Believe it or not, there are other ways to get better at BJJ without actually training. This does not mean other martial arts either. Obviously, if you were to train judo, sambo, or wrestling, these sports would all have a positive effect on your jiu-jitsu as there is a huge amount of crossover between all of these grappling-based skills.
However, there are quite a few other sports and hobbies that you may not have thought about which can boost your skill within BJJ. These are great if you have an injury that you want to protect from BJJ but still want to remain active. Also if you are bored of jiu-jitsu but want to keep in good shape and then return at a later date – all of these activities will help you when it comes to conditioning.
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Surfing
As BJJ originates from Brazil, it’s no surprise to see that many top-level grapplers are avid surfers. The likes of Rickson Gracie, Braulio Estima, Magid Hage, and the Ruotolo twins are all well-known to love surfing. Of course, none of these people train surfing to improve their jiu-jitsu, but it certainly won’t harm your skills on the mat. Furthermore, surfing legend Kelly Slater also trains BJJ, so this crossover goes both ways.
The reason why surfing is so good for jiu-jitsu is due to its low impact falls, alongside its need for huge core strength and balance. If you’re able to ride a huge wave that is very unpredictable without falling from your board, then there is no doubt that you can maintain your balance defending a very obvious sweep. Even the strongest opponent in the gym will not be as powerful as a wave looking to knock you into the water.
Besides the technical reasons, surfing also has a relatively laid-back culture which is somewhat similar to BJJ. Not every gym is laid back in modern day, however, if we compare BJJ to other martial arts such as karate or judo, the culture is far less focused on honor and respect within the gym.
Break-Dancing
It’s reasonably well known that 10th Planet brothers Geo and Richie Martinez were both competitive break dancers before they began a career in jiu-jitsu. Break dancing is not really a hobby that most BJJ practitioners enjoy since it is just so different from martial arts in terms of appeal and culture. However, you may be surprised to learn that there is a great deal of crossover between the movement and conditioning of the two sports.
BJJ legend Kurt Osiander is also quoted as saying that the best beginners he has trained always come from a break dancing background since they have the natural athletic skills required without having to start without a fundamental base.
Spinning around on the floor and building up to a base is useful in areas such as granby rolls, tornado sweeps and generally escaping bad positions such as body locks and other half-completed takedowns. Break dancing also creates very strong shoulders, arms, and legs which can be used to post away from opponents and are all capable of holding your own bodyweight without injury.
Rock Climbing
Often overlooked as a purely outdoor sport. Rock climbing is hugely beneficial for those who want supreme grip strength. ADCC competitor Kyle Boehm is well known for his rock climbing past, competing at national level, before switching his focus toward grappling.
If you think black belts have strong grips in the gi, then you haven’t met a rock climber. These people train to hang their entire body weight from one or two fingers whilst they look for another grip with their other hand. If you’ve ever trained BJJ and sparred a rock climber, then you will truly understand just how powerful and strong their grips are.
It goes without saying that it’s not just gripping that become stronger from rock climbing either. You need to be flexible as well as strong in order to scale a difficult wall or boulder. Core strength is a must, as well as being able to put your leg well past your hip line and ideally up to shoulder height. These assets work well with jiu-jitsu as it is always a good idea to be both strong and flexible to prevent injuries as well as maintaining a solid guard.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is not really a hobby that appeals to the BJJ demographic. In fact, there aren’t many men at all (other than serious competitors) who do gymnastics to keep fit or to increase their strength and mobility.
Often viewed as a sport for females, nothing could be further from the truth. Gymnastics requires extreme flexibility and isometric strength. The average BJJ practitioner could not hold many of the poses for a single second, nor even reach many of them. For example, the still rings and pommel horse require supreme amounts of upper body strength, as well as coordination and stamina in order to even reach a semi-competent level. If you had the strength of a gymnast in BJJ, it would almost be like having a cheat code. Almost nobody on the planet has arms and legs as strong as a gymnast.
The flexibility and conditioning of gymnastics is obvious. You will never see a gymnast who cannot move their body in a specific way, nor will you find that they are even remotely out of shape. Furthermore, even if you are to train just floor work with no equipment at all, this would still help your BJJ in terms of movement and athleticism.
