While these are crucial elements for jiu-jitsu success, one overlooked component greatly contributes to the enjoyment of training, effortless practice, and overall impression of the sport.

When we mention flexibility, it’s not just about the easier execution of flashy moves. Flexibility transforms your jiu-jitsu experience into something much better. It elevates your enjoyment of the sport to a higher level. Here’s how.

Enhanced Mobility and Range of Motion

Flexibility undoubtedly gives you a broader range of motion, allowing you to perform many techniques that would otherwise be difficult or impossible.

As someone who has been focusing exclusively on open guard and guard retention for over ten years, I know how important it is to have flexible hips. Hips are, alongside proper techniques, the most important aspect of guard retention.

Additionally, flexible hips make it easier to transition between various guards, adapt to new situations, and respond to your opponent’s reactions. It is also much easier to maintain control and set up submissions.

Improved Defensive Capabilities

A crucial fact is that a flexible body can easily escape tight spots. When someone applies pressure, and you are flexible, you will notice how even a shrimp escape becomes more efficient. This also applies to full mount and side control, where a flexible person can maneuver more easily.

What’s essential is that someone flexible not only escapes submissions and bad positions more easily but also expends much less energy in the process, as the struggle with their own body is reduced.

Effortless Transitions and Flow

You may have heard that jiu-jitsu is often described as a “game of human chess,” where fluidity and the ability to transition smoothly between positions are paramount. Flexibility significantly aids in transitions and the overall game of human chess. For flexible people, the concept of the game of human chess becomes clear by the second training session, while those who are not flexible might struggle even after a long time, as every transition represents a battle with their own and their opponent’s body.

It’s important to note that flexibility enhances your movements, making them more effective, aesthetically pleasing, and enjoyable.

Reduced Risk of Injury

In a physically demanding sport like jiu-jitsu, the risk of injury is always present. However, flexibility significantly reduces the risk of injury and serves as a protective measure. Flexible joints, tendons, and muscles are much better at absorbing impacts and protecting against sudden stretches and awkward movements.

For flexible practitioners, the possibility of strains, sprains, and other common injuries is so reduced that it is rare to find practitioners over 50 who aren’t flexible. Injuries tend to sideline those who are not flexible, diminishing their enthusiasm for training in older age unless they drastically commit to yoga or stretching.

Greater Enjoyment and Longevity in the Sport

When you combine better defense, improved mobility, effortless transitioning, and a significantly reduced risk of injury, it all culminates in a much more enjoyable jiu-jitsu experience.

When you are not constantly struggling with your own body due to a limited range of motion, you can focus on various techniques and strategies within the art, which ultimately makes this sport incredibly interesting. All of this leads to a deeper love for the sport and genuine enjoyment of it.

Effortless Jiu-Jitsu Through Flexibility

You’ve probably noticed people in your academy who spar effortlessly. If you take a closer look, most of those who spar effortlessly and have an effortless jiu-jitsu game are flexible. I would say 99.9% of such practitioners are highly flexible and simply enjoy the sport. They are known for being able to do the most sparring rounds and having the best conditioning. However, flexibility is often the main reason for this.

You can notice how easily they defend their guard, and even when they get into difficult situations, they can quickly escape and continue sparring without problems when others cannot.

Additionally, they are often the last ones on the mat, looking for another round of sparring.

It is crucial to note that flexible practitioners usually experience less soreness and muscle tightness after training, which makes recovery easier and allows them to enjoy the training and recovery process more. Consequently, they can train for more hours.

Conclusion

Whether you are a beginner or someone who has been training for a long time, incorporating flexibility training into your routine is something everyone should do. Reduced risk of injury, fluid movements, and effortless training and sparring are things that everyone practicing jiu-jitsu should have in their arsenal. So, get a yoga mat, start stretching, and watch your game flourish.

If you want to know how to start and you don’t have any experience with yoga or stretching, “Yoga For Rocks” by Sebastian Brosche is a great way to start to stretch and enjoy Jiu-Jitsu much more

Yoga For Rocks by Sebastian Brosche. 

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Rickson Gracie is one of the best fighters/grapplers to have ever stepped on the mats. With him living in a whole different era of fighting we’ll never know how he would’ve faired against today’s fighters. Training for combat sports has reached a crazy new level lately, with lots of science going into developing the perfect fighter. However, some of the old-school methods, like the Rickson Gracie breathing are irreplaceable when it comes to bringing every aspect of training together and becoming a complete fighter/grappler.

The Importance Of Correct Breathing In BJJ

Have you ever tried to roll while holding your breath? You should, as it is a great way to learn the lesson of breathing for BJJ. If you can’t keep on breathing, you can’t keep on rolling – it is as simple as that. However, it is not just about breathing, but breathing with a purpose and, more than anything, control.

There are plenty of methods people use for breath control in combat sports. The goal is to try and keep a steady rhythm that will constantly provide you with oxygen for your working muscles. The problem is actually achieving that when your whole body is tensing up, when you’re fighting to get out of the tightest imaginable mount and when people are all over you in a roll. It not, impossible, though, and the Rickson Gracie breathing method is one example of how you can integrate some breathing exercises in your training to help your grappling performance.

So, what is the correct breathing method for BJJ? I’d say anything that works for you, but starting with something tried and tested is always a great idea. Yogic breathing does offer a bunch of different ways to control your breath, and that’s exactly where Rickson got his ideas from. There’s hardly anyone better than Yogis and their thousands of years of researching and studying breathing to teach you al about how this everyday thing should be done right.

The Rickson Gracie Breathing Method

What exactly is the Rickson Gracie breathing method for Jiu-Jitsu? This is a modified version of Yogic breathing, to put it in simple terms. Rickson himself learned about the method from Orlando Cani, a Brazilian Yoga instructor, and movement specialist. The breathing Rickson does in “Choke” is a common way of ending Hatha Yoga classes, which is what Orlando taught in Brazil. The name for breathing techniques in Yoga is “Pranayamas”.

In the documentary, Rickson sits in a lotus position and uses a very specific forceful breathing method. At the same time, he involves his abdominal wall to what seems to be an extreme degree but has a key y role in making this breathing method so efficient and beneficial.

From a physical standpoint, the Rickson Gracie breathing method provides more oxygen, because it is focused on diaphragmatic breathing. When using the diaphragm during physical exercise, the body suffers much less in terms of oxygen needs as almost twice the oxygen that is usually inhaled can be brought into the lungs. This is due to the diaphragm being situated under the lungs, when it works it helps expand the chest more and thus, allows more oxygen to enter the lungs.

There’s another aspect of breathing that’s helpful, and that is the mental aspect. Using the Rickson Gracie breathing method will pride you with peace of mind and a calmness that has a carryover to the mats. It also ties in with the physical aspect of things, given that calmer fighters usually breathe better and tire out less.

All in all, the main benefit of breathing for BJJ are calmness of the mind and increased endurance of the body.

How Can You Use It? 

Setting up the Rickson Gracie breathing method for yourself is not hard. You have two ways of going about it: you can go and research Yogic breathing and Pranayamas, or use several simple exercises that we will share with you today.

The breathing starts easy, with a focus on using the diaphragm and belly to breathe, rather than the intercostals muscles and chest wall. This is best mastered in a supine position, by placing an arm on the belly and the other on the chest. Only the arm that is on the belly should be moving when you inhale and exhale to truly get the hang of diaphragmatic breathing.

You can then move on to using diaphragmatic breathing when seated. This is where the full Erickson Gracie method comes into play, along with the abdominal wall movements which have the added task of massaging the internal organs. At first, you’ll need to focus on sucking the belly in as much as possible, and holding the breath in, to get accustomed to it. Then comes moving the belly side to side and in circles to really give the organs a massage.

