09/04/2026
People often ask, “How has Jiu Jitsu helped you off the mat?” You will likely hear about the times they’ve used it to defend themselves. You will also often hear about the mental, psychological, social and physical benefits of Jiu Jitsu training. Well here is a somewhat unconventional way that Jiu Jitsu has helped me off the mat.
In another life, I worked as an Investigator for the District Attorney’s Office. There was a domestic violence case where the victim had bruising on the insides of arms, near her biceps. Some of the bruises were somewhat circular shaped, dime sized bruises. I reviewed the report and leaned that the defendant trained Jiu Jitsu.
I immediately recognized the cause of the bruising. If you have ever trained Jiu Jitsu, you too will recognize the bruising. It’s a common position when your opponent presses on the insides of your arms in order to pin you from the guard position.
So I testified at the hearing as a use of force expert and because of my Jiu Jitsu training, I was able to explain the likely cause of the bruising. I explained that the bruising likely occurred as the defendant was pinning the victim down. The defendant was ultimately successfully prosecuted.
See, Jiu Jitsu helps people off the mat too! 😃
*** The picture is for informational purposes only. The picture is actually of a friend of mine who trains Jiu Jitsu. She gave me permission to use the pic for this post. SHE IS NOT THE VICTIM OF THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASE MENTIONED HERE. ***
