Rant Time! The Role Athleticism Plays In Your BJJ

How important is Athleticism in BJJ? Can a little bit of technique overcome strength? Do I really need to do cardio? Why pick up weights when I can pick up people?
This rant is my response to people who downplay the importance of strength and other physical attributes in grappling. I know full time competitors that still argue the efficacy of doing cardio outside of BJJ. But no, really, Can I please just skip cardio?
Most of this feels really obvious to me, and I spend a weird amount of time making my case from the ground floor up, but I'm a weird dude 🤷‍♀️🧙‍♂️🐼👍
Bird got to play a little with the background on this one.
fire background thanks to / dailychillout
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[@jonchan4639]

To quote Greg Everett, a prominent olympic weightlifting coach, " Technique is the medium through which strength is expressed".

[@AntonEmery]

Good one, I love Greg's work

[@stevena8719]

100%. I was squatting in the high 400s when I first tried Olympic lifting. Within about 3 months I had cleaned 300lbs and snatched 200lbs.

[@carpejkdiem]

@@stevena8719 Add specific attributes for jits to that and that's a great foundation

[@oliverreno4734]

Surely strength is also the medium through which technique is expressed? Kind of tautological if you think about it.

[@dersatansschuh4426]

@@oliverreno4734 you can express technique without any strength

[@cecole]

“You can’t armbar a gorilla.” That should go down as one of the greatest quotes in BJJ!!!

[@sweetio]

Greatest Strawman you mean

[@jonasjorgensen8759]

​@@sweetiodid you just learn a new word?

[@Errzman]

All us strikers are writing these down. So far i got: - you can't arm bar a gorilla - just stand up... Keep em comin'. Lets me sleep easy after getting caught in a rear naked choke.

[@MrHamncheez]

"with enough steroids..."

[@vids595]

@@sweetio That's not a strawman it a hyperbolic hypothetical example for the purpose of illustrating a point kiddo.

[@rodrigozombie]

I've tapped new giants but it seems like the moment they learn a little bit...shit stops working and it's basically a guard retention and escape exercise for me everytime i roll with them 🤣

[@humanityenslaved3380]

SAME!

[@dudeman209]

You need to wrestle them and turn the corner using speed (esp in no-gi). I like duck unders to the back. If they get on top, it's over. And most ppl are too scared to do serious stand up grappling. They also get tired easily, so if you're tired they're almost always more exhausted than you.

[@Drikkerbadevand]

Exactly. Technique is just the way you can express your athleticism and strength. You need less and less training to meet more skilled fighters at equal footing.

[@KKSuited]

Knees over toes guy changed the course of my aging. Highly recommend his stretches and exercises. You will become more flexible and have stronger joints, and at the same time become more explosive.

[@La-di]

1000 percent agree with this I’ve avoided many injuries by just being flexible and strong through knees over toes

[@Gainsforlife]

Dick over balls guy here. Hung well

[@orestisnalmpantis]

Any specific video or course you suggest?

[@KKSuited]

@@orestisnalmpantis the atg split squat series is the best place to start. Nordics, reverse nordics, Jefferson curls. He has a ton of great stuff. Haven't got to try it all. I trust it though.

[@isupportthecurrentthing.1514]

It hasn't really done much for me.

[@ConveyApp]

Your 100% correct. If strength, size, and athleticism did not mater they would not have weight, and age divisions.

[@thlee3]

you’re right on with the weight divisions

[@therainman7777]

Just noting that at many of the top grappling competitions they have an open weight division where there are no size restrictions, and the larger opponent does not always win.

[@ConveyApp]

@@therainman7777 True, but when was the last time a 40+ yr old, 165lb person win? Those guys are the cream of the crop at their physical peek. Physicality, age, and weight absolutely makes a difference. I’m a 43 yr old, 5’5”, 165lb purple belt. I’m primarily a no-gi guy. I went to a open mat yesterday and rolled with this absolutely jacked 23 yr old, 6’2”, 225lb blue belt. Dude not easy. He couldn’t tap me, but he could just power out of my triangles, and I got my guard passed a few times by this guy. That was a rough roll.

