Building consistency and Balance In Your Training

You need to be able to train regularly enough to retain what you have learned, practice it, and keep on progressing.

I'm sure that when you have practised consistently for a few weeks you will feel sharper, quicker and more technical than ever.

Think about one of your training partners that at one point really started to level up their jiu-jitsu game.

Now think about how often you saw them on the mats, or how much attention and focus they were putting into their training at the time.

They weren't born good at jiu-jitsu and none of us were.  They worked hard, looked after their body and persisted with their training.

You can do that too! It is imperative to build consistency and then (just as importantly) hold yourself accountable in your training plan.

To achieve this, you must build a realistic and balanced training schedule, which incorporates periods of rest and recovery.

Then, you need to ensure it works for you.

We all have other responsibilities which we need to consider when structuring our training too.

Finding balance in your jiu-jitsu, work, family commitments and other areas of self-improvement is important.

You want to be working towards your jiu-jitsu goals whilst not neglecting these other key focuses.

There is no point in me planning my day to do 3 hours of Yoga for BJJ, followed by 4 hours of BJJ and then strength and conditioning at the gym for 2 hours.

It isn't going to happen and I'll fail before I begin because it doesn't work for me (in light of my other commitments) and ultimately isn't sustainable for my body in the longer term.

This is why it is important to be realistic and honest when you structure your training.

Don't make it too complicated! Simply think of what you want to achieve and the two or three things you need to do to get there. You can always look to evolve and add to this plan as you tick off these simpler objectives.

If you are looking to improve mobility, strength and potentially prevent future injuries, you can add Yoga for BJJ around your schedule.

You can start with only 10 minutes a day to build the habit.  Once you start to see the extra focus and benefits that yoga brings to your jiu-jitsu, I'm confident that you will want to dedicate more time to it!

Firstly, you can use Yoga for BJJ to improve your movement and transitions on the mats.

This will develop your coordination and body awareness and give you the upper hand in scrambles.

We sequence our classes with jiu-jitsu in mind.  In this way, your yoga progression will directly translate to enhancing your prowess on the mats. 

When you start to realise the similarities between the movements and poses, you will notice them throughout your whole jiu-jitsu game.

This will keep you thinking about the synergies between Yoga for BJJ and jiu-jitsu whilst sparring at class, and vice versa when performing the Yoga for BJJ movements.

Lastly, there is nothing worse than having to take unwanted time off from BJJ because you are injured (...again!), especially after training consistently and devising a plan that works for you.

Instead of losing your consistency from unwanted time off, why not do something to keep you strong, prepared and focused?

To summarise:

• Set ambitious yet realistic goals and then structure your training around your other key commitments.
• Once you have found a way to balance all of these things, make sure that you take a consistent approach with each of them.
• After enough time and dedication, you will undoubtedly start to improve! When this happens, make sure to evolve your plans to deliver continuous progress whilst balancing your other passions.

- Adam Ellis