Travis Tooke's Blog

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!