Finally, you can use the birthing method while you’re doing warm-up exercises, to teach your body how to brat while doing physical activity. Only when you’re proficient at this can you think about using the Rickson Gracie breathing method during rolling or in a match.

Conclusion

Rickson shares his breathing system a lot in seminars and places great value on it. His son Kron, who currently fights in the UFC is also a big fan of the Rickson Gracie breathing method and has been featured using it in his preparations for fights. Simply put, breathing is the piece of the puzzle very few consider, but everyone needs it. Why not use what the best of the best have proven works?

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Being flexible for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one more of those things that have been completely taken out of context lately. If you were to believe everyone that is trying to push their routine, being a contortionist would be the absolute best thing for a BJJ player. Well, it is not. Flexibility for BJJ is just that – an athletic quality for Jiu-Jitsu. As such, it is not something you need to overdo, because it will come to a point where you can actually become too flexible for Jiu-Jitsu. If that is the case, there’s a fix, but why would anyone want to become worse at performing on the mats in the first place?

Do You Need To Be Flexible For Jiu-Jitsu?

If little is good more must be better! This quote sounds great, but there are very few instances in life, and especially combat sports, where it is true. Despite not seeming like it, flexibility is one area where this does not apply. That said, I have to talk about the benefits of flexibility for BJJ first, so that there is a clear distinction between the required amount and going overboard. As BJJ practitioners we tend to be very impatient and go all in, two things that have never proven to really work for us, but somehow persist within us despite it all.

Flexibility is the ability of your joint to go through a full range of motion or even an extended one. To achieve such feats, the connective tissue surrounding your joints needs to be in a shape that allows such movements. Those connective soft tissues are ligaments and tendons. Most of us are born with different levels of flexibility. Moreover, flexibility is impacted by a host of factors throughout our lives. The good news is, that you don’t have to be jealous of the rubber teammate in class. Flexibility is a very trainable quality, and all joints can be improved upon in those terms with the right exercises, and most importantly, given enough time.

Do you need flexibility for BJJ? Absolutely. In fact, you need to have flexibility in all your joints, with the minimum requirement being a normal range of motions, which is not many people, can boast with nowadays. Moreover, there are some specific joints, like the hips, shoulders, and neck that really do require a bit more attention and work in BJJ. In that sense, if these joints are more flexible than the “usual” you’ll get certain benefits especially when playing guard, or trying to pass the legs. However, they’re far from the necessary requirements to be able to train and excel at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. So, after a certain point, flexibility for BJJ becomes more of a perk, than a requirement. Even more so, after another point, it actually turns into a liability.

How Much BJJ Flexibility For BJJ Do You Need?

There’s no easy answer to this question. Everyone is different, both in terms of their build, and their BJJ game. That means people might need more or less flexibility in different areas during different periods of their BJJ journey.

To be honest, if it was down to me, I’d tell you to work on your shoulders. Yeah I know, I didn’t put the hips first. Blasphemy! There’s a point to this, though. When you start realizing how BJJ works, rather than just collecting techniques, which is bound to happen sooner or late, you’ll notice that manipulating the arms is what we’re after in most of the grappling exchanges we do. In short, we either try to keep our elbows to our body (defensively) or try to pry another person’s elbows open (offensively). In both cases, the shoulders do lots of the work, even though it is indirectly compared to the elbows. Moreover, all the positional stuff like Granbying, hip escapes, bridging, etc. really does put a strain on the shoulders as well, even though it may not be apparent. And I haven’t even mentioned submissions and submission escapes.

The hips do have a place as well, and you do need to have a pair of flexible ones in order to do, well, most things guard related, to begin with. Form playing guard, to retention, crazy scrambles, back takes, passing and all the standing stuff, your hips really do put in a shift every time you step on the mats. So, getting them to work more than they’re used to from sitting all day at your desk, in your car, and/or on your couch, should really be a priority. After you get your shoulders working, of course.

All in all, you need just as much flexibility, as it is necessary to play different positions. Using the hips as an example, playing a closed guard requires a lot less hip flexibility than playing rubber guard. So, what really determines the level of your flexibility for BJJ, is your game, after you’ve reached a point where you can at least have a normal range of motion of fall joints.

What Happens If You Are Too Flexible?

Which brings us to the subject I actually wanted to touch upon today. Can you be too flexible for Jiu-Jitsu? The short answer is: yes! There is a point where your flexibility will impede your ability to actually grapple with people. While most would argue that increased flexibility just opens up access to weird positions like rubber guard, and buggy chokes, etc, the truth is that those positions carry big risks even under the best of circumstances.

The trouble with flexibility is that when you start taking your joints to the max, you’re so used to begin in spots like that that you don’t register any pain from being in such a position. Ligaments, being notorious for having a lack of pain receptors, to begin with, can snap without you even noticing (apart from the sound of tearing). This is a worst-case scenario, of course, but definitely, one that people should be aware of.

Something that’s more visible on a day to day basis in terms of flexibility for BJJ is the ability to grapple efficiently. Overly flexible joints mean that you lack the strength to build structures that are crucial in grappling Guard retention will actually become much harder against someone that has a solid passing formula if you’re too flexible to be able to defend the guard. The same holds true for your ability to use frames, posts, or any other type of positioning that actually requires joint stability and a certain level of strength. So, before you decide to go full Yoga and start sleeping with your legs begin your own neck, consider the damages this may do to your BJJ game.

In Conclusion

Flexibility for BJJ is actually a tricky subject, You absolutely need it, at least up to the point of obtaining a normal range of motion of all your joints. For certain joints, it is advisable to go past that. The shoulder and hips are a great example. However, you also need to focus on tendon strength, joint stabilization, and isometric strength as well. Flexibility needs to be kept in check with strength training so that you can develop the best possible qualities for BJJ. If begin a contortionist is your goal, then, by all means, try and become as flexible as humanly possible. If you want to grapple, though, you might want to stop before the point of demising returns.

Yoga For Grapplers Nicolas Gregoriades Instructional Review

Yoga For BJJ & Yoga For Rocks DVD by Sebastian Brosche

How To Get Flexible For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Yoga Nidra for BJJ: Unusual But Extremely Effective Recovery

The post Flexibility For BJJ: How Can You Be Too Flexible For Grappling? appeared first on BJJ World.

Deep stretches are all the stretches that you think of when you hear the word stretching. Every stretch that is static in nature, and goes into painful territory can be considered a deep stretch. As I said, it is the perception people usually have when they think of stretching. These types of stretches for BJJ are actually not always recommended, though. In fact, you need to be really careful with them, because they might end up doing more harm than good if you do not utilize them correctly.

What Is Deep Stretching?

In terms of stretching as an athletic activity aimed to help the recovery and improve the flexibility of muscles, there are two main types. One is active stretching, where you remain dynamic throughout the stretch, and the other is passive stretching, where you remain static. Understandably, going deep into a stretch requires you to be in control of your range of motion, so active stretches cannot be as deep as passive ones.

During a passive stretch, you try to move a joint to the end range of flexibility. In those terms, muscles are what you are stretching, but joints are how you set stretches up, and decide the depth of any given stretching exercise. For a passive stretch, the goal is to go as deep as you can, up to a point of mild discomfort, and try to hold. There are different schools of thought, but anything less than 30 seconds won’t allow you to get all the benefits of deep stretching.

In terms of deeps stretches for BJJ, there are certain muscles that require more attention than others, given the demands of the sport. More on this later. For now, remember that doing passive stretching means you need to try and go deep. If you have body parts that are not as limber as you’d like them to be, you can always use props to help you get a better range of motion. For grapplers, the belt is everything you’ll need, most of the time.

Passive deep stretching can greatly improve flexibility, aid recovery, and help your tendons recuperate after strenuous rolling sessions. However, it is key to know when to use deep stretches, and even more important to understand when you should be avoiding them at all costs.

