The ideal first week for a jiujitsu student: Day 1

Today, the whole world recognizes jiujitsu as an art that exercises the body, pacifies the mind, increases flexibility, and burns even the most stubborn fat. And the best part: it turns the practitioner into a loyal and passionate adept, able to train for decades without getting sick, or even thinking of missing the next day. All because of the instant rewards and the sense of pleasure that the activity brings.

If you still have any doubts, you can ask Demi Lovato or Henry Cavill, if you run into them.

So why are there still people on the planet who don't practice it? For those who understand jiujitsu, the only answer is because they haven't started yet.

Check out what a perfect first week would look like for the newcomer to get a taste for the thing and keep training for many weeks, months and decades to come.

Day 1

The first question Master Rickson Gracie usually asks any of his new students is a curious one.

"For you, what is the most important thing in your life today?"

The answers, of course, vary. Some apprentices remember their children or family. Others mention their homes, or their high positions, or their career aspirations. The master's retort is also usually quite similar:

"No, you're wrong. The number one aspect of your life in importance has to be yourself. If you are not well, nothing else will work perfectly."

With this, the master summarizes how our health—physical and especially mental—needs to be put first. And how jiujitsu can be fundamental in this, by serving as a workout, an escape valve for stress, and daily work of self-confidence.

The first day, therefore, is for you to understand this once and for all. Believe me, this will be more important than choosing the gi or any other obstacle you create in your mind not to go there and try your first training session.