jiu-jitsu is the most efficient way to address a single unarmed attacker. For this reason, I think that all women should train jiu-jitsu and attain at least a purple belt level of understanding and competency because we live in a nasty awful world with nasty awful people and jiu-jitsu is a great way to have an edge over those that may want to hurt you.
3. You’ll open up new pathways in your mind. Jiu-jitsu teaches us problem solving skills, it helps reduce stress (because of the endorphins of working out.) It helps people understand their own strength, weaknesses, potential and powerlessness. Many people have written and spoken about the psychological and neurobiological benefits of training jiu-jitsu. It is unique because of its stark reality. You can’t hide from the truth in jiu-jitsu.
4. You’ll make new friends and will be joining a unique and special community. Jiu-jitsu has a community and culture. Love it or hate it, it’s there. Some of my best friends are fellow grapplers. The truth is that most sports have some sort of camaraderie, but there’s something special about simulating murder day in and day out with your friends, developing a certain level of trust, and truly understanding the breaking points of the individuals with whom you train. Friendships forged on the mats are special.
5. You’ll be in control of your own journey. The truth is that not everyone can be a jiu-jitsu world champion, but the truth is that if you look at many world class competitors and instructors, they came from humble beginnings. You can decide how you want your jiu-jitsu experience to unfold. You can choose to stay safe, training with trustworthy intelligent training partners and develop that way, you can be an avid competitor. Jiu-jitsu is amazing because of the access it provides its practitioners. I’ve had opportunities to roll with many world class black belts, in very few other sports can non-professionals get to interact and train with the highest level athletes and practitioners. In jiu-jitsu we can.
What’s your sales pitch for friends and family that you’re trying to get to train?
The post What’s Your “Sales Pitch”? 5 Things To Tell Friends And Family To Convince Them To Try Jiu-Jitsu appeared first on Jiu-Jitsu Times.