When NOT To Use Deep Stretches

Contrary to popular belief, deep stretches are never a good idea when you’re warming up for a sport, or any athletic activity. Warm-ups should be just that, series of exercises that help you get the blood pumping and raise your core temperature. Trying to use deep stretches in a warm-up routine has a completely opposite effect – it elongates muscles, allowing them to cool. Trying to go for a roll after a solid deep stretch routine is like jumping into BJJ straining straight out of bed. IN other words, it is not the smartest thing to do. Deep stretches for BJJ have their place, but that is certainly not during the warm-ups.

The same holds true for morning routines. Yeah, Yoga is awesome in the morning, but how far can you really go into any given stretch? Try doing the same routine in the afternoon and you’ll suddenly think you’ve doubled your flexibility in a matter of hours. After sleeping, our joints are stiff, muscles are compressed, and have reduced blood flow. This is the worst time to be attempting to improve your splits, or trying to do deep shoulder or hips stretches for example. What you’ll achieve is a pulled muscle, and perhaps even worse.

Speaking of pulled muscles, deep stretches are also something you should skip when returning from an injury.  Active stretches and mobility routines. Preferably put together by a doctor or physical therapist are your best bet. Trying to do deep stretches for BJJ on an injured body part will probably just exaggerate the injury, or cause a new one on a different part of your body.

So, what is the best time to do deep stretches then? When you’re warmed up, muscles have blood flow, and your core temperature is higher. That means right after training, or at the end of a dedicated mobility//recovery routine. Alternately, doing such a routine before bed is also not a bad idea.

The Best Deep Stretches For BJJ

Stretches for BJJ include 6 major joint ins the body, and all accompanying muscles and tendons. Those joints are the ankles, hips, shoulders, wrists, neck, and thoracic spine. These just so happen to be joints that allow you to practice an increasing range of motion, thus helping you make the surrounding muscles much more flexible over time. Let’s go over each one of them and see a sample stretch you can do.

Ankles – Calf stretch

You can do just about any type of calf stretch you want, but standing ones will give you the most bang for your buck. Standing against a wall is always good, but you can do it without support as well. The goal is to get one leg to step backward, on your toes at first, and then try and touch the heel of that leg to the ground. You’ll feel tightening in the calf which is the stretch you’re looking for.

Hips – Glute Stretch

Among the stretches for BJJ that people come up with, hip stretches are probably the most numerous. A great deep stretch for the hips is the lying glute stretch. It is very applicable to BJJ, given that it requires you to lie down, placing one ankle right above the knee of the opposite leg. Both legs should be bent, bringing the leg you’re stretching into a triangle/rubber guard –like position. Use both hands to pull on the hamstring of the support leg in order to rally make this deep stretch work for you.

Shoulders – Overhead Shoulder Stretch

The overhead shoulder stretch does require a ledge to hold on to, but that’s not really something you can’t easily find anywhere. You could do it standing or kneeling, as long as you place both arms on a surface in front of you, while having a 90-degree angle between your belly and things. The goal is to sag your torso while propping your arms on the ledge with the wrists. A bench, a bed, a window ledge, etc. will all do the trick. The lower you go with the torso, the deeper the stretch will be. This is one of my favorite deep stretches fro BJJ ever, and it has really helped my shoulders.

Wrists – Flexion

For the wrists, flexion and extension are really important for Jiu-Jitsu. However, wrist flexion is where you really need to improve your flexibility if you’re a grappler. That simply means bending your wrist so that the palm is trying to touch the forearm. The pressure is on the top of the palm and can be via the other arm, or by placing the arm on the ground.

Neck – Sideways Neck Stretch

After the hips. Neck stretches for BJJ are the most sought after ones. An exercise we usually do dynamically during warmups is actually the best option here. To make it deep, of course, you’ll have to turn it into a static exercise. That is the ear-to-shoulder sideways neck stretch. Use an arm to help your head to position and stay in the stretch for an allotted time. Remember to do both sides.

Thoracic Spine – The Bretzel

There’s no real way I can explain this nutty stretch with words. The Bretzel, however, is one of the best stretches for BJJ in existence. It also happens to be a very deep and multi-joint stretch that targets the muscles of the entire thoracic spine. The stretch starts with you lying on the ground, bending your knees at a 90-degree angle, and letting them fall to the ground on one side. Then, you extend the bottom leg, so that the arm on the same side can grip the ankle. Use the opposite side arm to try and force the knee of the top leg to the ground.

Closing Thoughts

I already touched on the subject that you shouldn’t do any deep stretch for less than 30 seconds. In terms of organizing all of the above stretches for BJJ into a routine, start with 30 seconds on each stretch (repeat on both sides of the body). Aim for 3 sets of them, either as a circuit or in a straight-set fashion. Once you’re good with that, and you see your flexibility improving, you can go to 45 seconds, or a minute each.

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Yoga Nidra is basically a form of guided meditation, to put things bluntly. Guided meditation? Nope thanks, I’m too tough for that. Yeah, I know, I thought the same thing. As it turns out Yoga Nidra is much more than just guided meditation, and it has incredible benefits both mentally and physically. Whether you use the practices to stay sane in these crazy times with no BJJ, or you decide to use it as the powerful recovery tool that it is, Yoga Nidra for BJJ is something definitely worth exploring.

What Is Yoga Nidra?

In Yoga, the term Nidra is used to describe a practice people often refer to as Yogic Sleep. In other words, during this type of Yoga you’ll be doing nothing. Well, at least physically. In Sanskrit, the word “Nidra” actually means sleep. However, ion a more spiritual way, it also refers to consciousness. That said, don’t let the talk of spirituality guide you away from Yoga Nidra – you absolutely don’t have to be the next Dalai Lama to have it work for you.

Yoga Nidra is simply the form of relaxation practice for Yoga. If you’ve ever done Yoga so far, you know that in most cases, practice ends with relaxation. In fact, those final few minutes in the “corpse pose” are when people actually feel the best. Well, there’s an entire practice based around that pose and those final few minutes of guided relaxation.

For a Yoga Nidra practice, you want to be lying down comfortably, first and foremost. The only trick is, you can’t do it on your own, as you need someone to guide you. But that is easy to solve, as you’ll see further on. The practice itself has different phases, the first of which has to do with physical awareness of the body. The goal here is to relax the muscles in the entire body in a very specific guided fashion.

The next phase is relaxing the mind which is where things get crazy and fun. This is the time when you enter a weird state of being half asleep (or fully asleep for some) and where you get most of the benefits of Yoga Nidra for BJJ and in general.

The Benefits Of Yoga Nidra For BJJ Athletes

Yoga Nidra offers a bunch of benefits you wouldn’t expect to get from just lying there. However, for people that train while tumbling on the ground most of the time, we shouldn’t be too quick to disregard it.

The very first claim of Yoga Nidra is that an hour of practice has the same effect as 4 hours of sleep. Obviously, this is something that is extremely hard to prove It does, however, feel that way, I can attest to that.

Recovery is probably the one benefit of Yoga Nidra for BJJ that will tempt most grapplers into giving it a try. In those terms, Yoga Nidra provides rest to the entire nervous system, which is why most people feel like they’ve slept for hours. There’s not one muscle in the body that remains tense, which is not easy to accomplish with any other type of stretching or mobility routine out there. Believe me, I’ve tried them all.

Something that has to be taken into account is also the effect of Yoga Nidra on the mind. The practice manages to help you clear out the mind and give your brain a rest. For everyone that does Jiu-Jitsu, being in a state where our minds aren’t engaged is extremely hard and rare. Yoga Nidra, however, will help you relax any mental tension you might have, and help bring things into perspective. Not to mention how many BJJ related stuff will become much clearer and will “click” together.

Something to also consider is the connection between the body and mind that Yoga Nidra helps strengthen. For fighters, whether it is grappling or MMA this is huge. Why hire mental coaches when you can achieve it all while going to “sleep”?

