Five Activities to Supplement Your BJJ Training

These days, it’s just not enough to just do jiu-jitsu. I mean, you can. There are no rules against it, and if Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is simply a fun hobby that gets you out of the house and moving, you certainly don’t have any obligation to do more than that.

But if your goals are greater than that, you should do more. You need to supplement your BJJ training in other ways.  

Whether you have dreams of becoming a high-level competitor, or you simply want to get really good at jiu-jitsu, or even if you’re merely interested in maintaining your longevity on the mat, here are five things you should be doing to supplement your BJJ training:

1. Strength Training

For both the BJJ athlete as well as the mat warrior focused on longevity, adding strength training to your weekly routine is a must.

For the competitor, this is a no-brainer. When you have two athletes of similar skill, the stronger will have the advantage. This is not to say that he or she will win a hundred percent of the time. But the stronger athlete will have more success in defending an attack, or applying a technique against the other person’s defense.

Aside from that, a well-rounded and thoughtfully-designed strength training regimen will also help keep you injury-free. This is something that any practitioner can benefit from. This is because jiu-jitsu is a highly-dynamic combative sport. As such, you will invariably find yourself in positions that could potentially compromise your physical health (think: a hyper-extended elbow from a fast armbar). The stronger your muscles are, the better protected your joints will be.

2. Yoga

I’m not saying that you should dive head-first into the yogi lifestyle, join an Asharram and do weekly wheat juice cleanses while in crow pose. No judgement here if you do, though. And actually, I’d be more than a little impressed if you did.  

But what is important, particularly for your longevity on the mat, is consistent stretching and balance work. “Consistent” being the operative word. Stretching helps improve your flexibility and range of motion. As most jiu-jitsu submissions target the joints, it’s important to have a healthy range of motion. Otherwise, the same amount of torque and tension that your opponent applied safely to one person, might in fact injure your body. Additionally, balancing exercises strengthen all the little muscles around your joints, further supporting them, and thereby lowering your risk of injury. 

You can stretch and work on your balance without calling it yoga, or even doing “yoga” per se. But there’s no denying the nice, neat little package that your local yoga studio – or favorite yoga YouTube channel – provides. A 40-minute to one hour session, a couple times a week, is plenty to start seeing benefits on the mat.

3. Running

Okay, yes, I know this is a hard sell. Very few jiu-jitsu practitioners enjoy running. I mean, it’s probably one of the reasons your chosen form of exercise is scooting around on your butt, aggressively hugging your friends.

But hear me out. Not only does running improve your overall cardio – which translates directly to your ability to roll multiple rounds with little rest – but research has also shown that it improves your bone density.  There have been a few MMA fighters and jiu-jitsu practitioners with broken bones these past few years, and it may be in part due to diet and training regimens that aren’t doing enough to promote healthy bone density.

However, research also shows that you can overdo it.  But I don’t think many jiu-jitsu practitioners are at risk of becoming ultra-marathon runners, as well.

4. Study

You can only spend so much time on the mat before your body starts to break down. Additionally, depending on the curriculum – or lack thereof – at your academy, you will only be learning so much. To really become a high-level competitor, or just to become a very knowledgeable practitioner, you must study.

Nothing beats on-the-mat, in-person practice, but studying jiu-jitsu will help you grow. You’ll find techniques that you might not have seen in class; you’ll learn details that you might have missed; you’ll be able to increase your understanding of Brazilian jiu-jitsu any day, any time.

Luckily for you, there are now a ton of resources out there. You can purchase instructionals featuring your favorite jiu-jitsu athlete. You can subscribe to the online training platform of your favorite team. You can even watch hours upon hours of free content via YouTube.

5. Logic Games

Think about it: jiu-jitsu is basically a physical game of chess. You’re constantly trying to out-smart, out-maneuver your opponent to obtain the ultimate check mat: the submission. Now consider some of the world’s best grapplers… most of them are huge nerds or hard-core gamers.

Because Brazilian jiu-jitsu is just as much mental as it is physical, it stands to reason that consistent exercising of your brain will have direct benefits for your jiu-jitsu game. This is why you should be dedicating a few hours a week to some sort of logic game. If you’re already an active gamer, good for you. If you never got into video games, you can download one of the many brain training apps. Even doing the daily New York Times crossword puzzle counts (just don’t get discouraged over the Saturday crossword… it’s notoriously spicy).

Competitor or not, your growth and longevity on the mat depends not only on what you do on the mat, but also what you do off of it. These five activities will supplement your BJJ training and help you reach your goals.