It is inherent in the practice of Jiu-Jitsu to employ flexibility and balance. When you see someone in action, you will see why. To be competent, you need to master these areas a lot because even though you are a great fighter, you won’t be able to reach your full potential if you neglect these two items.
Several supplemental pieces of training available can help you improve your flexibility and balance. However, most Jiu-Jitsu experts will say that you can leave them all behind and just focus on one thing—yoga.
What is yoga, and what is its role in helping you become a better Jiu-jitsu practitioner.
Yoga is the generic name provided for the collection of physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines that originated in India. This practice has been around for thousands of years and has many iterations such as Ashtanga, Bikram, Iyengar, among others. You can learn more about it online. We are not stressing which kind of Yoga is best for Jiu-jitsu, as they are all generally the same.
The main component present in yoga that is highly beneficial to a Jiu-jitsu practitioner is its inherent flow of exercises that focuses on flexibility and breathing. A yoga flow is like a story. It starts with the simpler form of stretching, somehow preparing your body for the more difficult positions. As the flow progresses, so does the difficulty of the positions. However, you are required to do so while maintaining your breathing pace. This involves a lot of control and mental fortitude. This is the reason why even though Yoga practitioners seem to be relaxed on the outside, they still burn many calories inside.
Jiu-jitsu practitioners can benefit by incorporating yoga as a supplemental exercise because, in this sport, you cannot always outgun your opponent through sheer strength and muscle. What you lack in other areas, you make up for it in another. Yoga will help you hold on to a position for longer periods (as in tackling or grappling), capitalizing on balance and muscle endurance, without putting a lot of strain on your body.
The breathing techniques you learn with yoga will also help in effectively using your stamina so that you can last longer. It will help you ration out your breathing during rolling, that is, instead of going at full speed, it will help you adopt a controlled approach to help you survive until the last minute.
The great thing about yoga is that it doesn’t require any age limit, nor is it gender or age restrictive. No matter your circumstances, you can employ the principles of yoga and apply them in your BJJ practice.
