Can’t get on the mat as often as you’d like to? Many martial artists feel as if they never get enough time to practice their grappling and submission holds. Your work, relationships, and social life can get in the way of the time you spend in your local BJJ studio.
Just because you can’t be on the mat all day doesn’t mean you can’t improve your craft. Here are 4 ways to improve your BJJ in your everyday life.
1) Find a Diet That Works for You
Completing all your training and workouts will only get you so far. Make your hard work on the mat count by adopting good eating habits in your everyday life.
What BJJ goals do you have? If you have an ectomorph (long and lanky) body type, you might want to put on more muscle. To do so, you’ll have to commit to:
- Eating every three hours
- Consuming healthy fats
- Drinking plenty of water
- Sticking to whole foods for the majority of your meals
- Adding good protein sources to every meal
Not everyone will benefit from the same diet plan. Some people will want to lose weight or maintain their current build to meet their BJJ goals. Talk with a dietitian to find a plan that’ll work for you.
Sometimes, alternative diets might be just what you need. However, you will need to exercise caution. For example, if you want to experiment with intermittent fasting, you should follow Intermittent Fasting for Beginners guidelines to avoid putting your health at risk. You’ll have to coordinate your active and rest days to ensure you have enough energy to make it through each upcoming workout.
2) Study, Study, Study
Whenever you have some free time during the day, pick up an educational resource and learn more about the craft. You can seek instruction from membership sites, streaming services, mobile apps, or DVDs you find at your local library.
If possible, try to simplify your learning. Select a specific technique or position to master in your downtime.
Sometimes, studying instructional materials can become tedious. For a more exciting way to learn, try watching competition footage. It can be footage of people who attend your school or professionals on YouTube. Even if you’re a beginner who hasn’t been to a competition yet, watching past matches will help you get an idea of what to expect.
One of the most interesting methods you can try is to look for a technique you’re struggling with and analyze how a top competitor performs it. Replicating the best is an excellent way to improve your skills.
3) Find Complementary Interests
As passionate about BJJ as you are, you will benefit from picking up other activities.
Don’t worry; you won’t be betraying your main art. Participating in other hobbies can help you develop essential skills.
The following hobbies and sports will help you improve certain skills:
- Swimming: breath control
- Paddleboarding: balance
- Rock climbing: grip strength
- Trail running: coordination
You don’t have to live and breathe BJJ every moment of your life. Taking a break from BJJ for a day or two can help you return to the mat with a fresh perspective.
4) Set Goals
When you’re on the mat, it can be easy to get caught up in your current circumstances. You want to get through a workout or beat your sparring partner.
Don’t forget about what you want to accomplish down the line. Set goals for yourself in increments of:
- 1 week
- 1 month
- 3 months
- 6 months
- 1 year
- 5 years
- 10 years
These goals can be large in scale, like earning a new belt. Or, they can be smaller, like perfecting the shrimp technique.
Keep your goals realistic and action-oriented, and you will set yourself up for success!
Bottom Line
Every BJJ athletes has unique strengths and areas they can work on. You may need to adjust your diet to lose or gain weight, or you could benefit from an afternoon studying at the library and setting new goals.
Listen to your body, brain, and coach. Stay open and remember that BJJ is a discipline where you never stop learning.
