If you are a Brazilian jiu-jitsu player, this pandemic must be taking a toll on you. Most athletes go through a rough time when they leave the practice, they lose their social contact with people around them, and they feel low because they don’t feel active at all.
Apart from all these things, the worst issue that most people have to face when they leave the practice is that they lose the flexibility that they have gained by practicing BJJ.
Amidst the pandemic, most BJJ players are now feeling pressure to practice at home because they don’t have access to the practice sessions and their instructors. Practicing at home is quite challenging for some people; the main issue that they face while practicing at home is that there is no opponent for them.
In most cases, a practice dummy works for them, but in other cases, it becomes quite difficult for them to practice without an opponent. While working in a gym or training house, there is an instructor with you always, and he guides you for every move that you learn.
Additionally, there is a detailed practice session, and for practicing each session, there is a warm-up exercise. All these things are quite complicated that it is almost impossible to start this session at home.
Apart from the arrangement of the session, the motivation level is relatively low when you work from home. In most cases, people don’t even dress up in their BJJ suit; it is advised that even if you don’t want to wear your BJJ suit, start with activewear, so you feel you are ready to work out.
If you feel that you are not motivated enough, start with the practice session schedule where you need to list everything and divide it along with time. You can also choose a stretching video, to begin with, and then switch to the actual practice routine, and finally practice your maneuvers.
In case you feel the need for an opponent, you can use a practicing dummy, or you can shift to the BJJ training where you don’t need any help from an opponent. One thing that will help you during your practice session is your mat and BJJ suit, this will help you in getting prepared, and you will feel more motivated as you go along.
Shadowboxing
One of the effective practices that will directly help you with BJJ is shadowboxing. This will help you with footwork, maintaining posture, and staying at the right place at the right time. In most cases, beginners find it quite intimidating to stay in one place; they either can’t anticipate the reaction or panic as soon as they see an opponent. All these things collectively impact the performance, which is the reason instructors will ask you to practice shadow boxing and avoid any possible mistakes later.
Stretching
Starting a BJJ session will be less painful and more effortless if your muscles are flexible. You can begin with stretching, and this will help you with general BJJ practice. Apart from this, stretching can be practiced via yoga and Zumba as well, however, if you are a beginner, it is better to search for a simple stretching video, and you are ready to start your practice.
Practice with Videos
If you feel less motivated or you think you get very easily distracted, video practice session will play a significant role. You can search for a simple video for the BJJ practice session and try to practice along. This will help you learn and practice, just like any practice session. Additionally, you will be able to watch everyone practice along with you, and this will impact your motivation as well.
Record Yourself
If you want an opinion on your performance, the best thing you can do is record yourself and send it to your instructor. He will help you out with improving your maneuvers as well as learning new moves.
In most cases, if you record yourself and see it later, even you can figure out the improvements that you require. This might feel challenging for beginners, but once you understand the overall movement, this will help you in the future as well.
Divide the Session Time
For practicing at home sessions, time division is the key; most people set time interval alarms on their phone and practice according to the time. You can have a journal and list down the basics; as you go through each session, you can divide time and then set interval alarms for 5 minutes or 15 minutes accordingly.