Recovery On A Different Level

In today’s way of life (well ok, not the Covid-19 one, but the hectic one we had up until a few months ago), finding time to rest is hard. This is really contradictory. As rest is what fuels athletic performance. Considering how demanding BJ is on the body, rest is huge, and not getting enough of it severely impacts how we perform on the mats. That’s where Yoga Nidra for BJJ comes in as the perfect shortcut.

Going for a Yoga Nidra practice is easy. If you can find a Yoga school to do it, I’d recommend you do it that way. You’ll need someone to guide you through the experience so that you can completely relax and let go. However, if a school is not an option, particularly not in isolation, you could find a Yoga Nidra routine online. There are plenty and they will all help you feel more rested, rejuvenated, and centered.

The trick is to really set up for the practice. You’ll need to make sure nobody disturbs you during the practice, or there’s no point to it. To that extent, put the phone on airplane mode is a must. Moreover, I’d recommend some type of headphones to help you dial down all the external noises that are all around you. As for a spot, you could lie on a bed, but lying down on the ground is better. Find a comfortable spot, perhaps even cover yourself with a blanket if it is chilly, and go do some Yoga Nidra. Don’t overthink it, and you’ll soon be amazed at the benefits.

Final Thoughts

Trying to explaining Yoga Nidra in an article is like trying to explain the feeling of training BJJ to people who have never tried it. Since that is something everyone who trains can relate to, just keep an open mind and give Yoga Nidra a try. The benefits of Yoga Nidra for BJJ are immense, particularly if you’re one of the BJJ nerds with a mind that doesn’t settle, or you need to find a way to recover better and faster.

The post Yoga Nidra for BJJ: Unusual But Extremely Effective Recovery appeared first on BJJ World.

Jiu-JItsu flexibility training, in most people’s minds, is just stretching. However, stretching does not mean you’ll become more flexible. Moreover, there are certain body parts that you can’t make flexible any matte how you try. On the same note, there are body parts, like the hips and shoulder, for example, that are important to be flexible in BJJ, as opposed to other body parts. There are plenty of pieces to the flexibility and mobility puzzle. However, begin stuck at home, isn’t this the perfect time to put in some flexibility work? After all, even if you don’t turn into rubber by the time isolation ends, at least you’ll help all your nagging injuries heal.

Who Needs To Be Flexible For BJJ?

Everyone. Flexibility is huge in BJJ. Sure, you can do without it, but it does help. A lot. Actually, there is no good reason I can think of not to look at flexibility as an asset in JIu-Jitsu. However, we need to look at flexibility as a whole. Most grapplers think of flexible hips that help prevent most guard passes as flexibility. While hip flexibility is certainly important, it is also one of the qualities that are most easily trainable.

When it comes to grappling flexibility, it is important o develop overall limberness. It is not just about preventing the odd guard pas or two. It will help you get out of submissions, it will allow you to figure out scrambles and it will help you do attacks of your own. Yeah, you can use flexibility in an inoffensive manner as well. How many submissions require you to hold on to a body part to of yours in order to finish? Try doing a D’arce choke with inflexible wrists, for example. Even guard passing with a pair of flexible knees and even feet becomes a much easier task compared to having stiff legs.

Also, a word on mobility. This is often included along with flexibility but doesn’t get the recognition it needs. Mobility is far more than being elastic and having the ability to do impressively deep stretches. When it comes to Jiu-Jitsu flexibility, you need to be able to have a full range of motion on every joint, if you want tendon elasticity to have any effect on your Jiu-Jitsu game. Oh, and let’s not forgotten the muscles and all the tight spots that need breaking up in there.

Bodyweight Jiu-Jitsu Flexibility Training

You might’ve suspected from the title that one word was going to pop up sooner or later in this article: Yoga. Well, here we are. Ther’s no way to mention JIu-Jitsu flexibility training, particularly in a home setting without Yoga. Whenever you have no access to equipment, doing Yoga is going to provide you with a challenging workout that will undoubtedly improve your flexibility. Or, if you’re not into Yoga, or unable to do some of the more challenging poses (yet), you can always start with a few targeted BJJ-specific stretches.

When it comes to choosing the perfect Yoga routine for BJJ, there’s no such thing. Yoga is extremely diverse and comes in many forms and styles. While the best way to learn what you need would be to consult a Yoga instructor, that’s out of the question for now. Apart from some DVD options that offer specific Yoga for Jiu-Jisu flexibility, you also have interesting options on YouTube as well.

The trick is trying to do a certain workout before you judge how easy or hard it is. Trust me, most of the things that seem like a breeze to you will actually give a run for your money. Also, make sure you target the body parts you want to make more flexible, as well as those you need to use in BJJ the most. In other words, hips, shoulders, wrists, feet, and neck should be your focus points.

A Yoga routine will provide you with a flow that lasts anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple of hours. It also comes with breathing patterns and might be difficult to follow if you’re in a downward dog and can’t see your screen for the instructions. In cases where you’re not convinced by Yoga, specific stretching is always a good idea. Hip flexors should be the focus here, and there is plenty of BJJ specific motion that will help you develop insane hip flexibility. Check out this article for some ideas for hip mobility, as well as this one for developing overall BJJ flexibility.

Training Mobility And Flexibility With Minimal Equipment

Of course, when you have equipment you have the choice of combining or alternating Jiu-Jitsu flexibility workouts with no equipment, like Yoga, with those that require some gear. And while flexibility doesn’t require a lot of gear, you can actually do wonders for your mobility if you have aces to certain pieces of equipment

For starters, let’s see how weights can help you develop more than just muscles. Ideally, you’d have aces stoa barbell, although a kettlebell will do the trick as well. Looking for the best overall mobility exercise fro BJJ? Do Jefferson curls. This gymnastic exercise is in essence, a deadlift taken well past the negative point. To do so, you’ll have to stand on a chair or something so that you can go past your toes holding a weight. Trust me and start of light here, with a kettlebell, dumbbell or an empty barbell at first. Other gymnastic options include weighted hanging off a pullup bar, shoulder dislocators (you can do them with a BJJ belt), and a myriad of weight one leg squat variations.

Also, let’s not forget about foam rolling and SMR (Self Myofascial Release). IF you have a foam roller, you’re pretty much set to give your entire body a deep tissue massage. Check out some routine ideas here. If you haven’t got aces toa foam roller a tennis ball will do the trick. Or you can make your own out of a PVC pipe and a yoga mat or something similar in texture. Once you try SMR though, ll your nagging injuries will start disappearing like magic. Thre’s hardly a better way to get into BJJ shape before getting back on the mats which has to be sometime soon.

Closing Thoughts

Jiu-Jitsu flexibility training at home might seem like te easier part of our BJJ home workout series. It is not. While most grapplers are already good at BJJ (obviously) as well las have solid levels of cardio and strength, they all lack in certain areas of flexibility and or/mobility. This is actually the most important aspect fo BJJ training you can do while stuck at home due to COVID-19.

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What is the best way to approach stretching after Jiu-Jitsu? Is it Yoga, mobility work involving a bunch of balls and pipes, or going by feel? To tell you the truth, all of the above have their benefits. However, none of them are really a good choice after BJJ. For starters, Yoga requires time and focused breathing in order to get the maximum benefits. MObility work requires tools and is a better fit before training or done on a separate day. It too takes a lot of time to finish. Going by feel is probably the worst thing you can do, especially if you have no idea how to stretch. Stretching an achy body part is the worse thing you can do for it! So, how should a BJJ stretch routine that’s both short and effective look like?

Well, there are a few things a good BJJ stretch routine must cover. First, it needs to address the entire body. Next, the focus needs to be on those muscles that really get worked during grappling. Finally, it needs to be short and appropriate for all skill levels. Sound impossible right? Well, it not only possible but very easy. A few exercises in the right order are all you need in order to stay limber and injury-free. Let’s look at which exercises are best for grapplers and why we need to use them daily!

