Cardio for Grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by Brian Michelino

Yesterday I was having a conversation with one of the newer guys who works out at D’Arce Jiu Jitsu about conditioning for BJJ. He was telling me how tired he was; I didn’t find this very odd even though he physically looked to be in good shape. I explained to him Jiu Jitsu is unlike many other sports. In most other sports such as football and basketball, you can do multiple cardio vascular exercises so you won’t tire as the game goes on. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that’s a different case, in fact, the particular type of conditioning you need in BJJ can almost only be achieved by “rolling” or actually physically training BJJ. I found this out first hand when I started training at D'Arce Jiu Jitsu. You find yourself as a newcomer wasting unnecessary energy and over exerting yourself doing the techniques. As you start learning and becoming more confident with the movements you slowly find yourself using less and less energy. The only real way to achieve this is to come to class and train, the more often you train the longer it will take you to gas out...so get to class!