Simple Jiu Jitsu Strength Training Truths
Sometimes it’s easy to find yourself lost in the weeds with regards to training programs, nuance and the finer points on “proper training.”
So with that in mind, I have a rather brief article to share today. Brief because these are simple tenants of strength training for jiu jitsu and grappling sports. If nothing else, my experience has shown if you focus on these things, you should find yourself happy with your progress in your strength and conditioning program for these sports.
#1- If you are small and don’t want to be small anymore, then getting bigger generally trumps all other training goals, or trying to develop any other “special qualities”.
This is self explanatory: if you are undersized, or feel outmuscled, the simple, but not easy answer is to get bigger. In other words: get stronger.
ex: Special Qualities would include being more explosive, speed or any very specific training outcome. You shouldn’t worry about these things if you’re not at an optimal size for your weight class or find yourself generally not enjoying rolling during class*. Generally I find that when people aren’t feeling comfortable in their weight class, they’re too small.
*It’s important to also understand that if you’re a non-competitor, but regular jiu jitsu athlete who mostly just trains hard in class, that your size and optimal body composition will contribute immensely to your enjoyment of jiu jitsu. In a future article, we’ll address this in more detail.
#2 Mobility is beneficial and a baseline for your performance, but once you get enough of it to execute your game- you’re probably wasting your time trying to get more of it.
There are great mobility protocols out there. They work. But like everything, they don’t work forever. Once your progress starts to level off, it’s probably time to turn your attention elsewhere. You should also ask yourself how much more mobility you really need, why, and where you think it could come from. The worst mistake in this area that I see is people staying too long on mobility programs that previously worked for them, but really do nothing for them anymore.
#3 Whatever quality you physically lack is ultimately what you should train. It doesn’t need to be “sport specific”— it needs to be goal specific.
If you do in fact need to be more explosive, then training to be explosive is generally where you should look. This sounds obvious, but people often get confused and discard an otherwise great training protocol that would promote power/explosive qualities just because it doesn’t say “jiu jitsu” or their specific sport on it. It helps to have the knowledge, for sure, but it’s not the most important factor. The quality you want is the most important factor.
These points are all simplified from potentially more nuanced discussion. Sure there are outliers, and yes the sport and its demands should always be considered, but if you’re really trying to focus on training programs that will be effective for jiu jitsu or grappling sports— these three rules should help guide you for a long time to come.