BJJ stretching routine that will improve your grappling

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu may not be a prime sport for developing flexibility but it’s a good thing to have for playing this sport. Naturally, some people are more flexible than others. The good thing is anyone can develop it if they work in the right manner. BJJ is a demanding sport mentally & physically. The techniques & variations you get to practice require your body to perform the unconventional movement, practitioners with higher flexibility get favored here. 

Stretching for Jiu-Jitsu players is very important in improving your grappling & keeping you healthy & injury-free. It’s highly crucial for having a balanced training program.

How much flexibility you should have depends upon your grappling style & game plan. Nevertheless, BJJ game plans seriously benefit by incorporating good stretching in their training regimen. In this article, we will cover active & passive stretching that helps in developing flexibility. 

Key areas for focusing on flexibility in Jiu-Jitsu

A great place you can get started for building flexibility is your hips. No other body part in Jiu-Jitsu requires that flexibility & mobility as much as your hips do. Having flexible hips favors guard players & passers alike. The good news is flexibility in your hip is easiest to get developed, & also it doesn’t take a lot of time to achieve solid gains there. Get premium quality Jiu-Jitsu Gis for kids from here. 

Moving to the next body part, it’s your knees on which you must develop flexibility. They have always been an integral part of grappling, modern leg lock requires them to be more flexible than ever. The next part is your shoulders. It’s important for grip locks, we would suggest your shoulders region should be the first focus when it comes to developing flexibility for Jiu-Jitsu. Lastly, it should be your neck & traps where you must develop flexibility. These aren’t the parts that people associate with flexibility & mobility, but when it comes to jiu-jitsu, it’s crucial. Also, stretching helps in improving the range of motion. Following are the types of stretching.  

• Static stretching: It is what most people assume when we say “stretching”. It’s staying in a position for a particular period without moving. The duration ranges from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes.    
• Dynamic Stretching: It’s quite similar to static stretching, however, the execution is different. Rather than holding a muscle or tendon in a stretched position, you get to move in bouncing movement. 
• Active Isolated Stretching: It’s the type of stretching in which you repeat the static stretch several times, engaging specific muscle groups and tendons. It’s a method that is beneficial for Jiu-jitsu players & generates effective results.

Stretching routine for improving your grappling

• Butterfly hip stretch 

We will start the stretching with the most important body part & with recognizable stretches. Most people do this stretch incorrectly. You do it by sitting down on the floor, pressing the soles of the feet together, & getting your heels closer to the butt. Your ultimate goal should be getting both of your knees on the ground. The best approach is to do it in an isolated manner. As you reach your lowest possible point your knees, & hold it for 30-60 seconds. Repeat it three to six times in total.

• Wide Leg Adductor Stretch

It’s a popular wide-leg stretch. That targets particularly your adductors. In order to perform this stretch, sit down on the floor with your butt, your legs straight, but spread wide. Make sure the back of your legs is placed firmly on the ground, with your toes pointing upwards. Also, keep the back straight throughout, the goal is leaning forward, so you can tap on the ground with your chest. Also keep your legs straight at that time, at a wide angle. It’s a static stretch to try holding this position for some time. 

• Static Calf Stretch

Begin this stretch by standing & facing the wall approximately 2-feet away. Then place both of your hands on the wall. Step afoot towards the wall to enter the shallow lunge position. Both of your feet should point at the wall. Engage the core for maintaining a neutral position of your spine. Then gently press it on the back of your foot for doing a passive stretch. Adjust the intensity of this stretch by taking a step back on your rear leg. Also, to find the position of mild discomfort they hold this stretch for up to 30 seconds. Repeat it 3 times.   

• Quadruped T-Spine Rotations

Start performing this stretch by undergoing getting it on your fours. Try pushing yourself against the floor. Then place your right hand behind the head, make sure you do not compress the neck or force the chin down. Keep your prime focus on keeping the spine as neutral as you can then take a deep breath, while twisting upwards, towards your arms placed at your head side. Minor natural rounding of your upper spine is completely normal, but you should avoid excessive rounding. Then exhale while reversing & close the twist. After that twist towards your planted arm, exhale deeply to increase the twist. Unwind yourself & repeat 3 sets of 10 reps.