Most seasoned BJJ practitioners will understand the importance of stretching and mobility in the sport. However, it can be extremely beneficial to understand the importance of stretching as soon as you start. Incorporating a stretching routine into your training can benefit your game in many ways…
Improve Technique
If you’ve ever tried to pull off a submission and pulled a muscle instead, this one’s for you! Stretching can increase your mobility and agility. This means when you’re stretching your legs into a triangle or reaching for a collar choke, your muscles will be flexible enough to deal with the stretch. Many students will find themselves pulling a muscle during rolls and it all comes down to flexibility. Improving your flexibility, in turn, improves your ability to be smoother during rolls, and gain positions with ease.
Increase Strength
Stretching has been proven to actually increase muscle strength! The way stretching does this is by increasing the range of motion in your muscles. When you have an increased range of motion, muscles have a higher ability to contract and can therefore, become stronger.
Prevent Injury
Everyone can agree that injuries are to be avoided at all costs in Jiu Jitsu. Unfortunately, though, they can still happen. That’s not to say that they are not completely out of our control though, and as we learn more about the art over the years, we can see many ways in which to avoid different types of injuries. Stretching helps to prevent injury in two ways; by increasing mobility and keeping muscles healthy. When your muscles are tight, you are at risk for joint pain, muscle strain and injury. Comparatively, when muscles are healthy and strong, they are far less likely to be injured.
Expand Ability and Agility
Stretching allows you to expand your ability in more advanced moves such as inverting. Inverting can be very useful as a way to prevent guard passing as well as preserving guard, sweeping or attacking your opponent. Inverting requires a high level of flexibility in the upper back and neck area, so it is important to stretch these frequently. In addition, flexibility in hips and other joints can provide a level of agility to your game. The more agile you are in BJJ, the more your opponent will have to work to keep up as you move quickly and easily through rolls.
When you’re putting effort into attending class and practicing techniques, the last thing you should be restricted by is your flexibility. At Gracie Parramatta, we value the importance of stretching, strength and conditioning in BJJ and so we have a Strength and Conditioning class. This class will also help you to strengthen any weak areas and joints in your body. If you’d like to find out more about the classes that Gracie Parramatta has to offer, visit our website or call 9687 5480.
