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The Ultimate Lockdown Survival Guide for the BJJ Athlete

The Ultimate Lockdown Survival Guide for the BJJ Athlete

The novel coronavirus has hit us hard. Many countries are in a lockdown for the next couple of weeks, this means a lot of gyms have also shut their doors for the time being.

We truly hope everyone acts responsible and follows their countries guidelines.

Don't forget that BJJ will always be there. When all this is over, the mats will be there to receive you with open arms and you just need to be ready.
With all the available content online you might even come back better and stronger than before!

John Danaher advices on active development to improve you jiu-jitsu when you are unable to train at your gym. He tells us there are 3 main ways to do this: Solo movement drills, physical conditioning and knowledge acquisition. To his advice we add 1 more way: Conditioning of the mind.

We’ll take you through all ways, and give you some tips on what to do and finish off with the best BJJ documentary tips.

Solo movement drills

These drills are meant to improve your body movement in regards of BJJ. John Danaher himself just released an extensive solo drill instructional on BJJ Fanatics for free which you can pick up here.

Physical conditioning

Yoga is one of the best ways to condition your body for jiu jitsu. By practising yoga you will get stronger, more flexible and you will get more control over your body. The best part is that you don't need any material and you can practise it inside your own home, which is perfect during a lockdown!

Yoga for BJJ currently offers 30 days for free and a 50% discount off their memberships. You can make use of their offer through this link.

Conditioning of the mind 

Meditation is something everyone can benefit from. It will clear your head, give you more focus and a peace of mind.

Headspace is one of the biggest online meditation platforms, most of their meditation sessions only take 10 minutes and you just need to sit and listen. They have made a special collection pack called "Weathering the storm" which is free for everyone to use.

You can find the free Weathering the storm collection in their app, or read some more information about is here.

Knowledge acquisition

One of the amazing things about our sport in this time is the amount of knowledge that is available online. Since the outbreak of the corona virus many athletes and instructors have been putting out content for free. Pick your flavour, and start learning:

Lucas Lepri is one of the most successful competitors in the history of the sport’s lightweight division. At Lepri online he offers 2 weeks of free membership.

Renzo Gracie is another legend in the sport, on his online academy Gallerr.com he offers you 30 days of free membership.

BJJFanatics.com is one of the biggest en best-known sites for instructionals, they have videos from the best instructors and BJJ atheltes such as: Gordon Ryan, John Danaher, Marcelo Garcia, Buchecha, Craig Jones, Lachlan Giles and many more. With the code FARIAFREE you can pick any of Bernado Faria's instructionals for free.

Digitsu is a site similar to BJJFanatics, where they also offer on-demand instructionals. They have made a special collection of free instructionals available through this link, including material from Gianni Grippo, Bruno Frazatto and Lucas Lepri.

Keenan Cornelius has a free class everyday on his youtube channel. During these classes Keenan does Q&A's and goes over topics such as "Do Gi grips work on street clothes?".

Another great youtube channel is Globetrotters in Action, here you can find loads of videos from the seminars taught at the BJJ Globetrotter camps

Need some help studying your favorite world champions or getting the most out of the instructionals? Fuji sponsored athlete Daniël de Groot made some great videos on these topics:


Documentaries

After all this active development, you also need to take time to rest and recharge. For this crucial part of your training we made a list of the best free BJJ documentaries you can find online. Some of these might look a little old, but they are all definitely worth a watch.

Jiu Jitsu vs the World (2015)
1h 35min 
Jiu-Jitsu vs the World is a feature length documentary on Brazilian Jiujitsu and how it has a positive impact on lives everywhere. This film aims to be an answer to the question often asked - "What is that Jiu-jitsu thing that you do?"



ROLL: Jiu Jitsu in So-Cal (2015)
1h 16min
Roll Jiu-Jitsu in Socal is an amazing looking insight into the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in California even before the days of Royce in the UFC. Some names you may of never heard of and some are well known, but it is interesting in seeing how these people from different backgrounds came into contact with the well known sport, now and day, of BJJ.



Choke - A Rickson Gracie documentary (1999)
1h 38min
Choke follows Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Rickson Gracie as he prepares to defend his title in the Vale Tudo Freestyle Fighting Championship in Tokyo. Choke is a behind-the-scenes look at the world of no-rules fighting.



Renzo Gracie - Legacy (2008)
1h 18min
A 10 year history of mixed martial arts through the eyes of Renzo Gracie, one of its most charismatic pioneers.



Jean Jacques Machado - Heart of a Champion (2003)
1h 1min
Jean Jacques Machado is one of five brothers in the world-renowned RCJ Machado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Martial Art Family. Take a journey with Jean Jacques from his first competitions in Brazil to his present day triumphs including his stellar victory of the Light-Heavyweight Championship in Abu Dhabi. See his now famous battle with Wallid Ismail in which Jean Jacques simply dominates his highly regarded opponent. Also hear from competitors and students as they speak about the influence Jean Jacques has had on their Jiu-Jitsu as well as on their lives.



Pioneers of Jiu Jitsu - Hyperfly Productions (2019)
31min 
The official story of a fighter from Sudan, his sacrifice, and the determination and heart of the African Jiu Jitsu athlete.



Special mention: Stuart Cooper
Stuart Cooper’s youtube channel is a gem in the youtube ocean of videos. A couple years ago Stuart was really active in creating great content for the jiu jitsu scene. Below a grab of the amazing videos:

Kurt Osiander: My Goal Is Not Just To Teach You JiuJitsu
43min

The Craig Jones Story
22min

Keenan Cornelius: I Want To Be Unique
12min

Dean Lister: Why Would You ignore 50% Of The Human Body
14min

Josh Hinger: Attitude Is Everything
12min

Romulo Barral: Becoming A World Champion
32min


This concludes our article. We hope this will give you some pointers on what you can do in regards of BJJ when you are locked in. If we missed anything, please let us know.

Stay safe and healthy!

 

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