When it comes to most big gyms in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you will have a mixture of hobbyists and professionals. Whilst most people only train for fun, you will still get a small group of those who train for a living.
If you’ve trained with these professionals then you’ll have realized just how good they are. This is because they take training incredibly seriously, and rightly so – seeing as their livelihood literally depends on it. Even most hobbyists that are very good will still struggle against a professional competitor, which makes sense considering their dedication. In this article, we shall look at how often BJJ pros train.
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A typical BJJ professional trains at least twice a day
If you’re truly serious about training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, then you should train at least twice per day. For most competitors, this means training (and sparring) in the day – and then at night. Typically, most larger gyms will offer day and night classes. For most hobbyists, the prospect of training in day and night means a lot of time and putting stress on your body. Whilst you may do this as a one-off, doing it on a regular basis is completely different. Usually, a professional will do this at least six days per week.
There have been some cases where professional BJJ competitors train even more, such as the occasional day where they train three times instead of two. As you can imagine, doing this is not easy – and the BJJ lifestyle is not as glamorous as it seems.
Remember, if you only train once a day for 2 hours, then a rival somewhere may be doubling your mat time. Even if you’re better to begin with, the amount of training hours will eventually catch up on you.
Some days are more exhausting than others
Having said this, it isn’t always intense level training either. Whilst competition classes are ideal for professionals, they may have a lighter day of the week as well. Here, they may focus on drilling more, or sparring significantly easier training partners to avoid injury or burn out. Basically, being a full time competitor isn’t easy and is a constant balancing act between training optimally and over training to the point where it becomes counterproductive.
Undoubtedly, professionals will train harder than most. However, the human body can only take so much when it comes to exhausting, physical activities. This brings us to our next point…
They also do lots of strength and conditioning
If you want to train a large amount for a long number of time, then you should use a strength and conditioning program to help supplement your routine. Some competitors will lift weights on their days off, or even during the time they’re not doing BJJ. Again, this is a balancing act between trying to strengthen your body and make it as bullet proof as possible, and over doing things and getting injured.
Most people will lift weights and do cardio exercises that mimic BJJ matches though. So, lunges could represent a torreando pass, whereas explosive sprints could be based on the intensity of shooting takedowns. The point is, it’s all done to improve your BJJ and requires a lot of dedication.
What else do professional BJJ practitioners do?
Aside from training as much as possible, professionals will also do other activities that revolve around BJJ. If they’re popular enough, they’ll fund their lifestyles by teaching classes, and hopefully they’ll do private classes too. Privates are a good way to earn an income around BJJ and are ideal as they pay more than regular teaching.
If this isn’t an option, then many pro BJJ practitioners will have a part time job to fund their lifestyle. Similarly, some will even live in shared houses with other professionals to save on rent. As we’ve seen, the lifestyle of a BJJ practitioner is hardly glamorous and takes a lot of sacrifice – with no guarantee of success at the end of it either. In fact, most professional lead a tough life whilst barely making any money as well.
Some professionals get lazy
According to no-gi legend Gordon Ryan, many professionals get lazy when they become successful. Apparently, some even begin to train around the level of an average hobbyist which is obviously a lot less than the average pro. This isn’t good and may lead to competitors overtaking you in terms of skill and results. As your job depends on competition success, this can have awful consequences.
Nonetheless, it’s understandable why this happens. If you’ve grinded for your entire life and start to taste success in terms of goals and money, then you could have your head turned. The point is, according to Gordon Ryan you should train like a true professional who is dedicated to their job as much as possible.
Conclusion
So there we have it. Most BJJ professionals train at least twice per day, six times a week. On top of this, they’ll usually do strength and conditioning exercises on top to make sure they’re in top condition. On the side, they may also earn an income from BJJ which isn’t surprising considering the background.
In conclusion, most BJJ pros aren’t superhuman and don’t have a god-given talent. Instead, they’re very dedicated humans who out-train the vast majority of BJJ practitioners – which is why they’re so good. However, their lifestyle is not easy and certainly isn’t for everyone. Next time you get beaten up during a roll with a professional, remember, they may be better than you at BJJ but your life outside of the gym may be better than theirs as well.
