BJJ SOLO DRILLS

By Benjamin Strusnik, January 23, 2023

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a dynamic ground fighting art that incorporates systematic movements, and a strategic mindset. The art is made up of thousands of intricate techniques that all fit into a series of technical systems. The guard game has numerous ways to submit, and sweep an opponent, while the top game has more grinding pressure, and dynamic guard passing movements.

What this article covers:

Developing Skills with Solo Drills
Important Solo Drills

There are also a wide variety of takedown maneuvers that have elements of Judo, and Wrestling combined. There is also a complex series of escapes from all positions that lead into various ways to regain the guard. It takes a long time to master all of these systems, and athletes will train consistently for years to become successful within the art.

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Training to become high level means an athlete needs to put in an extensive amount of time, and energy into their techniques. This involves learning an abundance of technical components, and mastering how they all flow together. There are many jiu jitsu training drills that have a clear pathway into technical excellence, and many of these maneuvers need a training partner to become successful. Athletes can improve their skill sets by training by themselves, and this is because most of the movements in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be solo drills. Doing solo drills is basically the same as traditional jiu jitsu warm up drills, and athletes can work on concepts like hip shrimping, break falling, bridging, technical stand ups, and many others.

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DEVELOPING SKILLS WITH SOLO DRILLS

Traditionally, learning the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu involves students consistently training on the mats. They will need to use energy during the warm up phase, use teamwork when they participate in bjj partner drills, and be fierce when they are rolling with all of their training partners. Developing an athlete's skill set in grappling movements requires using solo drills, and this is how they can build up the fundamental principles to all of these intricate movements. When a beginner first is introduced to a hip shrimp, or a hip insert, they may feel uncoordinated and extremely uncomfortable. Developing these necessary skills takes patience, and perseverance, and the more solo drills an athlete does the easier they will become, and this will translate into how they move during a grappling match.

IMPORTANT SOLO DRILLS

Using solo drills is the key principle behind improving at the overall movement required in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Even when athletes are training in an academy the necessity of solo drills is crucial, and this is seen all throughout the warm up phase. Practising hip escapes, and hip inserts is a key factor in being able to escape from the mount, or the side control position, and then being able to re-establish the guard position. The hip escape involves an athlete turning onto their side, while framing off of their opponent, and shooting their hips backwards, which will help to free up space in order to remove their legs. The hip insert is the second part of the puzzle, as it involves threading their leg back into a half guard, or a closed guard, by moving their hips. Utilising these aspects in a solo drill is pivotal, and is done by all practitioners at every training session they attend.

One of the most important factors needed in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an athlete's ability to bridge. This is the act of lifting their hips, in order to create space, and this can help with hip escapes, and turning out of danger. A good bridging drill is for an athlete to lay flat on their back, as they begin to lift their hips up high, and follow the movement by reaching their hand across their body, and above their opposite shoulder. Each repetition the athlete will switch sides, and this will help to improve their ability to use bridging escapes as a way of creating space to either attempt a hip shrimp, or use the space to thread their arms underneath. A bridging escape, or otherwise known as an umpa escape is a fundamental technique that all athletes must learn to be able to utilise even the most basic of maneuvers.

Another vital component that all athletes should train is the bear crawl, and the sit through. The sit through is used to escape from the front headlock position, which makes it easier to circle around to an opponent's back. The bear crawl can simulate an athlete going in for a double leg takedown, and as their opponent sprawls this will leave them in a bear crawl position. A good solo drill is for an athlete to start bear crawling, and as they take a couple of steps down the mats they can post onto one hand, bringing their leg across their body into a sit through position. This is a repetitive move that can be done on both sides of the body, which will help improve an athlete's ability to use the sit through in dangerous situations. To raise the degree of difficulty athletes can utilise a drill where they start in the bear crawl position, before executing the sit through. From here their other leg will step over the sit through leg, before pivoting on that foot and back stepping, and then jumping back into the bear crawl position. This drill will be repeated on both sides of the athlete's body, and is a difficult drill that takes concentration, and critical thinking, along with athleticism, and precision to execute.

Utilising rolling techniques like a forward roll, a backwards roll, and a granby roll is helpful to an athlete for offensive, and defensive purposes. Many techniques in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu use forward or backwards rolls, and the granby is used to stop an opponent from passing their guard, or for attacking with the inverted guard. Rolling is always a good solo drill, and athletes can simply execute forward rolls, and backward rolls down the mats. Granby rolls are a harder task, and involve athletes to roll sideways over the bridge of their shoulders, before continuing the movement, and landing in a seated position. Utilising a granby solo drill is the basic foundations of practicing the berimbolo roll. These are more highly advanced techniques that athletes can use to bolster their skill set, as they look to reach the higher levels of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Break falls are another extremely important aspect used to counter Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques. The art of break falling safely after being thrown, or taken down to the mat by their opponent is pivotal. To execute a break fall an athlete will lower their hips towards the mat, and as their back hits the mat, they will slap their hands on the mat at the same time. An important concept to note is that athletes must keep their arms at a lesser than ninety degree angle, so they do not hurt their shoulders, and they should always tuck their chin, and this will stop them from banging their head into the mat. This is a drill that can be utilised in conjunction with a technical stand up, as the athlete can simply practice break falling, and then using the technical stand up to get back to their feet. The technical stand up is as simple as posting one of their hands off the mat, as they lift their hips, and shoot their leg backwards getting up into a standing position.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MOBILITY EXERCISES

