Photo by Daria Kochetkova Photography. IG: Tebezvonu.

Jiu-Jitsu, twice per day? Sure, why not! If you have the time (and the work ethic), then you should definitely go for it – with more mat time, your BJJ will improve tenfold!
But how should you go about training two times per day? How do you make sure that you keep improving, and that you won’t get injured?

HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRAIN ALREADY?

First of all, if you already train 7 or 6 times per week, then training twice per day may not be too beneficial to you. You’re already getting a lot of mat time in, especially if you’re a hobbyist.
If you have some additional free time, it may be better to invest it into strength training instead; as it will help keep the injuries at bay.

MORE TIME ON THE MATS = MORE WORK OFF THE MATS

Training 2x per day will take its toll on your body. So, if you’re going to train twice per day, then you should realize that this means more work off the mats as well.
That is, you’ll need to put in at least some prehab, mobility and strength work, in order to decrease the chances for injury. Additionally, you’ll have to invest time into recovery methods – such as foam rolling and massages.

GET YOUR NUTRITION AND SLEEP IN CHECK

Now, more than ever, it’s paramount for you to be eating properly and sleeping for at least 8 hours per night. When your training frequency increases, the quality of your recovery needs to increase as well; and nothing other than proper nutrition and adequate sleep will get you ready for training, as well as keep you healthy at the same time.

REST WHEN YOU NEED TO – EVEN IF UNPLANNED

Sometimes, the pre-planned rest won’t cut it. Your body will ask for more time off. It’s extremely important that you listen to your body in these moments – take time off, even if that means skipping a training session or two.
You could be looking at a potential injury if you decide otherwise.

DON’T TRAIN 2X PER DAY EVERY DAY

Have some pre-planned rest. At the bare minimum one full rest day per week – ideally, more. Also, have some days when you’ll train just once.
Stick to your rest as much as you stick to your training.

ONE CLASS = DRILLS

If you don’t want to burn out and if you want to keep improving at a steady rate, then you shouldn’t go all out with rolling on every training session. Instead, reserve one of the daily training sessions to just drilling – and keep the second session for the rolls. This way, you’ll both have time to refine your technique and to test how well you fare with it in live sparring.
Also, it’s a good idea to begin flow rolling more and doing more positional sparring. If every roll is a pedal-to-the-metal one, it’s just a matter of time when injuries shall appear.

IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO ROLL MORE, THOUGH…

… Because you need to be focused more as well. Mat time will, for sure, make you improve faster in and of itself. However, you’ll eventually hit a plateau even with more time training sessions.
If you want to make your twice-per-day training sessions really count, then you need to be more focused during them as well! Don’t just go through the movements, the drills, and the rolls. Be serious about your grappling – pay attention to every single detail, as you contemplate how you could execute it as perfectly as possible.

More focus + more mat time. Now that is an extremely successful combination for your BJJ improvement.