Grapple Smart

PART 4: HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT)

I’m not going to lie to you, HIIT training is not fun, at least not for me.  It’s not fun like learning a cool Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique is fun.  But it is absolutely necessary to prepare your body for what it will go through in an actual submission grappling or sport Jiu-Jitsu match.

Let’s be realistic here your opponents are going to be trying to twist your arm, leg, or choke you until you submit due to fear of a broken/ hyper extended limb or unconsciousness.  It’s hard enough to outsmart your opponent in this game of human chess when you’re well rested.  You need to put your body through the ringer often to make sure your stamina (or lack thereof) is an asset not a liability on the mat.  This is the one element of preparation that people have total control over but often neglect because it hurts and it’s not nearly as fun as rolling in class.

What would a typical HIIT work out look like?

My former coach, grappling phenomenon Tyrone Glover had me do this circuit 3 times per week 4-6 weeks leading into a competition.

Sprint 100 yards

15 push ups

Sprint 100 yards

15 bar dips

Sprint 100 yards

15 jump squats

Sprint 100 yards

You REALLY want to be fit? Try CrossFit!

Allow your pulse to get back down to 110 bpm and repeat a total of 3 sets.  You don’t have to do push ups and bar dips either.  You can replace these movements with basic wrestling moves like sprawls, or shots.  A “shot” is a freestyle wrestling move that refers to the motion of lowering your level and shooting forward to attempt a single leg takedowns.  You could also utilize submission wrestling moves like triangle drills or arm bar drills if you have a partner.  The goal is to drill these movements when you are under great physical and mental stress so that they will become ingrained into your muscle memory and come more naturally when you’re tired in the final minutes of a match, which is where many matches are won or lost.

Here’s another example of a HIIT specific workout:

I hope this four part series on how to train for your first competition will help you to prepare for your first competition or will shed some light as to why you may have fallen short of your expectations in competitions past.  It will always be my goal to help people avoid some of the pitfalls and mistakes that I learned the hard way.

So Grapple Hard But Grapple Smart!

Question: from Twitter: Wayne (@vinson06) asks: Why did you go to Gi grappling?

Answer:

Special thanks to xharekx33 amazing photography!

Hey Wayne n Bruce.  My transition to mostly Gi BJJ occurred when my PB instructor, Tyrone Glover, introduced GI work into City Boxing which at the time was nogi all the time.  Over time I began to realize that I had a lot more techniques available to me with the addition of “handles” which of course are the things you can grip on the Gi jacket; collar, sleeves, belt, pants etc. Another reason is that as I got older (and a little slower lol) the Gi game was more methodical, slower and negated some of the pure athleticism many of younger wrestlers possessed.

I also like the Judo throws that you can implement in BJJ, especially competition.  Since I’m always looking for any edge I can get to catch up with some of the really experienced sport jiu-jitsu players I tried to get better at Judo take downs than my opponents.  I found that a lot of sport jiu-jitsu players (people who train to compete in BJJ tournaments vs. Brazilian jiu-jitsu only for self defense)  didn’t always have the best stand up game.

Interestingly, I use nogi techniques when rolling gi and vice versa.  You also have a lot more options for sweeps and subs in Gi game which I like.  Finally, the belt system in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu gives you yet another incentive to improve and train consistently.

Nice question Wayne!

Grappling phenom Tyrone Glover

This post is a tribute to one of the greatest influences in my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling game.  I had the honor of being coached by Tyrone Glover at City Boxing for a couple years.  I earned my blue belt from him as well as so many insights into the his grappling philosophy.  Thanks for everything!

Here’s a famous video of a demo Tyrone did at Cassio Werneck’s place.  Truly dynamic movement!

Here’s a cool highlight vid:

And another.  Can you say figure four toe hold?!?

Still roll’n even after earning his JD.