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Will jiu-jitsu make you more respectful, more caring and a better training partner, or just a better fighter? Maybe. No study shows it yet, and the ones that looked say it depends on the coach and the room. Most of the research below is on judo, martial arts in general or mixed combat sports, and we tell you which every time.
The short answer
- The coach matters. In a judo survey, athletes with a good coach relationship felt more supported and safe, and their wellbeing was better.[1] In a second survey of elite athletes, how the coach leads was tied to pride, and pride to how athletes treat teammates and opponents.[2]
- Growth is not automatic. Adult beginners said they learned to face fear and to control their force so a partner stays safe, and said it depended on the coach, the partners and the intensity.[3]
- Belonging keeps people training. In a survey of people practising Chinese martial arts, those who felt they belonged stayed more committed, although BJJ players ranked social reasons below enjoyment and improving.[4][5]
- Aggression is not settled. Young people in BJJ became less aggressive and a hostility link seen in wrestling and MMA was missing in BJJ, but neither study can prove training was the cause.[7][8]
No experience, no equipment. We can lend you a gi for the first 2 weeks.
What the studies found
| Study | Who | Sport | What they found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senel and others, 2025 | 323 national and international athletes (survey) | Judo | A good coach relationship went with more support, more psychological safety and better wellbeing [1] |
| Oh, 2026 | 296 elite athletes, Korea (survey) | Martial arts (styles not named) | No direct effect of the coach's leadership on antisocial behaviour; an indirect one, through pride [2] |
| Lazaro Santos and others, 2026 | 17 adult beginners, Brazil and Spain (interviews) | Martial arts and combat sports (styles not listed) | Growth meant facing fear and controlling force; it depended on coach, partners and intensity. Small study [3] |
| Cao and Lyu, 2024 | 226 practitioners outside China (survey) | Chinese martial arts | A stronger sense of belonging went with stronger commitment to train [4] |
| Tarver and Levy, 2023 | 228 players (survey) | BJJ | Contrary: enjoyment, improving and fitness ranked high; social reasons ranked lower [5] |
| Tao and Li, 2025 | 1,291 first-year students, China (survey) | Martial arts (styles not named) | Students who had trained were more resilient and more self-controlled. A survey cannot show cause [6] |
| Blomqvist Mickelsson, 2020 | 113 young people, Sweden, 5 months | BJJ and MMA | More self-control and prosocial behaviour in both; aggression down in BJJ, up in MMA. Not randomized [7] |
| Kusnierz and others, 2026 | 277 athletes aged 16 to 57 (survey) | BJJ, karate, wrestling, MMA | Most links small or absent; reframing went with more hostility in wrestling and MMA, not in BJJ or karate [8] |
| Rassovsky and others, 2019 | 68 beginner and advanced practitioners (lab) | Japanese jujitsu (includes ground grappling; not BJJ) | Oxytocin rose after hard training, more after ground grappling than after punch-kick sparring. Short-term only [9] |
| Shpak, 2026 | No participants (a proposed model) | Martial arts including grappling | Proposes that touch and moving in sync may train empathy. An idea to test, not a finding [10] |
Does the coach really make a difference?
Yes, the studies that looked at it say so, though a survey can only show a link. Among 323 judo athletes, those with a good relationship with their coach felt more supported and psychologically safe, and those two things went with better mental wellbeing.[1] Judo is a close relative of jiu-jitsu but a different sport.
A second survey asked elite martial artists in Korea (styles not named) about their coach, their pride and how they behave. The coach's leadership had no direct effect on antisocial behaviour towards teammates and opponents, but it had an indirect one, through two kinds of pride the authors call authentic and hubristic.[2] In plain words, how a coach leads shapes how athletes feel about themselves, and that shows up in how they treat other people.
Picture the first night on the mat: a coach who welcomes you, pairs you with someone your size and stops a rough roll before it gets out of hand. That is what we see in class, not a study result, but it is the kind of coaching these surveys are pointing at.
Is growth on the mat automatic?
No, and this is the honest centre of this essay. Researchers interviewed 17 adult beginners in Brazil and Spain (the summary does not list the styles) about becoming a martial artist. They described learning to face fear and frustration, to control their force so a partner stays safe, and to keep going under pressure.[3]
The same interviews showed that it depends on the room. The instructor's guidance, how people behave toward each other, how partners are chosen and how hard the training is pushed all mattered, and some people also told of avoidance, injury and quitting. It was a small study built on memories, so it cannot tell you how common any of this is.
Does belonging keep people on the mat?
It seems to. People practising Chinese martial arts outside China who felt they belonged were more committed to keep training.[4] That is not jiu-jitsu, and a survey cannot show which comes first.
BJJ players add a twist. When 228 of them rated their reasons for training, enjoyment, getting better and fitness came out higher, and social reasons and appearance lower.[5] Our reading, not a study result, is that people arrive for the challenge and stay when they feel part of the room. That is what we see in class, and no study here tested it in BJJ.
Does training build self-control and respect for your partner?
The interviews say yes, in a very concrete way: when you control your force so your partner stays safe, that is respect in action.[3] A survey of first-year students in China found that those who had trained in martial arts (styles not named) scored higher on resilience and self-control.[6] Students who train may differ from those who do not, so this is a link, not proof that training changed them.
Jiu-jitsu builds the habit through its structure. You work with a partner who is also trying to beat you, and the moment they tap, you let go. That is what we see in class every night, and the studies did not measure it.
Does it make people less aggressive?
