Being consistent in your training sessions and spending time on the mat is the best way to get good at Jiu Jitsu. However, if, for some reason, you can’t train at your gym, there are numerous ways to improve your Jiu Jitsu at home. Doing BJJ at home is a great way to stay active, burn calories, and improve your movement and technique. Whether you have a training partner or not, doing specific Brazilian Jiu Jitsu drills can help you improve many different aspects of your game. This article will explore ways you can learn BJJ at home.
Benefits of Training at Home
There are different types of drills and exercises you can do, and each can be beneficial in its way. For example, doing shrimping movements will improve your hip mobility and make you a better guard player. On the other hand, sprawls and other wrestling movements will improve your stand-up game and enhance your cardio. Training at home can also save you time and energy as you don’t have to travel to the gym and back. Get this FREE DVD from John Danaher and learn more about solo drills.
Improved Guard and Defensive Skills
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu involves complex movements that require practice and understanding, especially when it comes to the guard position. Most of these movements can be done at home, and paired with some cardio exercises can provide you with a great workout. Having a good shrimp will give you the necessary hip mobility that can help you play various guards. Also, shrimping will significantly improve your defensive skills because many escapes rely on having proper shrimp mechanics. The video below shows different variations of the move. On the other hand, rolling movements such as front, back, and shoulder rolls can improve your spine mobility and help you with inversions, and bridging can help you escape inferior positions. Overall, becoming good in these movements will make your bottom game better.
Better Cardio and Mobility
Good technique should be your primary focus when doing BJJ, but a lack of cardio can make your life miserable on the mats. Also, not doing specific movements smoothly can make you look clumsy and out of balance. That’s why you should always include a routine that will boost your endurance and mobility. Wrestling-type moves such as sprawls and single legs will activate your whole body and teach you to move correctly. One of the best ways to warm-up is doing shadow wrestling. Just as a boxer uses shadowboxing, you can use shadow wrestling as a fantastic tool to improve your game. This exercise will teach you to stay in stance, use your hands, and move on the mat. See the video below of some shadow wrestling for Jiu Jitsu at home. Another aspect of your game that you should work on is guard passing, and being a good guard passer requires mobility. You can do many mobility drills such as torreando, backstep, longstep, etc. These can be extremely fun and challenging and will make you move a lot better when passing guard. The best way to do mobility drills is to use a stability ball (a medicine ball can also work), as it will make you adapt to constant off-balancing. Stability balls are usually cheap, and you can get one on Amazon for as low as 20$. Just keep it simple and have fun with it.
You Can Save Time and Energy
The best way to learn Jiu Jitsu is to go to class every day, but let’s face it, sometimes it can be very time-consuming and tiring. If you are a recreational grappler, you probably can’t go to every training session during the week. Instead of being inactive or exhausting yourself and going to every class, you can do a simple half-hour home workout. Trying to fit five long training sessions into your regular schedule can lead to injuries and loss of motivation. It is much better to do two to three sessions a week and combine them with two sessions at home. In the long run, this will save you a lot of time for your regular activities and make you more energized for your classes. As a recreational practitioner, look for quality rather than quantity when training Jiu Jitsu.
What You Will Miss Out on if You Train at Home
As mentioned before, there are numerous benefits of doing BJJ at home. Nevertheless, you should realize that this is merely a supplement to your regular training. Training Jiu Jitsu at home without a coach can make you develop bad habits and incorrect movements. Furthermore, you will lack sparring partners, and it will be difficult to test your skills in realistic situations. Let’s discuss some things you should keep in mind.
You Will Lack Proper Instruction
Jiu Jitsu is a great and fun activity that we can do regularly, but most importantly, it is a martial art. Training without supervision can develop improper technique and form bad habits in the long run. These can affect your overall progress and, in some cases, even lead to injuries. The best thing to do is consult with your coach before doing anything independently. You can get valuable tips and information that will improve your training sessions. Your instructor may also tell you which aspects of your game you should work on and provide training materials.
Less Sparing Partners
In order to improve your Jiu Jitsu, sparring is essential. Rolling will allow you to test yourself against different people and see how you can adapt to each scenario. Likewise, good sparring partners can often show you new techniques and help you develop your game. As each partner can help you grow, it is important to have a diverse group of partners, from white belt to black belt. Rolling with lower belts will increase your offensive skills while rolling with higher belts will improve your defensive skills. Overall, you don’t want to miss too many sparring sessions as that can deteriorate your Jiu Jitsu and make it inefficient.
