The NBJJA Self-Isolation Survival Guide
With the world in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and countries and states in various degrees of lockdown and self-isolation. What can we, as BJJ athletes do to to get through this time?
Without a doubt, BJJ will be back, bigger and better than ever!
When all this is over, the mats will be there to receive you with open arms and now is the best time to prepare for your imminent return! With all the available online resources, you can even come back better and fitter than before!
The legendary coach John Danaher's advice on the continued improvement of your jiu-jitsu comes in three forms;
Solo Movement Drills
Physical Conditioning
Knowledge Acquisition
We want to suggest a fourth option; Conditioning The Mind.
We'll take you through all four forms, and give you some tips on who and what can help you achieve your goals and as a bonus, provide a list of some of the best BJJ documentaries to fill in your recovery time!
Solo movement drills
These drills are meant to improve your body movement in regards to jiu-jitsu. John Danaher has released an extensive instructional for free on BJJ Fanatics titled Self Mastery: Solo BJJ Training Drills.
Physical conditioning
If you have ever thought that you needed to improve your cardio, increase your strength or expand your range of motion and flexibility?
Now is a perfect time.
Bulletproof For BJJ is a complete system for developing beast-like strength, power and supreme mobility, specific to the demands of BJJ. The program is suitable for any level of BJJ athlete – from total beginners, through to seasoned competitors, and will fit into even the busiest of training schedules. You'll become stronger, experience less niggling pain, and greatly reduce your risk of injury through following the Bulletproof For BJJ Program.
Check Out This Link For Bulletproof For BJJ Current Lockdown Special
Conditioning The Mind
Meditation is a practice that we can all benefit from; it can provide you with more focus and peace of mind, particularly with the current global uncertainty that we are dealing with.
Calm is the #1 app for Sleep, Meditation and Relaxation, with over 50 million downloads and over 700,000 5-star reviews. They have won, Apple BEST OF 2018 Award Winner, Apple's App of the Year 2017, Google Play Editor's Choice 2018, and to be named by the Center for Humane Technology as "the world's happiest app".
Knowledge Acquisition
One of the fantastic things about our sport at this time is the amount of knowledge that is available online. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, most academy's have pivoted their delivery method to online, via Zoom or pre-recorded content. Many athletes and more well-known instructors have also been putting out content for free.
Here are a couple of options you can pick from,
BJJFanatics.com is one of the biggest en best-known sites for instructionals, and they have content from some of the biggest names in BJJ athletes such as Gordon Ryan, John Danaher, Marcelo Garcia, Buchecha, Craig Jones, Lachlan Giles plus 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 unique collection of free instructionals available through this link, including material from Gianni Grippo, Bruno Frazatto and Lucas Lepri.
The Documentaries
To help you recover from all this training and personal development, you also need to have a little R & R. For this crucial part of your training we made a list of the best free BJJ documentaries you can find.
Some of these might look a little dated, but a visit to the old skool origins of BJJ is well worth it.
Jiu-Jitsu vs the World (2015)
1 h 35 min
A feature-length film about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the positive effects it has on people. "It's not a sport; it's not a martial art; it's a lifestyle; it's a way of living; it's a way to improve your life."
ROLL: Jiu-Jitsu in So-Cal (2015)
1 h 16 min
A documentary we put together following a short trip to California in late 2014. We met some amazing and inspiring people in the short time that we were there and this film is a slight glimpse into the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle in Southern California. We hope that at some point in the future, we will have the opportunity to visit more schools and places in the state and put together a more in-depth film.
Choke - A Rickson Gracie documentary (1999)
1 h 38 min
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)
1 h 18 min
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)
1 h 1 min
Jean Jacques Machado is one of five brothers in the world-renowned RCJ Machado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Martial Art Family and one of the best BJJ competitors of all-time.
Special Mention: Stuart Cooper
Stuart Cooper's YouTube Channel is a gem in the youtube ocean of videos. A couple of years ago, Stuart was active in creating great content for the jiu-jitsu scene. Below a grab of the fantastic videos:
Kurt Osiander: My Goal Is Not Just To Teach You Jiu-Jitsu
43 min
22 min
Keenan Cornelius: I Want To Be Unique
12 min
Dean Lister: Why Would You ignore 50% Of The Human Body
14 min
Josh Hinger: Attitude Is Everything
12 min
Romulo Barral: Becoming A World Champion
32 min