Why We Need Stretching

Let’s cover all the important basics of stretching before we move on to the best BJJ stretch routine. After all, everyone raving about stretching must be for a good reason, right? Well, it is. Actually, there are plenty of reasons why grapplers need regular and precise stretching.

For starters, stretching elongates the muscles which helps them realign while they’re still warm from training. This greatly helps in the prevention of small injuries that tend to pile up over time. It also prevents scar tissue from forming which ensures the muscles can work at an optimal rate.

The next huge benefit is one many people do not really think about. Joint health. While the muscles get most of the focus, the joint also gets benefits. All muscles end in tendons on each side. All of these tendons, in turn, attach to bones, in most cases near joints.  A good stretching routine helps you keep your joints humming. Stretching is also a great tool to deal with joint and/or muscle pain.

Blood flow is another huge benefit of stretching that people often overlook. Correct stretching provides the muscles with increased blood flow that helps them repair and recover much faster. It also primes them for receiving much-needed nutrients which you should supply to your muscles as soon as possible after hard training, especially rolling.

The All-In-One BJJ Stretch Routine

So, what is the best way to approach stretching after multiple competition-level rolls? Well, we said we’ll aim for simplicity so we’re going to limit the BJJ stretch routine to just 8 exercises. Furthermore, we’re going to employ smart programming that’ll keep the routine short, yet as effective as an hour-long Yoga session.

The whole routine shouldn’t take you more than 12 minutes. There’s no way you do not have an extra 12 minutes at the end of class to go over a few basic stretches. The goal is to hold each stretch for a minute. Wait, 8 exercises and 12 minutes, something’s not right here. Well, a few of the stretches are done bilaterally, meaning you need to spend a minute on each side. In terms of equipment, all you need is a wall, your Gi, and your belt. If you have a foam roller lying around the academy, you can use that instead of your Gi.

#1. Legs Up The Wall

We begin the BJJ stretch routine with the legs up the wall stretch. This one is a simple as the name suggests. Simply lie next to the wall and get your butt a close to the wall ass possible. In the best-case scenario, you should be touching the wall. Straighten your legs up and put them together. Lie flat with your back on the mats and keep the back of your head on the ground as well. Keep the arms bent at the elbows, palms on your belly. Stay there for the minute and try to calm your breath as much as possible

#2. Wall Straddle Stretch

From the previous position, you’ll simply proceed to widen your legs to each side, as far as comfortable. Remember that stretching shouldn’t feel uncomfortable at any point. Your torso, head, and arms remain as in the first stretch. Your legs should be as wide as possible. heels on the wall. Once you reach your maximum stay there for a few breaths. Use the remainder of the minute to try and go even further. With every exhale attempt to get your legs just a little bit wider. Stop before you feel discomfort.

#3. Wall Butterfly Stretch

The wall butterfly stretches much like the seated butterfly. When you have your legs up the wall, gravity does not play as big of a role in the stretch, meaning you’ll need to work a bit more. Since you’re already there, all it takes is to get your feet next to one another after the wall straddle stretch. Once you have them there, try and get your heels as close to your butt as possible. Keep your head and torso on the ground but place your hands on each knee to help with the depth of the stretch. Once again, use the exhales to go deeper into the stretch and never overdo it. This is a nice relaxation from the wide straddle and an awesome way to increase your hip flexibility for BJJ.

#4. Wall Glute Stretch (Each Side)

This is one you’re used to doing regularly. All that changes now is the position of the support leg. For the glute stretch, you need to place the ankle of one leg over the knee of the other. The support leg is going to be placed on the wall, knee bent at 90 degrees. The other leg goes in front of you and on the knee of the first one, also at 90 degrees. Place both your arms on the shin, one at the knee and the other at the ankle. Not unlike adjusting a triangle choke. Make sure you keep your ankle steady and push on the knee as much as possible. Repeat on the other leg for a minute as well.

#5. Spinal Rotations (Each Side)

Another classic stretch, yet usually not done correctly. As you finish with the wall glute stretch, lay on your side and place one leg on top of the other. Keep the knees bent and the feet on the wall. Get a foam roller, or simply roll up your Gi jacket and put it under your neck. This is a crucial part of the stretch as your spine needs to be in alignment. straighten both arms and place them on top of each other in front of your chest. Now open the top arm and look as far to the other side as possible. Let your top arm open up as much as you can, while still keeping it straight. Again, repeat on the other side once you’re done.

#6. Belt-Assisted Hamstring Stretch (Each Side)

This one is very simple and to the point. Get in the same position as with the first stretch. Take your belt and fold it in the middle. Now place one foot directly in the loop and hold on to the two straps. The other foot stays up on the wall. Raise the leg that’s in the belt towards you and attempt to straighten your knee as far as you can. If you think you can go further, place your hands further up the belt straps on either side. Repeat on the other leg.

#7. Wall Hip Flexor Stretch (Each Side) 

The hip flexor stretch is a complete core stretch, despite its name suggesting otherwise. For this one, you need to be facing away from the wall. Place one knee on the mat, right up against the wall, so that your shin and instep are on the wall. Have the other leg in front of you, bent at the knee, like at the bottom of a lunge. push in with oy ur hip and raise your arm on the side where your leg is up against the wall. If you can’t get your knee to the wall, use your Gi or whatever’s around to elevate it behind you as much as you can.

#8. Backward Spinal Stretch 

To finish this BJJ stretch routine, you’ll once again turn to the foam roller or rolled-up Gi jacket. Simply place it on the mats and lie over it, so that your upper back is directly over the roller/Gi. Bend backward put the top of your head on the mats and extend both your arms over your head. Stay in the position for the duration of a minute.

Related Articles:

3 Most Common Stretching Mistakes
How To Get Flexible For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Strategies To Win The Battle With BJJ Arthritis

Yoga For BJJ & Yoga For Rocks DVD by Sebastian Brosche

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Whenever you think of a defensive guard player, one thing in particular always springs to mind. It is not just technical ability, timing and body type. It is the mobility and flexibility of their hips. In the last few years, BJJ mobility training is coming to the forefront of strength and conditioning programs. People nowadays know that you do not need to be born with freakish flexibility in order to maximize your range of motion. When it comes to the hips, this is even easier. Unlike the knees, hip mobility and flexibility is very trainable and yields results quickly. All you need is dedication and the right exercises.

Speaking of dedication, Eddie Bravo is a huge proponent of training hip flexibility constantly. While he spends most of his time on and off the mats in a Lotus position, this doesn’t mean you need to do the same. Quite the contrary, you need careful planning and the correct BJJ mobility exercises in order to achieve flexibility. Going for the toughest Yoga pose straight away will only get you injured. let’s understand a few basic things about the hips before we move on to the exercises.

The Hip Joint

Unlike some of the joints in the human body, the role of the hip joint is primarily to move instead of stabilizing. The hip is a complex joint that has a huge range of motion due to its structure. Stiff hips are a common problem in today’s society, as a result of modern lifestyle. Grapplers are not immune to this so BJJ mobility drills targeting the hips need to be a part of every grappler’s routine.

The hip is made up of an articulation between the thigh bone and the pelvis. The pelvis has a socket in which the head of the femur fits, providing the basis for the mobility of this joint. Adjoining muscles, tendons and ligaments complete the hip joint, making sure it does what it needs to. Hip anatomy is complex and we’re not going to get in depth about it here. What you need to understand is that the hips are part of the core along with abs, lower back, and shoulders. This makes the theme extremely important from both stabilization and a mobility standpoint.

However, selective use of some of these structures over others results in imbalances that are becoming the norm instead of the exception. The good news is that you can reverse the damage and even increase hip flexibility. All you need are the right tools and the correct programming.

