Training during a pandemic is something that is very new to everyone. Nobody is an expert in this area as we all have as much experience as each other.
The frequency of which and that style of how you train is obviously going to be restricted based on which country or state you live in. Some of the more independent states in the USA have already allowed full training with only some brief guidelines which you should follow. This is a stark contrast compared to some parts of Europe, Australia and various Asian countries.
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No contact BJJ
This is a really strange concept to me as I have always loved to spar. Personally I do not see the point of going to a gym if you are not allowed to drill or spar with others unless you felt particularly isolated and wanted human company.
As far as I am concerned, non-contact BJJ would be similar to playing basketball without a ball or a hoop. Yes, you could run around and jump a lot, as well as learn some techniques, but other than this your lack of opposition would seriously hamper your development.
The one benefit you can gain from solo drilling is you will eventually learn flawless technical movement. In the video uploaded below, Rikako Yuasa shows her BJJ movement drills for over 1 hour. Her movement is like water and this will definitely help your BJJ once you are actually allowed to spar again.
The negative to training like this is that it will get extremely boring and repetitive. Yuasa has clearly put a lot of time and effort into these movement drills, however she is a world champion. The average person will not have the mindset to do these drills hundreds of times.
Full Training With A Mask
Yes it sounds extremely strange, but it is happening in South Korea. BJJ schools are open for contact training but everyone is wearing a mask.
This is most likely the way to get around governmental red tape. Depending on who you ask, the mask is either great or completely useless. Either way, I think after you have been training with someone in BJJ for an hour in an enclosed space. The mask will have at the very least dropped ineffectiveness.
There is probably not much worse than having some tough rounds of sparring with your oxygen restricted, but perhaps something is better than nothing if you’re desperate to train.
Training At Home
This is probably a better version of non-contact BJJ. You don’t have to travel to a gym and can simply do solo drills by yourself (which you would be doing at the gym anyway). All you will need is a yoga mat, or not even this if your house is carpeted.
Time To Think
Now is the best time to think about your BJJ and the mistakes you were making. If you are training non-stop, you can sometimes get caught up in the moment and think about BJJ all of the time. When you are thinking like this your mentality will often change to a “win” mindset since that is what your brain wants to do. Now you have stopped training you can think about why that particular sweep you tried to hit didn’t work, or why were you always getting guillotined from mount?
Playing these scenarios back in your head can help your brain re-think what has happened and come up with new solutions to the problems you were facing.
By the time you’re back on the mats, maybe you will be fatter, out of shape and less fit, but at least you won’t be making the same mistakes you were 6 months ago.