Socializing
Jiu Jitsu classes are a great way to meet new people and make friends. Academies are putting a lot of effort into creating a good atmosphere and environment to make us comfortable. The excitement of training in a packed room is perfect for relaxing and having fun after a long day. After all, training BJJ is supposed to be fun, which is why we do it. When training Jiu Jitsu at home, you might miss out on some great moments and beautiful memories that can make your day.
Videos Can Help You Learn BJJ at Home
Jiu Jitsu is a knowledge-based sport, and nowadays, you can access any information with the click of a button. There are tons of YouTube videos that can improve your game significantly and make you better. If you want to go a step further, you can buy instructional DVDs and learn directly from the best grapplers in the world!
YouTube Channel Recommendations
Watching YouTube videos is a good way to learn new things and support the community. However, you should be careful what content you subscribe to because many channels can show you the wrong techniques. Here are some YouTube channel recommendations that you can watch and enjoy:
- BJJ Fanatics (Here, you can see a lot of techniques from world-class athletes)
- Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu (A lot of interesting breakdowns and tips)
- Chewjitsu (Chewjitsu shows different techniques and has many interesting videos)
- JonThomasBJJ (A world-class black belt showing high-level techniques)
- Brian Glick (One of the best coaches for both Gi and NoGi)
Instructional DVDs
This is by far the best way to learn Jiu Jitsu at home. Most high-level competitors and instructors have DVDs showing their signature techniques and training principles. It might take some time to get through the instructionals, but they’re a great way to learn more about BJJ. There are a couple of websites that sell them, but I would recommend checking these:
- Bjjfanatics.com (This is an enormous BJJ library, you can find anything here)
- Grapplersguide.com (You get a lot of content, and you pay only once)
- Jiujitsux.com (A lot of high-quality instruction for a fairly low price)
If you want to master the fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I suggest you buy the whole Go Further Faster Bundle from John Danaher. This is a great investment because John is one of the best teachers in the world. Here is a link for the whole series. You should also check these guys. All of them have great instructionals:
- Gordon Ryan
- Ryan Hall
- Craig Jones
- Andre Galvao
- Mikey Musumeci
- Paul Schreiner
- Marcelo Garcia
- Bernardo Faria
- Tom DeBlass
List of Supplies
Having a home dojo comes with many advantages, and it doesn’t need to be overly expensive. Let’s look at some basic supplies you will need to set up your dojo.
BJJ Mats for Home
This is an essential item you need to have. Jiu Jitsu mats for home can be pricey, so pick them wisely. When choosing Jiu Jitsu mats for home, choose easy to clean and portable ones. Puzzle mats are ideal because they provide the perks mentioned above and are relatively cheap. Put them down in one of your rooms or inside your garage, and you are ready to go! I recommend getting them in 1-inch thickness, so they’ll be comfortable as well as protect your floor. Here are some of my favorites:
BJJ Dummy
This is a nice item to have, but it is not essential for your home gym. Nonetheless, if you want a grappling dummy, they come in various sizes and qualities. They can also be great if you have kids, as kids can play with them and learn Jiu Jitsu. If you want a high-quality one, you can buy it made from leather, or if you want an inexpensive one, you can buy it made from polyester. I will provide a link to both:
Disinfectant Mat Spray
Whether you train at home or at a gym, disinfecting the mats after every practice is crucial! You don’t want them to absorb sweat, as that can lead to bacteria or fungus forming. Your BJJ mats for home should always be clean, so keep a disinfectant nearby and use it after every practice. Here is my recommendation:
First Aid Kit
A first aid kit is a good tool to have just in case something unexpected happens. You should keep it in your house and be ready if you or someone else suffers an injury. It won’t cost you a lot of money, and you can get it easily.
Train With Your Friends
Once you have your BJJ dojo, you can invite friends to practice together. This will be great as you can exchange techniques, roll, drill, and have a great time. Depending on how much space you have, you can optimize training sessions that will help both of you. If you don’t have a lot of space, having open sparring rounds is not the smartest. However, you can do positional sparring and drill techniques. Positional sparring is a form of sparring where you start from a certain position. For example, you can start in the bottom mount and practice your escapes. After you escape, or your partner submits you, you change roles, and then it’s his turn to escape. This is a great way to work on your weaknesses and will definitely benefit your game.
Conclusion
Let’s conclude this article and answer the question one more time. Can you learn Jiu Jitsu at home? The answer is: yes, and you should certainly do so. You will improve whether you have a budget to build your BJJ dojo and train or whether you just watch instructional DVDs. Do not, however, let training alone become a substitute for regular training. It should be a supplement, not a replacement. . Have fun and train safe!