[@therainman7777]

@@ConveyApp Well of course, when you have such extreme differences as a 20 year age gap and 60 pound weight gap, you will probably never see the 40+ year old person who is 60 pounds lighter winning. In fact, I don’t think many 40+ year olds are even still competing at the most prestigious events. However, we have certainly seen cases where a 180 pound black belt won against a 210 pound black belt in the open division, for example, despite being outweighed by 30 pounds. That’s all I’m saying.

[@ConveyApp]

@@therainman7777 Yeah, I completely see that too. Again I was rolling with another young guy about 180lb blue belt yesterday, completely jacked, I think he was 27 ish. He was no problem, I reversed him made him miserable and got a sub on him with a North/South choke.

[@x-Musashi-x]

A white belt who did D1 wrestling just dominated every blue belt and purple belt with positioning. They could not tap him out, so if it was a tourney he just dominated them through points. Brown and blackbelts were able to humble him, but man did they have a hard time. We were all humbles by that dude. High level Wrestlers are fierce warriors. He’s the reason I took up wrestling and strength training ( he runs every morning and weight trains before jits class) Straight freak. This video is on point. Thanks.

[@drebin3806]

A high level wrestler beat low - mid level BJJ guys? No way

[@cjpearce1407]

​@Drebin exactly I bet if they trained leg locks alongside everything else when they first started I bet they would tap him

[@x-Musashi-x]

@@cjpearce1407 yea. The higher belts used leg entanglements on him.

[@TheArtofBlues]

How many miles does he run everyday? They should make a wrestler conditioning handbook

[@heymelon]

High level wrestlers are fierce warriors in part just because of having reached those levels. Basically any Olympian for instance is such low percentage in terms of peak genetics physically that they would have huge advantages in the world of bjj.

[@josephbreza-grappling9459]

I used to think wrestling was all about having great technique, being in great shape, and being mentally tough. Yes, those things are important, but then I went Div1 collegiate and realized there’s just freaks of nature. A bunch of Div 1 wrestlers have great technique, are in fantastic shape, and are mentally tough. Otherwise they wouldn’t be there. But the freaks of nature have all the above and are just able to make things work with strength. It matters at the highest levels. And like Wiltse said, “it’s relevant as fuck.”

[@izzate7]

GABLE STEVESON. Dude's strength and athleticism is just nuts. His leg strength and explosiveness let's him move like a 157 pounder and guys in his weight class don't know how to handle it.

[@josephbreza-grappling9459]

@@izzate7 oh they know what to do, but they just frickin can’t, lol

[@AbsoluteADCC]

The good thing is that you don't have to be a freak of nature to obtain strength. Look at Ben Askren. The guys is the most non-athletic wrestler I've seen. He is so non-athletic that he can't even comprehend how to punch properly. He looks like an average hobbyist, but his isometric strength is off the charts. If he gets a hold of you, you are done.

[@josephbreza-grappling9459]

@@AbsoluteADCC yeah, he has freak of nature grip strength. Having an aesthetic physique and being strong AF aren’t the same thing. The worst I ever got the crap kicked out of me was by a D3 wrestler named Joshua Habeck from Wisconsin Lacrosse. I underestimated him, because he was tall and very skinny. I was pretty well built. The guy was freakishly strong. He literally picked me off the mat with double underhooks, like I had no knowledge of wrestling at all, and put me right to my back after he swept my legs out. I never had anyone do that to me-and I wrestled with world champions and olympians. I got out of bounds and then we went back to the middle and he slapped legs on me and punished me for the entire match. I’ve never wrestled anyone that strong in my life, and he looked like he could only bench 135. He felt like he could bench press a car. I think so many people think that’s “obtainable” but I’m here to tell you that unless you’ve wrestled at that level, you can’t say that. It’s something you’re born with. I was incredibly athletic, very technical, and much above average in strength (still am). But no matter how how I worked, I wasn’t going to be like those freaks. Unless you’ve wrestled them, you kinda don’t know man. AND that was the hardest pill I ever had to swallow. That no matter how much I lifted, I wasn’t going to be like that. Our 141lber on my collegiate team could bench press 420lbs for reps. Reps man. He didn’t earn that as much as he was born with it. I never got anywhere near that shit