There are small signs in jiu-jitsu's favour, but nothing settled. Researchers in Sweden followed 113 young people for five months. Both the BJJ and the MMA group reported more self-control and kinder behaviour, and aggression went down in the BJJ group and up in the MMA group.[7] The young people picked their own sport, the MMA starters were more aggressive to begin with, and the answers were self-reported.
A survey of 277 athletes aged 16 to 57 asked how they handle their emotions and how aggressive they are. Most links were small or absent, and the one that stood out, rethinking a situation going with more hostility, showed up in wrestlers and MMA fighters but not in BJJ or karate athletes.[8] Because it was a one-time survey of athletes, it cannot show that training changes aggression, so we would not promise you a calmer temper.
Does rolling with a partner build bonding and empathy?
Your body does respond to close contact, and an idea about empathy is waiting to be tested. In a lab study, 68 beginner and advanced practitioners of Japanese jujitsu (a style with ground grappling, but not BJJ) gave saliva samples. Oxytocin, a hormone tied to social bonding, rose after hard training, and rose more after ground grappling than after punch-kick sparring.[9] It measured a short-term change only, not a lasting one. Oxytocin did rise after grappling in this study, but nothing here shows the effect lasts.
A 2026 brief report proposes that touch and moving in sync with a partner may train empathy.[10] It is a model with no new data, so treat it as an idea to test. To see what hormones do over weeks, read our essay on brain chemistry and jiu-jitsu.
What should you look for in a gym?
Look for what the interviewed beginners named: guidance from the instructor, good conduct among training partners, partners chosen with care and intensity kept in check.[3]
You can see most of it at a free trial. Watch how the coach pairs people, how rough play is handled and whether newcomers are welcomed, and ask about it. Any good club will be glad to answer.
What the research does not show
These studies cannot tell you that jiu-jitsu will make you more respectful or more caring, and here is why. None of them followed adult BJJ beginners over time to see whether respect or empathy grew, and most were one-time surveys, which show links and not causes.[1][2][4][5][6][8] Empathy itself was never measured, because the one paper on it is a model.[10]
Only some of the studies included BJJ at all: the players in one survey,[5] the young people in one study[7] and one group of athletes in another.[8] The rest used judo, Chinese martial arts, jujitsu or styles not named, and many of the athletes were national-level or elite competitors,[1][2] who may not look like a beginner on a Tuesday night.
Some results went against the hopeful story. BJJ players ranked social reasons low,[5] aggression rose in the MMA group,[7] the coach's leadership had no direct effect in the Korean survey,[2] and beginners also told of injury, avoidance and quitting.[3]
So please do not read any of this as proof that training makes someone a better person. What the studies do suggest is that the coach, the partners and the room shape what training does for you.
Keep reading
Next in the seriesCompeting in Jiu-Jitsu as an Adult: What the Research Says About Mind and BodyA good coach relationship lifted wellbeing in the judo survey above. Competing puts that relationship under pressure, so read what the research says about nerves, hormones and the mind and body of adults who compete.- Your brain chemistry on jiu-jitsu: stress hormones, BDNF and oxytocinThe oxytocin result above is one piece of the picture.
- What Makes Renzo Gracie Different from Other BJJ AcademiesHow the academy is run, from the coaches down.
- First Jiu-Jitsu Class: What Beginners Need to KnowWhat a first night on the mat looks like.
When are classes?
| Group | Weekdays | Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (14+) | Mon to Thu, 7:15 PM | 10:45 AM |
Classes start after work, so you can train on your way home. Classes are taught in French and English, and we can lend you a gi for the first 2 weeks.
Your first class is free
Pick a class, come 10 minutes early, and we can lend you a gi for the first 2 weeks.
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References
We kept the results that do not go our way. Each link opens the study's official record in its journal or in PubMed.
- Senel E, Kuttel A, Adilogullari I, Jowett S (2025). Psychological predictors of mental well-being in Judo athletes: Exploring the impacts of the coach-athlete relationship, social support, and psychological safety. Psychology of Sport and Exercise 79:102850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102850
- Oh Y (2026). Moral disengagement in elite martial arts athletes: role of transformational leadership on pride and prosocial/antisocial behaviors. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 66(2):320-328. https://doi.org/10.23736/s0022-4707.25.16679-6
- Lazaro Santos Y, Gutierrez-Garcia C, Barreira CRA (2026). Becoming a fighter: phenomenological dimensions of personal development in beginner martial arts and combat sports practitioners. Frontiers in Psychology 17:1910206. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1910206
- Cao X, Lyu H (2024). Motivational drivers and Sense of Belonging: unpacking the persistence in Chinese Martial Arts practice among international practitioners. Frontiers in Psychology 15:1403327. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1403327
- Tarver TL, Levy JJ (2023). Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players' motivations to train. Frontiers in Psychology 14:1240351. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1240351
- Tao C, Li Y (2025). The relationship between martial arts practice experience and psychological resilience among Chinese college freshmen. Frontiers in Psychology 16:1686000. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1686000
- Blomqvist Mickelsson T (2020). Modern unexplored martial arts - what can mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu do for youth development?. European Journal of Sport Science 20(3):386-393. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31167632/
- Kusnierz C, Cynarski WJ, Rogowska AM (2026). The moderating effect of combat sports discipline on the relationship between emotion regulation and aggression among athletes practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, karate, wrestling, and mixed martial arts. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation 18:490. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01898-0
- Rassovsky Y, Harwood A, Zagoory-Sharon O, Feldman R (2019). Martial arts increase oxytocin production. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49620-0
- Shpak G (2026). Neurophysiological mechanisms of embodied empathy in martial arts. Frontiers in Psychology 17:1782703. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1782703