# Conditioning in BJJ



## Zephyor (Nov 30, 2016)

Would BJJ offer me an amount of physycal excercise and conditioning simmilar or greater than a stryking art? and if i start a strykign art after i train in bjj would the strenghning gaine in bjj classes help much?


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## drop bear (Nov 30, 2016)

Yes.....


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## Kickboxer101 (Nov 30, 2016)

Depends on the Bjj school and the striking school


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## the42cop (Nov 30, 2016)

I have done both extensively and in my personal opinion, grappling provides significantly more strength and conditioning than any striking art out there. While striking is a great workout, you are only fighting against the weight of your body and the impact of your striking against other objects. When grappling you are fighting against a physically resisting opponent for every second that you are rolling. Grappling is so difficult in fact that much of it consists of trying to find ways NOT to use strength. Any white belt can (and does) go into a sparring match at 110% strength to try to overcome the lack of technique. This lasts a few minutes before they are absolutely exhausted and unable to move. I'm convinced you can take an Olympic athlete in any "normal" sport and after 5 minutes of grappling they will throw up. I have never found a better workout! 

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## Tony Dismukes (Nov 30, 2016)

A few thoughts ...


Actual free grappling/rolling (the kind you typically get a lot of in BJJ), is a more intense and well-rounded form of conditioning than you will get from most striking arts unless the striking class includes a lot of supplemental conditioning training.
That said, the individual class and instructor makes a significant difference. If you are training boxing or Muay Thai in a class aimed at professional fighters, you will typically get a lot more conditioning than you would in a BJJ class aimed at casual hobbyists with a self-defense focus.
Grappling and striking tend to work the body's energy systems in different ways. For this reason you can find a well-conditioned striker gassing out quickly in a BJJ class and then see a well-conditioned grappler sucking wind before the end of an intense Muay Thai class.


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## marques (Nov 30, 2016)

the42cop said:


> (...) Grappling is so difficult in fact that much of it consists of trying to find ways NOT to use strength. Any white belt can (and does) go into a sparring match at 110% strength to try to overcome the lack of technique. This lasts a few minutes before they are absolutely exhausted and unable to move. (...)


In striking arts beginners replace the 'strength' by speed (or power if they can). And I don't know about you reading but for me striking (training) consists in finding ways NOT to use much speed neither much energy. I think striking can be technically almost as complex as grappling.

PS: No idea about the BJJ conditioning...


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## Grange (Dec 1, 2016)

I often train multiple forms back to back to back starting with a striking martial art then moving onto modern arnis and then to grappling to end the night.  This seems to work well for me. If we put grappling first I think I'd be really tired for the other two styles and training would be more difficult.  Grappling provides me with much better workout than the striking art.


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## Brian R. VanCise (Dec 2, 2016)

It depends on the class and the instructor.  Striking arts can offer excellent strength and cardio training and BJJ offers exactly the same.


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## msmitht (Dec 17, 2016)

marques said:


> In striking arts beginners replace the 'strength' by speed (or power if they can). And I don't know about you reading but for me striking (training) consists in finding ways NOT to use much speed neither much energy. I think striking can be technically almost as complex as grappling.
> 
> PS: No idea about the BJJ conditioning...


Nowhere near as complex.


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## Buka (Dec 19, 2016)

Zephyor said:


> Would BJJ offer me an amount of physycal excercise and conditioning simmilar or greater than a stryking art? and if i start a strykign art after i train in bjj would the strenghning gaine in bjj classes help much?



Yes. And, probably.


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## marques (Dec 22, 2016)

msmitht said:


> Nowhere near as complex.


Because striking is BS in most of the places, while BJJ still hold high standards. 

Even in competitive striking arts the champion may be the guy more athletic, young and/or more engaged with hard training, diets... Rather the most artist. And just to speak about the valuable competitions.

It could lead an interesting discussion.


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## Tony Dismukes (Dec 22, 2016)

marques said:


> I think striking can be technically almost as complex as grappling.





msmitht said:


> Nowhere near as complex.





marques said:


> Because striking is BS in most of the places, while BJJ still hold high standards.
> 
> Even in competitive striking arts the champion may be the guy more athletic, young and/or more engaged with hard training, diets... Rather the most artist. And just to speak about the valuable competitions.
> 
> It could lead an interesting discussion.



I don't know that I would describe striking as being as _complex_ as grappling, exactly. I will say that it can be just as _deep_ an area of study. I've had the good fortune to train and talk with some high-level strikers, including a 2x world champion pro boxer. Boxing may be built around only a handful of techniques, but the depth and subtlety in the art of a world class boxer can be just as great as that found in high-level grappling.


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## marques (Dec 22, 2016)

Tony Dismukes said:


> I don't know that I would describe striking as being as _complex_ as grappling, exactly. I will say that it can be just as _deep_ an area of study. I've had the good fortune to train and talk with some high-level strikers, including a 2x world champion pro boxer. Boxing may be built around only a handful of techniques, but the depth and subtlety in the art of a world class boxer can be just as great as that found in high-level grappling.


This is why compare striking and grappling is difficult. How to compare oranges and apples?

