In the competitive ranks of jiu-jitsu and submission grappling, even the best training and preparation can fall short due to poor nutrition and hydration strategies.

I think every athlete understands the importance of hydration, but few really understand how much it can betray you when you do it incorrectly. The following case study higlights one of our athletes at DiSalvo Performance Training who consistently reached podium and gold medal contention, but struggled to maintain the energy required to fight long into deep brackets.

Profile

Robin Hwang is a competitor at Unity Jiu Jitsu in New York City. He competes exclusively in the gi, typically in the IBJJF, and is currently at the purple belt rank.

I’ve known and trained Robin for a long time. He made the goal years ago to be a competitive black belt who wasn’t just worthy of the rank, but ready to compete for major titles by the time he got there. He understood my long-term athletic development philosophies and started training with me as a white belt.

The last two competitive seasons have been tough for Robin. In 2023, he won nearly every IBJFF Open he entered. At the major tournaments, however, he only lasted two rounds. This pattern occasionally repeated itself in bigger IBJJF Opens.

He often lost to competitors he had previously beaten or with whom he had even records. This wasn’t a case of someone “having his number.” It wasn’t competition anxiety either.

Weigh-Ins and Weight Cuts

We started looking at the numbers on his weigh-ins as he prepped for each tournament. While he had never missed weight, neither of us would call his weight cuts “easy.”

The IBJJF, like many gi jiiu jitsu federations, requires same-day weigh-ins, which makes cutting large amounts of weight very difficult and potentially dangerous.

Adding to the difficulty is the fact that matches typically begin just 15 minutes following an athlete’s weigh-in. The second match is often just as quick. Anyone who has attempted intense physical activity after rapidly consuming large amounts of fluid knows how difficult proper rehydration can be.

Besides logistical components outside of Robin’s control, he competes at a weight class that he is most certainly on the larger end of, making his nutrition leading up to the tournaments extremely important. We’re very proud that he’s never missed weight, despite some weight cuts being smoother than others.

Robin was barely in his 20’s when we started training together. Nearly 6 years later, he’s gotten substantially stronger and carries a lot more lean mass than he did back in 2018. After much deliberation the last two years, we both agreed that he got enough of a competitive advantage at a lower weight class to make the cuts worth it.

The problem was that despite successful weight cuts, he fell into a common hydration trap on game day.

Game Tape: We Studied

I reviewed all his Open performances vs. his major performances and found a trend that smacked me in the face. Any tournament that was only 2 matches resulted in Gold at IBJJF Opens. If it went past 2 matches, there was a loss in the third match a majority of the time.

This was a problem, besides the obvious fact that he was losing, because all major tournaments (IBJJF Pans, Europeans, Worlds, Brazilian Nationals/Brasilieros) will go more than 2 matches.

So I went back and asked Robin last year: what do you do to refuel in the time after your second match?

His answer was that it depended on the day and what was available.

In short, it wasn’t much besides water.

This was the perfect opening to add a next level of preparation and make sure he always went in ready to refuel mid-tournament (or intra-tournament as we refer to it).

Strategy

From my own competition days and coaching experience, I knew the first two matches in a long bracket occur in quick succession. The third match typically comes much later, with a significant gap after the second match, providing plenty of time for effective rehydration.

Robin was experiencing what is sometimes referred to as “hitting a wall” or “bonking” - he was running out of fuel due to depleted glycogen, dehydration, and the building blocks of other energy substrates that he needed to continue pushing.

You can lose drastic amounts of power output at just 1% total bodyweight reduction via water. Beyond that, a dehydrated athlete is one that’s competing with a huge risk of injury. I don’t know about you, but working with a handicap to your power output, plus an injury risk is not how you want to be on the day where your performance actually matters.

So we devised a strategy in which we had him take a high dose electrolyte supplement the morning he competed (assuming he wasn’t in any weigh-in dangers), and then again in smaller dose after his first match. After the second match, he would take the same high dose electrolyte supplement.

Then, we would have him consume drinks higher in carbohydrates. Here, you can use just about anything your stomach tolerates.

If we sensed that he had some real time between matches 2 and 3, we had a properly dosed carbohydrate rich snack. This is very personal to the person and could be anything from bananas to something that also may be more carbohydrate and fat dense.

Note, while I am not endorsed by them or any supplement company, I am happy to say and recommend that my electrolyte supplement of choice here is LMNT. The high dose of magnesium from a good source, as well as the high sodium content make it a great choice for competitions, as well as post-weigh in refueling. We used this supplement with Matheus Diniz at CJI as well immediately after his weigh-ins.

Results

Once we made this modification, Robin went on to have his most successful season in the IBJJF adult ranks in 2024. He earned silver medals at both 2024 Pan Ams and Brazilian Nationals (Brasilieros), winning a handful of Opens along the way. He also had a strong showing at Worlds. It was a huge triumph for him, after having a disappointing prior two seasons that saw him just fall short of the podium at major tournaments.

It’s also worth mentioning that Robin does all this as a full time athlete and student. His demanding training schedule and in the classroom means he has little margin for error in his preparation. Sometimes, you can be on the right track, but missing a smaller ingredient that pushes you over the edge — especially when you operate so close to your capacity. In this case, Robin was doing all the training and lifestyle management right, we just needed to fill in the gap.

We’re proud of Robin’s progress and look forward to his 2025 gi season!

About the Author: Mark DiSalvo, CSCS

Mark is the founder and owner of DiSalvo Performance Training. He brings over a decade of experience training clients and athletes of all backgrounds and is the strength and conditioning coach to grapplers of all levels and disciplines: from youth to professional and Olympic-level. He is currently a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu himself, with 10 years of experience in the sport. You can read more about him here.

A graduate of Northeastern University, he’s an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Sports Performance Expert with a specialty in combat sports. He’s also a Steve Maxwell Certified Kettlebell Instructor (Levels 1 & 2).

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