The Hips In BJJ

As far as BJJ mobility goes, nothing takes precedence over the hips. Even though guard retention is usually associated with hip mobility let’s talk about guard passing first. Whenever you’re in a position to work against someone in open guard, you hips play a crucial role. Attempting to pass means you’ll need to place your legs in different positions very fast while maintaining pressure. Most of this pressure comes from the hips and their ability to work in a full range of motion.

Furthermore, staying on your feet while an opponent is looking to sweep brings the hips into play from a different perspective. First, they play a crucial role in stabilizing your position so that you can stay on top. Secondly, they need to be flexible enough to adapt to the opponent’s attempts of taking away your balance. AS you can see there is more to hips and BJJ than just guard retention.

Of course, we have to mention both guard retention and recovery when we’re talking about the mobility of the hips. First and foremost, you’d be hard-pressed to be effective from most guard variations out there if you have tight hips. Furthermore, you can forget about preventing passes or escaping bad positions if you can’t move your hips. Everything from guard structure to shrimping and bridging starts with the hips. Actually, without adequate BJJ mobility, you can forget about ever playing inverted guard as well.

BJJ Mobility Drills For The Hips

In order to make sure your hips help instead of hinder your BJJ, you need to show them some love. The goal with a BJJ mobility routine targeting the hips is simplicity. There’s absolutely no need to overcomplicate things when looking to make your hips more flexible. The following nine exercises take no more than 10 minutes which means you can (and should) perform them daily. IN terms of programming, go for 15 reps on the dynamic moves, and hold all the static ones for 15 seconds. Simple is key!

Frog Squats

This exercise targets the hip flexor muscles which are directly responsible for moving the hips. To perform this exercise, place your feet on the ground, with the inside of the foot on the floor. Place your arms in front of you and rock back and forth, going as deep a comfortable.

Glute Stretches

This is an isometric exercise to give the flexors some rest and stretch an opposing muscle. PLace one of your legs in front of you, bent at the knee. This time the outside of the foot should touch the floor. Extend the other leg straight behind you and lean forward as far as you can. Repeat on the other side.

Hip Switches

This is an exercise that BJJ people usually do anyway. All it takes is adding a bit of range of motion to it. Start seating with both your legs bent and on one side of your body. Swing them all the way around and lay them on the floor in the same position. Repeat for 15 times.

Knee Rotations

This is one you know from high school warm-ups. It’s also one you’re probably doing wrong. When you perform this you need to sit and have bot helps bent with feet on the mats. Next, collapse one knee at a time inward, focusing on touching the floor.

Butterfly Stretch

Another BJJ classic that’s done incorrectly. Instead of going for short movements that do not extend the range of motion, hold the stretch. Place the soles of your feet together and pull them towards your groin. Now reach towards the floor with your knees and hold the furthest position that you can.

Cossack Lunges

Once again a dynamic exercise. Standing with feet wide apart, go into a lateral lunge and then twist so that you’re facing your bent leg. Put both your arms on the floor and push down with your hips. The goal is to place your elbows on the ground. It may take some time though, so stay where you feel you’re at your maximum.

Goblet Squat Stretch

You might be familiar with the goblet squat if you’re into training with kettlebells. Instead of dynamic movement, though, you’re just going to hold at full depth here. This exercise is the best of the bunch for BJJ mobility. When at the bottom of the squat, use your elbows to push your knees away from each other. make sure you have both feet planted firmly on the mats.

Standing Knee Rotations

This is pretty much the same as the fourth exercise, only you’re going to be standing. Be careful with this one when you first attempt it. Excessive inward rotation while standing might cause damage to the ligaments in the knee. Make sure the focus is on the hips when performing this and stop if there’s any kind of knee discomfort or pain.

Cobra Stretch

Cap things off with a nice isometric stretch. This is another one you probably know and do on a regular basis. Lay on your belly and extend your legs as far back as you can. Place your arms under your shoulders and push so that your upper body goes up. The goal is to keep both legs on the floor while completely extending your arms. You’ll feel this one in the hips for sure!

Video source: https://youtu.be/h6nln6KJs8g

Related Articles:

Sciatica Stretch Variations To Fix BJJ Lower Back Pain
How To Get Flexible Fast
Is Your BJJ Style Adapted To Your Body Type?
Use Gymnastics to Become Freakishly Strong For BJJ

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Sebastian Brosche – Yoga for Rocks

Where do I start with the benefits of Yoga for grapplers? Yoga is the perfect activity to help you get a workout in, while still not sacrificing your body in the process. On the contrary, Yoga helps you mend your body while you train, whereas other more common activities like weightlifting or sprinting further put stress on it. Let’s be real, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is more than enough stress on anybody, and particularly those that are on the “wrong” side of 30.

Yoga 101

If there’s one movement based system out there that is tailor-made for BJJ than it has to be Yoga. Yoga for BJJ is the same as a brioche bun for a burger. It almost seems as if Jiu-Jitsu and Yoga were designed to complement each other. The Yoga For Rocks DVD by Sebastian Brosche is a great example of this. There are just so many similarities between the two of them. It’s not surprising that they both have roots that are deeply entwined with Buddhism and ancient India.

Yoga is a commonly used generic term for a collection of physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines which originated in India. It is an extremely complex and diverse system that embraces many different aspects of the human experience. This aspect of yoga is largely concerned with asanas, which refer to the body positions and physical postures that are held during practice, and vinyasa – a specific sequence of breath-synchronized movements used to transition between sustained asanas.

Besides having been proven to alleviate depression, high blood pressure and a host of other physical ailments, Yoga for BJJ are beneficial in a number of grappling specific ways, several of which we outline below. There are countless different types of yoga classes available, but the main ones you’ll encounter are:

• Iyengar Yoga

This style focuses on the physical alignment of the body in the various asanas. It often uses various supports or ‘props’ to facilitate the poses for beginners and the less flexible. It has very little vinyasa between postures. This type of yoga mainly benefits those with muscular and /or postural imbalances as well as less athletic individuals.

• Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa yoga, in which movement synchronizes with the breath, is a term that covers a broad range of yoga classes. This style is also called flow yoga, because of the smooth way that the poses run together.

Vinyasa classes are some of the most challenging. Each class is usually quite different, and that the pace and intensity closely approximate jiu-jitsu. If you’re looking for muscular endurance and dynamic flexibility this is the class for you.

• Ashtanga Yoga

This is a form of Vinyasa in which the sequence of asanas and vinyasas is much more regimented and strict. In fact, it so structured that every class you do will be almost exactly the same. It’s very effective but some people become bored by the lack of variety.

It uses a very specific form of yogic breathing called ‘ujjayi’ which has a great carryover application to BJJ. It offers supreme breath control and is really beneficial for developing coordination.

• Bikram / ‘Hot’ Yoga

The main differentiating factor of Bikram is that you practice it in a heated room. This (and other styles of ‘hot yoga’) has become very popular as of late. Due to the heat and humidity, Bikram can be a little extreme, and it’s not a good fit for anyone in poor shape.

Although I feel that most other Hatha styles are superior, I think that the discomfort caused by the humidity might be good for developing mental strength that could transfer well to grappling martial arts. It is perfect for losing fat.

Benefits Of Yoga For BJJ

Yoga for BJJ is something we’ve all done at one point or another. Or at least, what we thought was Yoga for BJJ. Most of us did have been to a regular Yoga class or tried to follow a YouTube workout along. While that’s all good and beneficial, it is not grappling specific. The “real” Yoga for BJJ is actually a somewhat new creation. The man behind it BJJ black belt Sebastian Brosche. Hw is the first one to merge the two, by creating a Yoga system that is specific for grapplers. Moreover, he has several programs that address different aspects of strength flexibility. The Yoga For Rocks DVD, though, has to be his most impressive work so far!

