When it comes to training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, grip strength and grip fighting are both massively important. Put another way, if you don’t have strong grips then you’ll suffer massively. This goes for both the gi and nogi as either style it’s necessary. For instance, whether it’s breaking a sleeve grip in the gi, or securing a collar tie in nogi, both grips are vital. So, here’s a guide on how to improve your grip strength.
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Grip strength will naturally improve over time
Even if you have no intention of improving your grip strength, the good news is that it will slowly improve over time. An example of this is comparing a black belts grip to the grip of the white belt. If they both have equal physical attributes then the black belt will always have a superior grip because of years of naturally gripping.
Therefore, even if you don’t want to improve your grip, you will do so naturally anyway. What’s also worth mentioning is that usually, gi players will get stronger grips in their finger muscles. This is because most gi grips tend to rely on using the finger muscles, whereas nogi grips use the wrist and forearm muscles more. As you’d expect, anyone that has trained BJJ for several years will typically have great grips.
How to improve your grips with a bucket of rice
Perhaps the best way to improve your grip strength is with a bucket of rice. This is cheap and possibly the best way to get iron grips quickly. In fact, this method has previously been endorsed by the likes of Garry Tonon too so you know it works.
All you need to do is fill a bucket with rice, then grip the rice with your hands, grabbing as much as possible. After doing this, you’ll quickly notice that your forearms and hands will be burning due to the tension generated from gripping the rice. This is an old but trusted technique that anyone can do, regardless of your budget.
How to improve grip strength with grip strength trainer
Grip strengtheners have been on the market for years and you can buy them based on your level of grip strength. These are fairly reasonably priced and can be trained whilst you’re sitting on your sofa watching TV. All you need to do hold these strengtheners in your hands and squeeze. This will literally use your fingers and forearms and you’ll quickly feel a burn.
Some people prefer to do lots of little reps, whereas others like to hold the strengtheners for as long as possible to see how long they can hold out for.
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How to improve grip strength with a towel
Towels are a very good and underrated way to improve grip strength and there are a few ways in which you can do this. The first method is to place the towel at the top of a door and then close the door. From here, you must make the towel as tight as possible, and then do pull-ups using the towel. Effectively, you’ll be using your wrists to pull up your body weight. Obviously, this will work other muscle groups as well but is good at conditioning your hands.
Another, more grip-oriented exercise is using a towel and rolling it up with both arms stretched out. Here, you should use one hand to roll forward, whilst rolling in the opposite direction with the other hand. This will put tension on your forearms and wrists which will improve grip strength over time. Remember to make your towel as tight as possible to get maximum results.
How to improve grip strength using the gi
If you train in the gi, then you may want to get the gi out to replicate realistic conditions. For example, you can get a gi out and practice spider guard by gripping onto the sleeves. You can then extend and retract the gi using your legs. This will put pressure on your fingers and give them a good workout.
Some people take this a step further and will do pull ups using their gi using a similar method to the towel workout (making sure the gi is hanging from above). This actually prompted a company to make their own product, which combines resistance bands with handles using the material of a gi. As a result, you can really improve your gi grips using this method.
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How to improve grip strength using a hammer
If you’ve ever watched old action movies, you’ll sometimes see heroes working out using a hammer on a tire. This will quickly test your forearm strength and you can do similar workouts as long as you don’t damage the floor or ground. The reason this works is by concentrating your swing by focusing on your hands. Similarly, chopping wood with an axe will yield similar results.
If you do this for a while, then you may quickly gain callouses on the palms of your hands. Obviously, this is also good for the conditioning of your hands too. Just make sure you don’t overdo it, as your hand muscles may feel painful the next day.
Grip strength is great, but grip technique is even better
You may have heard of the saying that technique can feel strong. In short, this is an example of how a gripping technique can feel stronger than a person actually is. For example, white belts are notoriously bad for using all their energy on wasted grips. This can easily burn out their arms and have negative consequences.
However, some people can grip for hours without tiring, so what is their secret? Over time, most people will naturally improve their grips. You may subconsciously loosen your grip at times, only to tighten it later when you need to hold on. You may also learn certain grips and subtle details that allow you to grip tighter whilst not burning out your hands either.
An example of this could be switching to a palm up grip instead of palm down in certain situations. Also, when gripping a cross collar in the gi, you can even grip into the armpit to make a super powerful grip. These are all techniques that can go a long way. So, although it’s nice to get stronger, it’s also ideal to improve your technique as well.
