It’s so easy to train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when you’re young! When you’re a kid or even a student, your life basically comes down to going to school/university, studying, Jiu Jitsu and social life. However, fast forward that to the immediate present, and – things get a heck of a lot more hectic than they’ve ever been before. You have your career (or perhaps you’re both working and studying at the same time), your family, you’re trying to keep at least some of your social life… And you’re giving your best to keep training.
But what if you’re having trouble, what if your Jiu Jitsu time is suffering due to all of this stuff? Here’s a simple solution: get up early in the morning.
GET UP EARLY FOR THE MORNING CLASSES
Perhaps the absolute best reason due to which you could wake up early are BJJ morning classes. Just imagine it: you get up early and you get your drills, techniques and rolls in before most other people have even began their days. You feel accomplished, focused and happy because you’ve done something that matters to you a lot; something that helps you vent all of that stress and which keeps your body healthy and fit!
Your day is off to a fantastic start.
However, morning classes are often difficult. Generally speaking, it can be quite difficult to be „on point“ when you woke up just recently. This is nothing that a bit of stretching, eating a quality meal and drinking enough water, as well as warming up more before class can’t solve.
So, if morning classes are available in your BJJ academy, be sure to go. You’ll feel like a million bucks after!
GET UP EARLY TO FINISH MORE OF YOUR WORK
If morning classes aren’t an option, then getting up early in the morning can be used for getting work done. That is, if you wake up earlier then you have much more time to finish your job/university tasks, and therefore you’ll be much more free in the evenings for Jiu Jitsu.
Of course, you don’t have to take it to the extreme such as Jocko Willink does; waking up at 4:00 or 4:30 in the morning. Chances are, if you were to try this, that you’d burn out really quickly. But you surely could wake up an hour to two hours earlier.
If you do this and decide to take on the most important tasks of the day first, then you could really get ahead; not just of your competition (if you’re career-driven), but also ahead of all those who complain that they can’t make it to evening classes – but yet sleep until 9:00 AM.
HOW TO GET UP EARLIER
Having elaborated these two BJJ-advantages of getting up early in the morning, let’s consider some pointers on how to actually get up earlier.
First of all, you have to make sure to get enough sleep. If you’re waking up early but can’t function properly because you’re sleeping 4 hours per night on average, you’re only harming yourself. Then, put your alarm clock/phone far away from your bed, so that you don’t get into the habit of snoozing too often (such as the author of this article had back in the day).
And thirdly, a fantastic way to set yourself up for an easier and more successful morning rise is to plan your day out the night before. This is especially true if you are going to work earlier; by knowing what you have to do and why you’re actually waking up early, you won’t oversleep as easily once that alarm goes off.
