BJJ players get into some gnarly positions when rolling.. How is it then, that so many of us have such shithouse flexibility?

Humans of every shape and size can build a jits game based on their unique body shape… It’s awesome.. It means anyone can play and that there are always new positions being developed

It’s also The Curse —

Being able to adapt your game to your body means that you can cut corners when it comes to addressing mechanical deficiencies

> Hips so tight you can’t comfortably sit in a squat? Cool, lets play more guard and fuck people up from the bottom

> Spine so rigid you can’t invert? OK, lets build an aggressive top game

> Elbows won’t lock out all the way? Easy, let’s keep those arms close to the body and hope to god no-one attacks that armbar

99.9% of us come into the game with a bunch of mobility issues already.. Office work.. Trade work.. Desk-jockeying.. Student life.. Driving trucks.. Most of us either don’t move enough OR we move in only a few different ways

Both options suck.. You were built to move and if you don’t you will pay a price

Additionally, BJJ practice develops major imbalances in the body.. Combine the two and you have a recipe for serious mobility issues, and massively increased potential for serious injury

Classic BJJ mobility deficiencies:

• Overactive hip flexors from all that guard

• Sticky shoulders from years of battles (and your desk job isn’t helping)

• Hunched upper back and rolled shoulders  – the classic grappler posture

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BULLETPROOF FOR BJJ

 

You don’t have the time to work on your mobility for hours a day..

But, if you could do a small amount of work now, that would have a massive effect on your longevity in the sport as well as your health, would you do it?

Quick and effective is the goal here

Keep in mind, i could write you the best, most comprehensive strength and mobility program in the world.. But if you can’t follow it, it was a shithouse program to begin with

So to keep this #1 Achievable, and #2 Easy to implement, i have compiled the 3 MOST EFFECTIVE STRETCHES for BJJ Players

These stretches have produced massive results for me and for all of my students.. When used consistently they will help stave off the majority of mobility issues that plague life-long BJJ players as well as undoing the joint gunk that has already accumulated

THE PROGRAM

• Complete each stretch in entirety before moving on to the next stretch. Once you’ve done them all once, complete a second round (so that’s 2 sets in total)
• Complete before and after training (so that 4 sets in total per training session). It will take you less than 8mins to do 2 sets
• Feel free to do these every day.. More is better here

THE STRETCHES

1. Tabletop 45s hold
2. Side Extension & Rotation 45s hold each side
3. Super Couch 45s hold each side

Complete 2 sets without resting before and after class

Tabletop targets the pec, shoulder and bicep tendon.. All of which get super tight from ruining peoples lives with your killer bottom game:

• hands at shoulder width
• elbows locked
• pull shoulder blades back
• drive through heels while squeezing butt and bracing abs

TABLETOP: Elbows locked, shoulders back, butt and abs tight, driving through heels

Same position, but turn hands out if wrists hurt (and we work on those next time)

Side Extension and Rotation targets the middle and upper spine while also hitting everything from the hip flexors all the way to the shoulders.. Loosening up the spine (or trunk) will enable you to move better, and greatly reduce your chances of slipping a disc

• lying on side, lift top leg up so the hip and knee are at 90 degrees
• keep top knee pressed into floor
• straighten top arm and make a fist
• arm positioned at 45 degrees from spine, pulling arm and shoulder towards the floor (don’t let that knee come up)

EXT & ROT: Bottom leg straight, pull top leg up to 90degrees at hip and knee. Keep knee pinned to floor with bottom arm, top arm straight and opened out to 45 degrees. Pull top arm and shoulder to floor while keeping top knee on the floor.

EXT & ROT: other side view

EXT & ROT: Top view of arm positioned at 45degrees to spine, elbow locked, fist tight

Super Couch targets the quad and hip flexors, a group of muscles that get EXTREMELY tight from playing most positions in BJJ especially the guard. This will open up the hips and reduce lower back pain too:

• Place knee around half shin length from wall
• tuck pelvis posteriorly, squeeze butt, pull ribcage down
• drive hips forward to stretch

SUPER COUCH: Lunge position, tuck the pelvis underneath the spine, squeeze the butt, pull the ribcage down, then push the hips forward

SHITHOUSE SUPER COUCH: pelvis NOT tucked, butt NOT tight and ribcage NOT pulled down. Don’t look like this

If you can maintain this, you’re already ahead of the game.

If you don’t have the time to add these simple drills into your training, you aren’t taking this shit seriously enough

Invest a small amount of time in mobilising before and after class now, to avoid having to spend a HUGE amount of time off the mats further down the track

Keep me posted on your progress too

We have an upcoming workshop where we will be teaching a Complete Blueprint of how to Bulletproof The Body For BJJ – Click here for more info

If you liked this post and find this information useful, you will love the workshop

Happy training amigos!

Joey