The strongest quality that any man, woman or child can gain from a Martial Arts program is a higher level of confidence. When your confidence level is higher, your whole world fills with what seems like endless possibilities. That is the real power of Martial Arts. And like anything else worth while, confidence is not something that you can just choose to have. Confidence in Martial Arts is like a muscle. If you work on it, it will grow, if you don’t it will atrophy. And if you try to push it too hard it you will get hurt. You must apply the right amount of confidence to everything that you do and gradually add more and more.

For example, if a child is training in Martial Arts, he or she must gain the confidence to stand up for their self and face the challenge of Martial Arts training. It doesn’t mean that that child has to win every match. Losing is part of the equation sometimes and everyone must learn humility and the value of picking yourself back up again. If confidence becomes ego then disappointment will soon follow.

Confidence in Martial Arts training or any part of life needs to be properly fed and exercised so it will grow strong. A supportive coach, encouraging parents and caring friends all play a role in a child’s confidence. Remember this the next time you talk to your child about anything they are doing well. Tell them how proud you are and how great they are doing at a particular task. This kind of daily encouragement go a long way.

At my kids Martial Arts academy in Houston, Texas, confidence is one of the biggest traits we focus on for our students. The conditioning and technique are all part of the equation. When a child learns how to execute a technical armbar or triangle choke and can train for a long time without stopping, he/she is going to feel more confident. But we are also very encouraging to each child and make sure that they are always happy and excited about what they are doing in Martial Arts class. This has so much to do with how we plan each class and how we talk to each student. We also properly prepare each student for belt promotions so they know what is required of them to receive ranking. When a child works hard, studies the curriculum and puts forth all the effort required to get to the next belt, the confidence they gain when that belt gets put around their waist is incredible.

Encourage the kids. Whether they are your kids or someone else’s. They are they generation that will run the world in the future and, believe it or not, your encouragement can have a dramatic impact on their confidence and even help shape the person they become.

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Have you ever grappled someone in BJJ who was so flexible that it just seemed impossible to pass their guard? Or, if you did manage to pass the guard, that person was able to simple throw one leg in front of your face and forces the escape. This is the advantage of having great flexibility in BJJ. When you develop a high level of flexibility in BJJ you will be able to even the match much more, even with someone who is more skilled than you. Imagine if every time someone passed your guard or put you in a knee on belly position you had the ability to simply bring your leg up by your face and push your opponent away. On the other hand, lacking flexibility can really hinder your BJJ and Mixed Martial Arts game. Even with a high skill level and great technique, a lack of flexibility will make you feel like you’re glued to the floor at times.

How to Stretch for BJJ

So what can you do? The most obvious answer is to stretch, right? It’s true that stretching will help to improve your flexibility and decrease your risk of injury; however you should search to find more sport specific stretches. For example, Jiu-jitsu requires a-lot of back and hip flexibility. Try to focus your stretching on the parts of your body that really need to be stretched out in a BJJ or Mixed Martial Arts fight. Also, unlike passive stretching, in BJJ and Mixed Martial Arts you need to be flexible and still be able to push, pull and fight back. Stretching in combination with resistance/weight training can be of huge benefit? Remember to talk to a professional before attempting to design you own super, killer Gumby flexibility program.

How Flexible Do You Need To Be For BJJ?

You don’t need to be able to put both feet behind your head at the same time and walk around on your hands. However, if you increase your flexibility by just 10% I can guarantee that your skill level in BJJ and Mixed Martial Arts will increase along with it. You want to improve your BJJ so go stretch!