I've never done any grappling art and have little knowledge about BJJ. I've heard some examples like "train grip" and stuff like that... but now I'd like to hear more ideas on what BJJ practitioners (or wannabes) should train? If you could pick 3 things that you'd recommend for BJJ training (excluding any specific BJJ techniques) and if possible, provide links or specific examples on how to train or what equipment should be used. I'll start by asking questions: - Grip strength? (how important? how would you train? what kind of equipment would you suggest?) - Flexibility? (Back stretching? Legs? Arms? What? How? ) - Arm strength or perhaps legs? or both? (Which is more important?) Help me out. Thanks.
Grip strength is important but far from the most important attribute to develop. Especially if you will be doing significant no-gi work. Flexibility is extremely important. You should find a stretching regimen that suits you and stick to it! You should pay especial attention to hip, spinal/lower back, neck, shoulder, and knee flexibility. Hamstring flexibility is nice but BJJ is one of the few martial arts that it is not especially useful for. Examples: butterfly stretch, bridging, the plow (yoga pose), whatever shoulder stretch works for you. Strength training: CORE strength is the most important by far. After core, I'd suggest legs, specifically leg curls and hip adductors - and endurance training for those in addition to pure strength. Those muscle groups are absurdly neglected by weight training males interested in grappling but are integral to many common submissions like triangles and armbars as well as just maintaining guard or a tight mount. Of course the usual arm and leg strength routines will help too. So, 3 things: 1) Yoga of a more intensive variety for flexibility, core endurance, and breath control. Keeping control of your breathing is very important 2) Strength and endurance training with especial attention paid to the core and not neglecting hip adductors (not aductors but don't neglect them either of course) or leg curls and related exercises 3) Conditioning exercises directly applicable to grappling, for example; -1 minute do as many sprawls as you can while paying attention to technique -2 minutes duck walk back and forth across your training room while doing sitouts to both the right and left every four duck steps -1 minute military presses with weight -1 minute do jump squats while throwing a medicine ball up as you jump -crawl back and forth across your training room without using your legs for anything 2 times -find a roughly 2 ft box and jump on it and off it as many times as you can for 1 minute -upright rows with weight 1 minute -shrimp/hip escape across the room and back again as a cool-down break and repeat or something like that.
personally i would recommend 1, Shrimping/Snaking - this is one of if not the most important movements in bjj and cannot be practiced enough, 2, Bridging - this is also one of the most important things/movements in bjj i personally would disagree with Atharel on this one to a degree and say 3, Grips - I feel that this is one of the most important things to help you progress both in terms of basic grip strength AND knowing how/when/where to use those grips most effectively, for example knowing when/why a grip has become useless or when it is a danger for you (altho i will acknowledge the ony way to learn those types of things are through experience (or judo )
Knowing grips is different than deliberately practicing grip strength you are correct in that knowing how to use them and when to let them go is important. I find that sometimes newbies with deathgrips will latch on and not let go until their strength lets out even if the grip is now useless, which hinders learning. Having unremarkable grip strength means you *have* to be smart about which grips you fight for and use and makes you more aware of which ones work well in which situations, IMO. Of course, I could just be a wuss about training grip strength and/or not see grip strength training items as worth it
The three biggest things in my book: Flexibility Anaerobic conditioning/lactic threshold strength training
My 3 training tips I would give to anyone regardless of martial art: 1. Train hard 2. Train smart 3. Train daily
1. The old cliche about "leaving your ego at the door". You should treat training as learning, not 'winning' or losing' - concentrate on technique. Its totally meaningless if you get tapped along the way. 2. Stay clean. Have a shower and wash your gi every time after you train, and buy something like Savlon to rub on any risk areas (like open abrasions): you don't want to mess about with stuff like staph/ringworm etc. If you do get an infection, don't continue to train: you're not going to be too popular if you infect everyone else. 3. Tap. If somebody has you in a submission, its really stupid to risk injury. Your pride is not worth weeks/months/years off training.
Find a friend who wrestled in highschool/college and have they help your takedowns (pay them if you have to) OR take judo. There is a guy who wrestled from 6th grade through college at my gym. We work on takedowns for 30 minutes twice a week. It has helped my game a lot. In return i help him train his guard. We both get what we need.
I would have to agree; 1) Shrimping 2) Bridging 3) Cardio and Anaerobic Conditioning. These are things you can practice virtually everyday on your own.
