if anything it's the opposite. I mean in some ways, yes. I have less time, so a lot of my long time friends I have less time to spend with. But on the other hand I'm in my 30's now, so I sort of think that once you get to that age it's important to have circles of friends with similar interests. Jiu-jitsu has given me a lot of really close and valuable friendships, and our school has cookouts, we surf, all types of stuff. And then beyond that I have people that I've maybe met once or twice while visiting other gyms but I'm able to stay in touch with online, and then we can hang out if we're traveling in each other's neck of the woods. It's sort of like a fraternity to me.
The I think it gives a lot of people more confidence, and I've seen people come out of their shells, that were socially awkward or just shy people. Even if they didn't hang out or date other people they train with, they've said that jiu-jitsu gave them the confidence to approach a girl that they liked, or to be more social and make new friends.
So I think it's very beneficial, socially. It's like Crossfit. Those people that are super into it hang out with each other all the time. It's like tribes. People get into social circles based on similar interests, and it's a good thing. You need to have balance in life, and if you just crack out on training all the time I've seen it mess up personal relationships or outside friendships. Anything can do that though.
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