One of the most commonly ‘imposed demands’ of Jiu-Jitsu is a contraction. When you’re in guard, attacking from the side or back control and many of the other positions, your body is constantly in a contracted state. The upper back is often rounded as you are holding onto an opponent. The hip flexors and psoas muscles are usually tightened because the knees are tucked up towards the chest. As for the neck and shoulders – well if you’ve been training for any length of time you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. This excessive contraction is even more pronounced in the primary defensive postures, like the turtle position.

Yoga for BJJ results in twofold effect – it lengthens and opens the body. As an added bonus, many of your submissions will also improve. Consider that many of the finishes in grappling martial arts require an exaggerated expansion out from the center. For example, during an armbar, you arch your back and drive your hips forwards to apply leverage. Addressing imbalances with Yoga for BJJ will allow you to improve greatly.

Inevitable Flexibility Gains

We all know that guy who can wrap his legs around your waist from the bottom of the mount and reverse the position. There’s one of those in every academy.

Although you can get away without being flexible in Jiu-Jitsu, it’s an attribute that’s unquestionably beneficial. The greater the range of motion in your joints, the more options you will have in each position. In fact, some parts of Jiu-Jitsu will be completely inaccessible to you unless you develop the required suppleness. The rubber guard is the most obvious example of such a position. And, the Yoga For Rocks DVD is the ultimate tool to turn even the stiffest grapplers into proficient rubber guard players. Or develop an impassable guard like Sebastian Brosche.

Strength Through Stability

The kind of strength developed through Yoga for BJJ is unlike anything else you’ve ever experienced. Over the past couple of decades the phrase ‘core strength’ has become very popular in sports training. Well, Yoga goes far beyond that.

Correct practice develops so-called ‘”intelligent strength”. Not only does it train the central nervous system to fire muscles in the correct sequence, but it also teaches you which muscles to engage. The ultimate goal is to maintain postural alignment and efficiently move your anatomy through space. And we all know that good posture and movement are hallmarks of superior Jiu-Jitsu skills. Both of these qualities are included in the Yoga For Rocks DVD classes.

Furthermore, holding the asanas develops muscular endurance which is perfectly suited to the isometric contractions required for finishing submissions. And although it tones and strengthens, yoga does not produce excessive muscle hypertrophy. Too much muscle mass is never good for Jiu-Jitsu. It is inefficient because it burns oxygen quickly and inhibits movement. Consistent practice (will reset your body to its optimum tissue composition.

Yoga is exceptional for developing balance. Many of the standing asanas are done unilaterally (on one leg), which not only improves stability but sport-specific strength as well.

Breath Control

Your body is the tool with which you create your Jiu-Jitsu, and the more you know about it and more effectively you can operate it the better you’ll be on the mat. The increase in body awareness from yoga practice is a major benefit.

One of the most valuable ways to achieve this is through breath control. Not only will the vinyasas teach you to coordinate your movement and breathing, but yogic techniques such as pranayama will enable you to engage your diaphragm and utilize your lungs to their full capacity. This will greatly improve your stamina during rolling.

Sebastian Brosche – The Most Flexible Grappler Alive

Sebastian Brosche is a Swedish BJJ black belt under Eduardo Rios. He received his black belt recently, in December of 2016.he is also a second-degree Judo black belt. Apart from grappling martial arts, Sebastian is also a huge Yoga enthusiast. So much so, in fact, that he even turned full vegan in an attempt to weed out bad habits. The thing is, Sebastian was once just like the rest of us – an injury-ridden, stiff grappler that was constantly in some sort of pain. Until he met Stine Hegre.

Hegre, now Brosche’s wife, is a Yoga expert. She influenced Sebastian to give Yoga a try in addition to his constant BJJ training. Form 2007 onwards, Brosche was all about submission wrestling and Judo. He started training BJJ in Checkmat Sweden and then moved to Oslo where he met up with Eduardo Rios. Just like every other grappler, Brosche suffered from injuries and little nags. With the help of Hegre, though, he managed to turn things around completely.

Regular Yoga training, paired with BJJ, increased his flexibility, dexterity, range of motion and reduced pretty much every injury he had. After only a year of Yoga and BJJ, Sebastian actually came up with the Yoga FOR BJJ concept. Since then, his idea has grown into a full-blown online training program. And now, his first-ever multi-part DVD is out as well.

Should you get Sebastian’s Yoga For Rocks DVD to become stronger, yet more flexible and limber? Certainly! Should you also go vegan in the process? That’s up to you but is far from mandatory. Me, I’m going to be sticking to steak and potatoes, but I’m making this yoga program a daily thing!

Sebastian Brosche And The Yoga For BJJ Brand

Yoga for BJJ, in particular, has been around for several years. It is an online-based program created by Sebastian Brosche that anyone can sing up for. The best part about it is that similarly to BJJ it is far from complete. As Brosche himself learns the secrets of Yoga further, he always updates his programs or comes up with entirely new ones. Given that he is not just a black belt, but also a highly competitive grappler, his inside knowledge of what is needed to actually make BJJ people move better is priceless. The Yoga For Rocks DVD is his latest issue.

Borsche was actually considered one of the top brown belts in 2015. He has a World champion title (purple belt), European (purple & blue) and more to his name. He also has notable appearances in invite-only professional tournaments like Polaris. His experience means that he knows exactly what to target with each of his programs.

His first DVD though is a real godsend to most grapplers. The Yoga For Rocks DVD is actually a complete program, focusing on all the areas that are essential to grappling. Moreover, you do not need to be flexible like Eddie Bravo to start practicing it. On the contrary, this is instructional to take the stiff and achy grappler and turn him into, well, a not so calm Yogi.

A Review Of The Yoga For Rocks DVD by Sebastian Brosche

The Yoga For Rocks DVD is, first and foremost, one of the best-named DVDs in the history of BJJ instructionals. Sebastian Brosche speaks perfect English and is very easy to listen to. He likes to demonstrate all the moves himself while explaining in detail why he is doing what he is doing. Moreover, he draws BJJ parallels to make everything crystal clear. The program is very easy to follow, as it does not include crazy Yoga positions that will have you suspended in the air. On the contrary, you’ll increase your range of motion and specific strength by using seemingly straightforward exercises that are staples of Yoga. Which brings us to the progressions.

This Sebastian Brosche DVD is a three-part instructional that goes through all the Yoga progressions that people who have never stretched a day in their life need. The first part covers an introduction and contains two main classes – neck and shoulders and an upper back class. Part two goes into what is, arguably, the most important part of the body for BJJ – the hips. The third and final part is all about the hamstrings, ankles, and wrists. All in all, Brosche covers every body part, with special emphasis on those that are integral for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  What I can’t stress enough is, that despite the Yoga For Rocks DVD title, this instructional is far from a beginners-only one. I’ve been doing Yoga (on and off) for th past decade, and this DVD is not easy to get through, believe me!

Part 1

In the first portion of the Sebastian Brosche Yoga For Rocks DVD, he starts off with an introduction. This is where he quickly goes over his own BJJ and Yoga journey, before going deeper into the benefits. Moreover, he includes a practical manual of how you should use the videos inside. As you’ll see, the content is divided into classes, with each class targeting specific body parts.  The ways you can use this is as a weekly program, a daily practice, or a highly specific way of focusing on only one lagging body part.

The second portion of part one contains two classes. The first one is all about every bodybuilder’s favorite part – chest, albeit in a much different fashion. Here, you get a complete rundown of how to strengthen your chest and triceps, while taking them to extreme ranges of motion at the same time. The one key component of class 1 is the inclusion of the neck. As far as BJJ goes, this is one of the body parts that get lots of damage. In class One, you’ll learn how to make it a lot tougher, while resolving any ongoing issues.