But you got the main point. We may not have the very complex and impressive spaghetti  positions in striking, but the complexity is hidden in the subtelity you mention. The details are crucial (and quite imperceptible... and largely untrained, I have found).


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## drop bear (Dec 22, 2016)

msmitht said:


> Nowhere near as complex.



Which is why maywhether doesn't loose striking competitions?


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## msmitht (Dec 23, 2016)

drop bear said:


> Which is why maywhether doesn't loose striking competitions?


Comment makes little sense. Bjj is much harder and more complex. If you don't know that then you haven't tried it.


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## drop bear (Dec 25, 2016)

msmitht said:


> Comment makes little sense. Bjj is much harder and more complex. If you don't know that then you haven't tried it.



How can somebody be basically unbeatable if the activity isn't complex. Someone stronger or fitter would have come along by now and toweled the guy up.


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## Transk53 (Dec 25, 2016)

msmitht said:


> Comment makes little sense. Bjj is much harder and more complex. If you don't know that then you haven't tried it.



You ever seen Maywhether fight? Having the ability to take someone to the floor isn't the be all and end all.


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## msmitht (Dec 25, 2016)

Transk53 said:


> You ever seen Maywhether fight? Having the ability to take someone to the floor isn't the be all and end all.


You are right. It is just the beginning...


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## Transk53 (Dec 26, 2016)

msmitht said:


> You are right. It is just the beginning...



Yeah in practical terms I guess. Admittedly across the board most would do, and take someone to the floor.


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## Transk53 (Dec 26, 2016)

drop bear said:


> How can somebody be basically unbeatable if the activity isn't complex. Someone stronger or fitter would have come along by now and toweled the guy up.



Yes especially at Christmas with an 18 year old that likes wrestling.


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## drop bear (Dec 26, 2016)

the42cop said:


> I have done both extensively and in my personal opinion, grappling provides significantly more strength and conditioning than any striking art out there. While striking is a great workout, you are only fighting against the weight of your body and the impact of your striking against other objects. When grappling you are fighting against a physically resisting opponent for every second that you are rolling. Grappling is so difficult in fact that much of it consists of trying to find ways NOT to use strength. Any white belt can (and does) go into a sparring match at 110% strength to try to overcome the lack of technique. This lasts a few minutes before they are absolutely exhausted and unable to move. I'm convinced you can take an Olympic athlete in any "normal" sport and after 5 minutes of grappling they will throw up. I have never found a better workout!
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk



It is the sparring. You generally tend to grapple at full noise. So it is harder. You generally dont strike at full noise so it is easier.

If you boxed and threw bombs at each other you would get pretty tuckered out.


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## Gerry Seymour (Dec 26, 2016)

drop bear said:


> It is the sparring. You generally tend to grapple at full noise. So it is harder. You generally dont strike at full noise so it is easier.
> 
> If you boxed and threw bombs at each other you would get pretty tuckered out.


And then some. Talk about sore in the morning.


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## wayfaring (Dec 27, 2016)

Zephyor said:


> Would BJJ offer me an amount of physycal excercise and conditioning simmilar or greater than a stryking art? and if i start a strykign art after i train in bjj would the strenghning gaine in bjj classes help much?



Another large gentleman trying to strangle you in pajamas offers a remarkably quick path to an elevated heart rate and fight or flight mode response.  This is really good for strength and conditioning.  And it is fun, can get you hooked like a chess game.  Plus the tapout prevents getting banged up a great deal which is nice for business professionals.

I personally like both.  From a fitness perspective, from my view each offers contrasting training between a more static or range based pull and push to a more explosive fast twitch movement.  Since the movement involves somewhat different muscles you get a good perioditization factor that is great for growth like seperating different muscle groups on different workout days.


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## the42cop (Dec 28, 2016)

drop bear said:


> It is the sparring. You generally tend to grapple at full noise. So it is harder. You generally dont strike at full noise so it is easier.
> 
> If you boxed and threw bombs at each other you would get pretty tuckered out.


Not to mention it wouldn't be long before you spent a lot of time drooling and forgetting where you are! Hmmm... Come to think about it, maybe I should just start getting punched, because I do that now! Damn graveyard shift! 

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## Skullpunch (Apr 8, 2017)

In VERY general terms, by grappling you will develop more muscular endurance but not quite as much cardiovascular endurance compared to an intense striking curriculum.  Don't take that as black and white though, there is a ton of individual variability.


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## JP3 (Apr 9, 2017)

drop bear said:


> It is the sparring. You generally tend to grapple at full noise. So it is harder. You generally dont strike at full noise so it is easier.
> 
> If you boxed and threw bombs at each other you would get pretty tuckered out.


True. But, generally during the average workout you're not throwing bombs, your working and training so it doesn't end up as effort-full... of course that's my opinion and I'm positive opinions vary.  BJJ class was overall the most intense conditioning workout I've ever been in, except for the Muay Thai.  That stuff was just... craziness. But, it's a close thing.


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## Darren (Oct 10, 2022)

I find out the being a very new newbie in BJJ my mistake is using my strength to overcome the enemy!!  Is there something I am missing? Thank you!!!


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