Gordon Ryan, arguably the greatest no-gi BJJ athlete of all time, recently shared his wisdom on navigating the challenges of training – in a podcast episode with illusionist Chris Angel.
Ryan revealed that even he doesn’t always feel “up for training”. But he does it anyway:
Motivation can be an issue, but discipline should never be an issue.
So, a lot of days I get up and I’m, like: “Man, I’m really f**king tired.”But you get up and you do it.
Understanding the impossibility of maintaining peak intensity in every session, especially when training multiple times a day, Ryan adopts a strategic approach.
On days marked by fatigue or soreness, he opts for lighter rounds with less experienced partners, focusing on refining specific techniques and aspects of his game:
You can’t just go as hard as you can every single round every session, otherwise you just get hurt.
So, you basically will go in and say: “Okay, I am learning this. I am playing around with this new move or a move from my back…”
And then you just get somebody that’s not as skilled as you, and then you basically get on your back and you’re just kind of, you know, repping that technique.