Mobility exercises are extremely vital for a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete, and this is because of the impact grappling has on the joints, and the spine. Mobility is best utilised before stretching, and the main reason for this is if any of an athlete's joints are compacted, especially surrounding the thoracic spine, then stretching becomes pointless. Mobility is basically a combination of flexibility and strength, and the act of strengthening around the joints, to improve the overall range of motion. Athletes will commonly suffer from impingements in their shoulder, and hip areas, and utilising mobility exercises are crucial to the future health of these joints. There is a diverse range of different mobility exercises, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athletes are constantly looking to improve the quality of their impacted joints.

Improving the shoulder joint involves exercises like arm raises. This can be done by using dumbbells to lift straight up, and this will strengthen the shoulder, while creating a better range of movement. Executing shoulder rotations is also a great mobility exercise, and this can also be done with a bar, or a broom handle. Athletes should utilse a wide grip, and as they push their shoulders back they can lift the stick up and over their head, rotating it behind their back. Hip mobility is equally as important for Jiu Jitsu athletes, and this is because of the necessity for hip movement within the art. Hip rotations are good to build up hip strength, and the act of circulation of the hips will improve the range of motion considerably. Other exercises like lunges, cossack squats, and any movement that allows the hips to rotate in a full motion will be highly beneficial to an athlete that suffers from tightness in the hip region.

STRETCHING FOR BJJ

Flexibility in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is crucial for an athlete, and this is because of the high demand some of the movements need, and the unique positions that athletes may find themselves in. All athletes must be cautious in how they will stretch their muscles. Utilising a static stretch can be dangerous for their muscles, if they are not warmed up properly. This is why dynamic stretching is more important at the beginning, which is where athletes will utilise a warm up routine that involves getting the blood flowing before they move on into static stretching. Taking the time to limber up an athlete's muscle groups is important for a better quality of movement, and in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu this concept is paramount.

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu it is extremely important to stretch all of the major muscle groups used within the art. This means stretching the shoulders, the lower back, the hips, the neck, and the knees are all crucial areas to make sure they are limbered up, and ready for the rigorous ground of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. There are many stretches like the butterfly stretch, which is from a seated position, and involves bringing an athlete's heels into their groins, as they push their knees to the mat. The pigeon stretch is another good one, and involves bringing one heel into their groin, as the other leg sprawls backwards. From here the athlete can lower their hips and lay their upper body on the mat with their arms stretched out in front of their body.

Neck stretching is one of the most important aspects in BJJ, and executing simple up and down lifts with the neck, followed by side to side, and circular rotations, will improve the durability of the neck muscles during grappling matches. Another important stretch involves athletes laying face down on the mat, with both of their shoulders staying level with the mat. From here they will rotate one of their legs behind their back, which will open up the hips, and the lower back. Another important stretch is the baby pose to cobra stretch, which is a yoga position. This involves an athlete sitting on their knees, as they reach forward placing their abdomen on to the mat. From here they can move into the cobra, by placing their hands in a posted position, and then moving their head forwards, and arching their back upwards, as they lower their hips, and stretch their head up in a postured position looking up to the sky. This is a stretch that can be repeated several times, and is extremely important to utilise for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

TRAINING FROM HOME

All successful professional athletes will train from home in their downtime to training at their academy. This can be an extremely important tool for building up an athlete's skill set, and pushing towards becoming world class level. Doing jiu jitsu exercises at home is a good way to stay motivated, and to continue with their development while they are away from their academy. Having their own mat space at home will give an athlete the ability to stretch up all the time, and work on many different solo drills, and other technical components they may want to practice. Training from home also involves strength and conditioning, which is crucial for a professional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete. Building up their overall core strength, and improving their cardiovascular ability is pivotal in becoming fitter, faster, and more durable for competition matches.

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Utilising solo drills at home is highly important for an athlete to understand all of the technical movements in BJJ. Creating their own mat space that has ample room to roll around will allow an athlete to achieve technical proficiency within their solo movements. Sometimes finding motivation can be a problem with many athletes, and having their own home gym is a great way to keep their mind on the goal. Having the ability to simply walk into an athlete's garage and stretch up on the mats, can give them enough motivation to practise more drills like hip shrimping, bridging, break falling, granby rolling, and many other highly valuable solo drills.

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