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Monday, March 16, 2015

The best BJJ supplemental activities

So, unless you have that unique passion that quells the possibility of burnout and/or a multiple class per day academy, you're going to have to consider activities other than BJJ that will supplement it. I think of them in the context of their ability to complement the physical attributes that are important in BJJ.

This topic is of consequence to me because well, I'm have to contend with the second issue. If I can't make it to the one class in the day then there are obviously no other options. But, if you can't make it to class the least you can do is try and make up for it by engaging in an activity that will help improve attributes important to BJJ practice. It also helps to keep things exciting and fresh.

One really great thing one can do to supplement their jiu jitsu is, yoga. Yoga increases muscle endurance, flexibility, and encourages proper breathing. Most yoga will do just fine, however, you can as a jiu jitsu practitioner, look into Yoga for BJJ by Sebastian Brosche. I gained flexibility just through jiu jitsu practice and a little bit of yoga but I will definitely be getting back into yoga asap.

Another really fun activity that I just began several months ago is rock climbing. At first glance it might not be real clear how rock climbing is useful to a jiu jitsu practitioner. So let me fill you in...
A very under-appreciated or over-looked part of jiu jitsu is grip strength. A person can implement their attack a defense only according to how well they are maintaining their grips.

For example, I cannot expect to finish a cross-collar choke without deep strong grips on my opponents collar, or I cannot expect to pass the guard without having solid grips that will allow for good top pressure and leverage. But unless you work with your hands frequently getting a strong grip can be challenging, and that is where rock climbing comes into play. Nothing else will work your grips like climbing and you'll be glad you've done it when you start being able to control your opponent's.

Then you have the long-time favorite alternative exercise's like bike riding, running, weight lifting, cross-fit, etc. My input on those are that they don't particularly implement any jiu jitsu specific attributes plus they get boring rather quickly. If anyone has any good ideas that I may have missed out on let me know, I love to try new things. Until next time and good day.




Hmmm what do you think?
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7 comments:

  1. Your background is so catchy, I LOVE IT!!!!

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  2. Replies
    1. Yeah I was hoping people would like it. People tend to think if you're bulky behemoth or just in good shape that you have a natural ability to defend yourself, and that's just not true.

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  3. I've always wanted to try out yoga, and dude for me nothing beats a good ol fashioned bike ride.

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  4. I never would have thought of connecting jiujitsu and yoga together for training. I love yoga!

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    1. Most probably wouldn't make the connection and I really like yoga too.

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