What are the solo exercises for grapplers?

Just curious,

Strikers tend to practice footwork and use punching bags when they are training alone, what is the grappling equivelant to this?

Are there exercises that the grappler can do by themselves, or do they focus more on strength and conditioning when alone?

 

Shrimping - the basic technique for getting out of from under someone who is in your guard.

Shoots - Can be done against a hanging heavy bag

Punch Combo with Sprawls - Not just strictly grappling but a good workout.. work you punch combo and then sprawl to stop a shoot by your opponent. When done by yourself drop down into a push up position - as if you were at the top end of the movement and drive your hips into the ground with your legs wide apart

Buck to a Bridge - Imagine your opponent is on top of you and you want to buck him off... from your back you will drive your hips upward using your abs, butt and legs... as you drive roll your torso to one side... you'll roll to your left side and drive with your arm over your fight shoulder... turning the head towards your left side... the hips rotate to follow and try to get the ass and back as far off the ground as it will go. You can do this with a small or lighter heavy bag on you.

Those are some... hope that helps.

 

We throw heavybags around in practice.

At home I use a duffelbag filled with jeans (still dont have a sandbag)

 

I've been known to dress a heavy bag in a gi and belt and practice throws and groundwork on it.

But then I'm weird like that

 

How does throwing a bag around help anything?

Might as well practice chopping wood to perfect my sword skills.

I mean, I grapple, and I'm looking for a good way to train at home too, but throwing around a duffle bag doesnt sound like very effective training. Please prove me wrong tho, I'm always looking for something new.

 

I think you misunderstood him.

What he meant was that by filling a bag with jeans means you now have a bag filled with weight. Granted it would have to be a rather large duffle filled one hell of alot of jeans. But then again it all depends on your size I guess. Since I weigh in at about 190lbs at the moment - yeah... it'd be one hell of a lot of jeans to make that duffle bag a workout.

Anyhow - the point of working out with a heavy enough duffle bag would be the same as throwing a sandbag around. Or for that matter lifting sandbags as opposed to more conventional forms of weight training. Sandbag workouts are probably one of the exercises with the most carryover for grapplers outside of grappling with a partner.

Why?

The weight shifts, it's not a uniformly solid source of weight and resistance. Neither is a person your grappling with. So there are some great drills that can be done with sandbags. Check out the H&F forum and learn something new.

 

Escape the hips, forward and backward rolls, bridging to hip escape, practice shots with an elastic exercise band.

 

I suppose... but what throws could you really practice with this? Hip throw... suplex... Thats all i can think of off the top of my head. Most of the throws that i have been taught involve using a leg or an arm to upset balance.

 

Again - much of it depends on the size/weight of duffle your using. If you get it right - it's not that much different than a heavybag. Of course at one point it does just make more sense to use a heavy bag you can get.

There are dozens more drills that can be done with this kind of training than what you've posted. Really your imagination is the limit. It's not just limited to throws... elbows, knee's and even just standard punches thrown to a bag on the ground are a different animal than when thrown on a standing heavy bag. Pressing the bag up off of you for muscular endurance. Overhead presses. Clinch swings and sidesteps while still clinched. Hip control while holding the bag in your guard.

Many of these you probably won't come across if you haven't studied specifically MMA grappling or submission style wrestling. Working a heavy bag with kicks while on your back is something that has pretty much only been introduced by MMA training.

Another is having someone mount you or get in your guard while holding pad or focus mitts. Go for a few rounds on that and you'll feel like you've never trained a day in your life.

Again it all comes down to being creative with simple training tools.

 

I appreciate the backup Slip,

I got one of those big green Seabags from the Marines, I said duffelbag so everyone would understand what I'm talkin about.

I folded, rolled and stuffed jeans mixed with old tshirts to fill in any gaps, it weighs around 80 american pounds now, not alot of weight but good enough till I find a sandbag. I was thinking about addig some weights in the middle of it but after all that craming I really dont feel like it ATM.

You can use pretty much all the Sandbag drills + any throw that doesnt require an extended limb.

But you can always use the top of the heavy bag and connect a thick rope, chain or a tied belt for something to grab hold off, or in case of a Duffel/Seabag the side straps.

Hope this clears it up a bit.

Good luck with your training/coaching everybody.

 

yeah no worries - I understand what your getting at. The duffle your talking about is one of the better ones you can try that with.

I wouldn't worry about needing to a limb to employ anthing like a trip or a sweep. That's not really where the advantage comes in training with a bag like that anyhow.

Really - the drills are endless once you put some thought to it.

 

I mean.. I see what you guys are saying, and it works to an extent, but I think there are other things you can spend your time on that are more beneficial. I mean, its a dead lifeless bag, at least a hanging bag has some motion to it. Again, I'm not doubting that its beneficial, i just think there might be better ways to spend your time. Although it does sound like fun, i'll go rip my bag off the ceiling and try it tonight.

-Ryan.

 

dont rip it now!

I think its the next best thing to a resisting opponent, sandbag that is.

A big wooden Log could work, especially a smooth on so you got a hard time grabbing it.

Nothing else comes to (my)mind when thinking of solo grappling excercises.

I'm sure the more creative peeps here can come up with some more stuff though.

 

Also stretching is a massive help and can't be emphasized enough. Flexibility is a valuable asset when you're grappling.

 

Part 1 and 2 on MAking your own Grappling dummy:
http://www.geocities.com/fightraining/grapplingdummy.html
http://www.geocities.com/fightraining/grappled2.html

Again, I doubt it'll have much weight to it using mostly foam.

Expensive Dummy:
http://www.bubbadummy.com/

Only time I would get this if I had mula growing on trees in my backyard though, Bubba's $500-600

Heres another one for $400:
http://www.cfwenterprises.com/product.asp?pf_id=PM1002A&dept_id=2303

A site on Dummies:
http://www.trainingdummies.com.

I think we're best off sticking to Heavy/Sand/Duffelbags for solo practice, whata rip off :bang:

 

It's all down to what you have access to when you want to train.

Of course, but all the motion in a hanging bag means zip if you haven't got access to one.

See above.

 

it dont have to be no 190lbs ....we have a throwing dummy at our gym...it is not much differnt from a big green dufflebag. (picture a duffle bag shaped like an hour glass). it only weighs 110 lbs....throw it a few times......trust me it gets heavy.


to the other guy. yeah there are better ways to use your time......but if you cant make class that day... its better than watching tv.

what you will get is strenght, hip control, cardiowork on sport specific muscles. (from throwing it)

pound on it and its like a heavy bag.


for the guy who dresses it in a gi and practices submissions on it....kinda wierd....but it might help in vissuallizing positions and your move catalog. ( i call my move catalog the moves i know....some times i forget all i know when i roll, or dont notice a positon.....later that day im thinking...i should have) well this might keep moves into the front of your mind.

its just so weird i might give it a try...probable sunday...once again better than nothing

 

By all means... agreed. Much of the focus on bag work of this kind is muscular endurance as opposed to sheer strength. So yeah even 90lbs could start to get heavy fast... LOL! Tabatta squats... I wouldn't want to do them with a 10 pound bag on my shoulders.

 

Exactly. After all this talk, I think I might grab one of my old diving wetsuits and turn it into a dummy.

 

dude...the wetsuit idea is brilliant. try this fill it with cloth .....then after you bang it for a while...you might be able to stuff more cloth in it