Why Are So Many Entrepreneurs Doing Jiu-Jitsu?

The unexpected connection between rolling on the mats and running a business.

If you’ve spent any time around a Jiu-Jitsu gym, you’ve probably noticed something: There are a lot of entrepreneurs training.

Startup founders. Real estate investors. Business owners.

People who already have insane schedules still carve out time to train. Why?

You’d think they’d be too busy. Too focused on their companies. But instead, they’re showing up to get smashed by college kids and cops who train full-time.

What’s the deal?Why would someone who’s already dealing with the stress of running a business choose to get choked out in their free time?

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Here’s why.

Reason #1: Jiu-Jitsu Forces You to Deal with Failure — Constantly

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Business and Jiu-Jitsu have one thing in common: You’re going to fail. A lot.

In business, failure looks like a product flopping. A marketing campaign bombing. A deal falling through at the last second

In Jiu-Jitsu, failure looks like getting swept. Getting submitted. Getting dominated by someone half your size

Both worlds teach the same lesson: failure isn’t the end. It’s part of the process.

Entrepreneurs love Jiu-Jitsu because it trains them to handle setbacks without losing their minds. You tap, reset, and go again. Same thing in business. You adapt, pivot, and keep moving forward.

Reason #2: Jiu-Jitsu Teaches You to Stay Calm Under Pressure

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Ever been stuck under side control with a 250-pound monster crushing your ribs?

Yeah, that’s pressure.

Panic? You gas out and tap.

Stay calm? You find an escape.

That’s exactly how it works in business.

  • Your company runs out of cash — do you panic or find a solution?

  • A competitor starts stealing your customers — do you freeze or pivot your strategy?

  • A major investor backs out — do you collapse or figure out a new way to fund the business?

Entrepreneurs train in Jiu-Jitsu because it hardwires them to stay composed under stress.

And when you can handle pressure on the mats, you can handle it in the boardroom.

Reason #3: Jiu-Jitsu Removes the Ego (Or You Quit)

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A lot of entrepreneurs are used to being the boss.

They make decisions. They make the final decisions. People listen to them.

Then they walk into a Jiu-Jitsu gym… and a 17-year-old kid taps them out 5 times in a round.

Humbling, right?

Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t care how successful you are. It doesn’t care how much money you make. On the mats, you either put in the work or you get wrecked.

And that’s exactly why entrepreneurs love it.

It’s one of the few places where their titles don’t matter — only their effort does.

The ones who stick around? They learn to drop their egos, stay coachable, and embrace the grind.

And that mindset? It makes them even better in business.

Reason #4: Jiu-Jitsu is the Ultimate Problem-Solving Game

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Ask any high-level entrepreneur, and they’ll tell you:

Business is just a game of solving problems.

  • How do you get more customers?

  • How do you scale your product?

  • How do you build a team that actually works together?

Jiu-Jitsu? Same deal.

Every roll is a puzzle. Every position has a solution. If you get stuck, you don’t just use brute force — you figure it out.

Entrepreneurs train in Jiu-Jitsu because it sharpens their ability to think strategically, adapt quickly, and find creative solutions.

And those skills translate directly into running a business.

Reason #5: Jiu-Jitsu is a Physical and Mental Reset

Entrepreneurship is stressful.

  • Constant pressure to perform

  • Endless decisions to make

  • Sleepless nights worrying about the future

Jiu-Jitsu is one of the few things that forces entrepreneurs to shut all of that off.

On the mats, there’s no email. No Zoom calls. No business problems.

Just survival.

You can’t think about your quarterly revenue goals when someone’s trying to armbar you.

That’s why so many business owners train — it’s the ultimate reset button.

They walk off the mats clear-headed, focused, and ready to attack their business with fresh energy.

The Truth About Entrepreneurs and Jiu-Jitsu

Not every entrepreneur trains in Jiu-Jitsu.
But the ones who do?

  • Handle failure better.

  • Stay calm under pressure.

  • Learn to leave their ego at the door.

  • Become better problem-solvers.

  • And use Jiu-Jitsu as their mental escape from the grind.

That’s why you’re seeing more and more business leaders stepping onto the mats.

Because Jiu-Jitsu isn’t just about fighting — it’s about thinking, adapting, and improving. And what entrepreneur wouldn’t want that?

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