In a sport such as Mixed Martial Arts or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, those who are serious competitors are always searching for a new edge to gain over their opponents by learning new moves or training techniques.
In an ever evolving world, how can one get the upper hand on the next opponent they’ll meet?
One sure shot way to see your game grow by leaps and bounds is by training with a grappling dummy!
Slowing The Game Down To Your Own Speed
One of the major benefits I’ve noticed when it comes to training with a grappling dummy is the fact that you can slow the speed down to wherever you want it!
I’m sure we’ve all been in a position before where we hop on the mat, learn a new move and drill it. However, there’s one or two things that we aren’t too sure abut and cause us to scratch our heads, but we don’t feel like being “that guy” and asking questions are the mercy of the rest of the class.
It’s normal.
Having your own grappling dummy eliminates this situation and allows you to learn however you want. Imagine doing that same sequence but on a dummy. Once you get to the part that is causing you trouble, you can hit the pause button and study where you are in relation to the dummy.
Where is your placed? Are your hips in a strong position? Is there any secondary options available?
All of these questions are things you can’t always answer in the heat of the moment, but being able to slow it down allows you to not only learn that specific sequence in-depth, but also develops your overall feel for the entire game.
Familiarizing Your Muscles With The Movements
Likewise, not only does it allow you to learn the moves and the intricacies of them all, but it allows your muscles to learn as well. I’m sure by now we have all heard the term “muscle memory” at one point or another.
When you have the ability to drill on your own time—and as we determined, your own speed—you are giving your muscles time to adapt to the movements and strength over time.
Think back of the first time you had some serious trouble getting a specific sequence down pat. Chances are the reason you had issues with it was because your coordination was off, or maybe your hips didn’t have proper range of motion. No matter the reason, chances are it was something physically related that was causing the problem.
When this issue arises with a grappling dummy, you have the luxury of learning these moves over and over. Even if you want to break it down into pieces, allowing your body to take on chunks of information at first, you can!
If you rather focus on a certain placement of the foot or escape with your hips rather than the entire sequence from start to finish, then a grappling dummy is ideal for you!
As something that does not only improve your actual grappling ability, but develops a specific set of foundational memory for your muscle groups, the grappling dummy is something that every grappler can stand to implement into their game.