Class two is also extremely important. For instance, I am a guy who has lots of trouble with the traps. This upper back class by Brosche is insanely good for anyone sharing my ailment. It is the one class I tried first from this DVD, and one I plan on doing daily from now on.

Part 2

Part two is something most people in BJJ will probably focus the most on. This is where you get to learn all the exercises and sequences that’ll help you immensely with guard work and retention. This is where Sebastian Brosche covers hip flexibility and strengthening. The first class of this part, or third in total, is all about the front of the hips and the lower back. In other words, the two areas of the body which do not get much rest during Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training.

The inner thighs and outer hips are the focus of the next, fourth class. This is where you learn how to work on those muscles most of us never recognize as important. Not just that, but you also get a full explanation of why they’re important and how to use the Yoga For Rocks DVD to make your BJJ better by training them correctly.

Part 3

Finally, after covering the most important aspects of guard playing, Sebastian Brosche switches his attention to the muscles that guard passers use the most. While the hips and lower back get a shift in her too, there’s more. Class five of the Yoga For Rocks DVD covers the hamstrings and calves which are the muscles on the back of your legs. They are responsible for lots of the motions during passing, as well as balance and base. Moreover, much of the power that the hips have comes courtesy of the hamstrings. That is why deadlifts are such a powerful tool for grapplers. Well, this class is the way to take things to a whole new different level.

Wrapping up the classes in this Sebastian Brosche DVD is the 6^th and final class. This is where Brosche covers some of the less trained parts of our bodies. The attention here is on the ankles, wrists, and forearms. If you think these have no role to play in BJJ, just think about grips and movement, and you’ll see how much you actually rely upon them. Well, now you can make them stronger and be even more efficient.

Final Words

Training Yoga for BJJ is always a good idea, period. However, training Yoga that has actually been developed for grapplers, buy a high-level grappler, is a whole different ball game. Furthermore, in the Yoga For Rocks DVD, you get a Sebastian Brosche instructional that’ll turn even the stiffest grappler into a full-blown Yogi in just weeks. And this is all before we even touch on the present class organization inside the instructional. If there are one strength and conditioning instructional you need in your life, it is this one. Namaste!

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Granted, gymnastics is not just a training method, but an Olympic sport in itself. Actually, it is one of the staples of the Olympics. Gymnastics is a complex sport incorporating every physical ability the body is capable of. It devotes attention to strength, endurance, flexibility, mobility, positional awareness, movement patterns, you name it. Not only can it develop each and every one of these abilities, it can develop them simultaneously. The only drawback is that it requires longer time to develop the associated physical qualities compared to more conventional methods.

Gymnastics 101

Performed by both men and women at a variety of levels, gymnastics has its roots in ancient Greece. Literally meaning “to exercise naked’ the term referred to any type of physical exercise done at the gymnasiums. And yes, males did, originally, exercise without any clothes on. Formalization of the sport was done by the Romans, who adopted the exercises after conquering Greece. Even then, gymnastics were seen as a useful tool for combat preparation, as demonstrated by the Roman legions that used the sport as the main tool for physical conditioning.

Out of the exercise associated whit modern gymnastics, tumbling and vault are the only disciplines that were practiced in the earliest days of the sport.

Modern gymnastics consists of three divisions – artistic, rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline. Artistic gymnastics (for men) is organized into six main events: floor, pommel horse, vault, rings, parallel bars and horizontal bar. There’s also a discipline that combines these events into one routine.  Women that compete in artistic gymnastics have to master the balance beam, the vault,  floor, uneven bars and a combination of the above.

Rhythmic gymnastics is a female only branch of gymnastics. The tools used by the participants determine the names of the events: rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon.

Trampoline and tumbling are done by both male and female athletes. Both are Olympic disciplines as well.

Structure of gymnastic conditioning

When it comes to gymnastic related strength training, one name in particular stands out – Coach Christopher Sommer. He is a professional gymnastics instructor and US Junior National Team coach with over 40 years of experience in the field. He’s also a renowned author, with his “Building the Gymnastic Body” book an essential read for everyone starting gymnastics.

First, let’s make something clear – we’re going to talk about strength and conditioning derived from gymnastics, not getting ready for a gymnastic event. Coach Sommer identifies two crucial categories of gymnastics when it comes to strength training. Those are Fundamental Static Positions and Fundamental Bodyweight Exercises.

As indicated by the name, Fundamental Static Positions are those held in isometric contraction for time. These exercises help an athlete build static strength through holding the body in mechanically disadvantaged positions. The best examples of static  strength building exercises are the front lever, planche and L-sits.

Fundamental Bodyweight Exercises help an athlete develop basic strength. Basic strength is the ability to generate maximum physical force throughout a full range of motion in all planes. Coach Sommer’s premise is that athletes should be so strong, that even at 70% capacity they are far stronger than their opposition. A solid foundation of strength is the gateway to athletic prowess in any sport.

Just check out these gymnast’s incredible feats of strength while competing on the rings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDt3l2s1RGI&w=640&h=380

How gymnastics can help BJJ

Gymnastic training for combat sports was first brought to the public’s eye by GSP. The ever evolving Canadian UFC superstar decided to give gymnastic conditioning a try before he retired. His premise was, that gymnasts can be good at any sport the attempt, so why not train the way they do to improve in MMA? The same holds true for BJJ.

To begin with,  implementing bodyweight moves is always a good idea for grapplers. Bodyweight training means less external load, which means better recovery and more energy. But the gymnastics approach to bodyweight training is different than your usual calisthenics. Gymnastic exercise will put your body through rigorous workouts,  offering countless progressions for every movement pattern. By doing so, you keep challenging yourself while keeping overtraining at bay.

The focus of many aspects of gymnastics is developing core strength, which is a very important quality for grapplers. Core strength is crucial for BJJ, allowing grapplers to move the body through different positions, as well as maintain posture and pressure. In other words, a strong core is the backbone of a strong BJJ game. Gymnastic exercises help athletes develop not only a strong core, but also an athletically functional one.

Apart from exceptional strength, gymnastics training focuses heavily on mobility. Since the static positions require joints to support the body weight in mechanically inferior positions, high level of mobility is a must. The unique manner in which gymnastics аdresses mobility is by adding weight to the exercises. This way, apart from developing mobility, there is also a build up of connective tissue, leading to increased stability as well.

Balance is another quality that gymnastic training can develop. If you’ve ever attempted to pass a great guard player, you know how important balance is in BJJ.

Hybrid training

Gymnastic strength training emphasizes upper body strength and stability above anything else. There is probably no better way to develop the ultimate athletic upper body than gymnastics.

Nevertheless, high level athletes, especially those involved in competition, often need more work on the lower body. Although gymnastics does develop explosive strength in the lower body, those seeking maximal strength should look elsewhere.

A good place to start is Olympic lifting / Powerlifting. If you take a look at Olympic weightlifters you’ll understand why you should adopt their style of training. Or as close to it as possible without burning out. Developing strong legs requires you to move heavy stuff around, which is what Olympic/power lifting offers.

So, a hybrid training methodology, one with gymnastics for the upper body and Olympic lifting for the lower, seems to be the best bet for grapplers. If you’d like to give this method a try, make sure you do the lower body lift first in the session and stay within strength parameters. By that I mean do not attempt hypertrophy training since the intensity alone will leave you gassed and you’ll soon burn out. Go for high volume (lots of sets) and low intensity (2-5 reps) and you are all set.

For the gymnastic part of the workout, coach Sommer has great guidelines in his book, but in short, stick with a 5×5 format for dynamic movements and choose more difficult exercises as you progress. For the static holds, go for half of your maximum time for any given hold. Try and superset 1 static with 1 dynamic move every session and make sure you hit all movement patterns.

There you have it. A simple, smart, and seemingly obvious approach to strength and conditioning training for grappling.

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