Train Smart - Fight Smarter (BJJ & Yoga)

Lift your game and speed recovery time by taking the best supplement for MMA training: Yoga.

Some of the most well-known and well-respected Mixed Martial Arts fighters: Rickson Gracie, Vitor Belfort, Murilo Bustamante, Diego Sanchez, Dan Hardy are all in fact, yoga practitioners. 
“I was relaxed doing yoga and this gave me the equilibrium to fight well” Wallid Ismael, on his Jiu Jitsu win against Royce Gracie in 1998 (as cited in D’Souza 2009).

Breath Control for BJJ

Learning to how to breathe properly and control your breath can be something equally challenging for both yoga and BJJ students.

Some martial arts athletes use only a small portion of their lung capacity. This results in inefficient oxygen exchange and premature exhaustion. As simple as it sounds, remembering to breathe properly can actually be the most challenging thing, when your body is contorted like a pretzel and your opponent it trying to manipulate your joints.

Pranayama is the Sansrkit term for ‘extension of life force’ or ‘breath control’. This mindful focus on regulating breathing is what differentiates yoga from other stretching practices because without it, your training is only gymnastics.

Bhastrika Breath is a bellowing yogic breath where you forcefully pump air in and out of your lungs. This action strengthens the diaphragm, teaches you to utilise your lungs and increases your endurance.

Studies at the University of California have found that a mere 8 weeks of yoga training resulted in significant increases in strength and flexibility but more interestingly, significantly larger increases in lung capacity and VO2max (Kesting, 2012).

When you’re in a stressful situation like a fight, tap into your Pranayama training so you don’t tap out! Pranayama helps you to relax, control your breath and maintain it, so you stay calm and focused (even in the most awkward/uncomfortable positions), don’t give in to fatigue and survive the fight.

Always return to your breath.

Flexibility for Grappling

  Alex & Leon demonstrating ‘rubber guard’ grappling

Conscious breathing whilst practising yoga, allows you maintain and develop an even deeper stretch.

Hip, leg and torso flexibility is crucial for any BJJ athlete wanting to make gains with their grappling, as well as escaping pins and submission attempts.

-    Open guard: limber legs and supple hips can make passing the guard very challenging for your opponent.

   Closed guard: being flexible assists you to wrap your legs high on your opponent, intimidating them with risky submissions.

‘Rubber guard’ grappling requires a decent amount of flexibility

Hip opening ‘Pretzel’ / ‘Thread the Needle’ stretch                                 

This pose provides a deep gluteal maximus and piriformis stretch, strongly opens up the hips and helps to protect the gentle ligaments of the knee.

There are many great seated twist variations of this pose. Similar poses can be practised according to what your body needs and can include: Marichi's Pose (Marichyasana III) a slightly gentler variation in a seated position with one leg extended, Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana); Half Lord of The Fishes Pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana).     

Full step-by-step instructions online: www.yogajournal.com & www.myyogaonline.com

Concrete Core

When I talk about the ‘core’, I’m referring to all the muscles around the trunk, some of which are deeply tucked away. To produce maximum power, have total body control and prevent back injury, you need to have a strong, stable core.

The Bridge pose is a core strengthening favourite and crucial for grappling in BJJ. Bridge pose requires maximum flexibility and strength in your torso, focusing on arching your core right up.   Incorporate this pose into your training routine. The bridging motion is used to escape from pins, apply power behind an armbar/anklelock or other submission holds and sweep/turnover an opponent. Tap out your opponent by throwing your powerful core strength into the lock movements. Don’t rely on your arm strength for this, as you will surely fatigue.

Alex demonstrating a bridging move, to escape Leon’s mount position. 

Miss Lan Ta, Purple belt, showing us the Bridge pose

BJJ students at Cia Paulista Fight Club, holding the Bridge pose.

Challenges with incorporating regular Yoga practice with BJJ

Time BJJ training is quite demanding on a student’s time, often requiring 1.5 - 2.5 hours of training at a time. Is it realistic to expect BJJ students to add on an extra hour of yoga into their daily schedules? Particularly when that extra hour could be spent rolling and would have a more direct impact on their BJJ skills?

Perception Some may say that yoga is too easy. However I would challenge these people to attend a Powerflow, Ashtanga or Hot yoga (similar to Bikram) class and I guarantee you will regret saying that.

What other MMA fighters have said about Yoga:

Diego Sanchez  UFC  Fighter

 “So I've been back to my yoga and it's completely taken me to another level: grappling, striking, everywhere. I have the limberness. I'm able to move like I never have before. I give a lot of credit to Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the leading all time scorer in the NBA. He's the one who motivated me to get into this yoga, because he claims it was his secret to playing [at] 42 years old. I went back to what got me in UFC and I've had great results. I truly am better than I've ever been right now."  (cited in Borchardt 2014).

Dan Hardy, UFC middleweight

“For me, yoga is about awareness of self, appreciation of the vehicle you have for this human experience, and understanding the potential and adaptability of the body” (Hardy 2013).

Conclusion

As you continue to incorporate more Yoga, alongside your MMA training, you will understand how inextricably linked they are. Everything you learn in Yoga can be applied immediately on the mat.

Will practising yoga make you better at MMA ? No…. Only with regular MMA training can you improve in MMA. However, yoga may be the missing link in the chain for you and provide that edge. Perhaps your physical stamina will improve, longer endurance in submission attempts, better sweep defence, less fatigue? Maybe the number of injuries will decrease, you may have better core muscles and balance, better breath control, have a sharper focus and greater mental calmness in tournaments?

Reference List

Borchardt, S 2014, Diego Sanchez UFC 171 video scrum: Reassured yoga isn't tool of the devil, 'Dream' now entering career prime, MMA Mania, retrieved 21 April 2014, <www.mmamania.com/2014/3/13/5503296/diego-sanchez-ufc-171-video-scrum-yoga-devil-career-prime-myles-jury-dallas-mma>.

D’Souza, B, J 2009, Enlightened Warrior, FIGHT! Magazine, retrieved 21 April 2014, <www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/enlightened-warrior-506/>.

Hardy, D 2013, 12 months in a Hot Room, FIGHT! Magazine, retrieved 21 April 2014, <www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/12-months-in-a-hot-room-yoga-with-dan-hardy-7425/>.

Kesting S 2012, Yoga for Grappling, the Secret of Champions, Grapplearts, retrieved 21 April 2014, <www.grapplearts.com/Blog/2012/04/yoga-for-grappling-the-secret-of-champions/>.

About the real-life BJJ athletes featured in this article:

Alexandre Santos

Black belt third degree of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with over 21 years experience. Alex is from Rio de Janeiro city. His titles include: Rio champion in 1996 & 2001; Brazilian National Champion 1999; Pan Pacific Champion in 2011 and Melbourne International Champion in 2013. Only having been in Australia for three years, Alex is credited for making two of his students World Champion in  2012/13. He teaches at Cia Paulista Fight Club, Melbourne.

Miss Lan Ta

Purple belt of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Lan is the Women’s World Champion in 2012 and  Pan Pacific  Champion in 2013. Lan received her training from Alex and now teaches over 20 women in the BJJ women’s only classes at Fight Club.

Leon Netto

Leon is a one stripe blue belt. He achieved the silver medal at the 2012 Pan Pacifics in the Lightweight No Gi White belt division. Leon trains at Cia Paulista Jiu Jitsu Academy, Melbourne.