[@clayton97330]

​@@josephbreza-grappling9459 Yeah, I get it. I have also locked up with elite caliber wrestlers of all different builds. Some people are just made of different stuff, and unless you've felt it, you can't understand it.

[@vutran3758]

There's a reason why a D1 wrestler will show up to a gym and wreck everyone (including the instructor) on his first class...

[@dylanwagner1162]

As a scrawny jiu jitsu guy that just started to lift I still wreck d1 wrestlers that come to my gym once ur high level purple belt or up u beat most d1 wrestlers I just broke a 190lb college wrestler’s foot tonight at class cuz he didn’t wanna tap im only 155lbs

[@okcomputer6033]

​@@dylanwagner1162 you need to be more careful with your team-mates bro, WTF

[@cesaralvesdemoraes3187]

D1 wrestlers have great technique beside their conditioning/ strengh

[@dylanwagner1162]

@@okcomputer6033 yea I got bitched out by the dudes at mt gym. He was doing a drop and and thrashing everyone around. I was 40lbs smaller he was on roids lol I just have a good footlock and he didn’t expect it to pop fast and he didn’t tap because I was small and he didn’t respect the sub I had

[@youlig1]

​@@dylanwagner1162 Dude, you give me big passive agressive vibes. Don't break someones foot in your gym because he was a bit of a dick...

[@tariktyler]

Thank you for being brutally honest about the importance of strength and conditioning in BJJ. This is especially true for older grapplers who get smashed yet still think they'll just technique out some 20 something kid

[@srali7609]

you said it bro am 36 grappling against young 19 to 20 years old's man its hard as they keep using the strength

[@shreyasr1989]

@@srali7609 36 is not old 🤦‍♂️you are close to your athletic peak than a 20year old in grappling!

[@ManzerSiddiq]

@@srali7609 Brother you are not old. Get stronger And keep training

[@kgill99]

@@shreyasr1989 athletic peak 22-28, well proven, its not sport specific

[@heymelon]

@@srali7609 I don't think strength loss should be a factor at your age or even significantly higher. It's like the one physical factor we keep fairly well with age and at the very least in our 30s unless I'm missing something. First to go is recovery I think and 2nd is speed or reaction time, 3rd might be endurance.

[@supp-stack]

Bird's commentary via background TV is the greatest thing ever 🤣

[@JSMinstantcoaching]

Awesome, I am stealing that idea for sure :-)

[@SauceMario]

Andrew: Your cardio and muscular endurance is important. Bird TV: You are a liar!

[@carlosrazier433]

Bird putting his face up when Andrew says “regular human” at 5:00 is hilarious

[@krisoliveira9756]

i lost it with the "im fast as fuck boi" cat xD

[@Thesavagesouls]

Physical conditioning should be a mendatory part of any MA.

[@sharlah4057]

I do work on my physical conditioning - I used to compete as a boxer and we wouldn't dream of trying to compete in boxing without getting fit so why wouldn't I do the same for BJJ. I love that you don't leave out cardio - I NEVER hear of most of my BJJ training partners working their cardio. This rant has really helped me clarify the value of continuing to dedicate time to my fitness even if it's a lot to fit in.

[@paintpaintpaintco.6039]

Boxers used to be notorious for not hitting the gym. “I can’t get big bulky arms” would be what was always said

[@chadd3299]

I have a 1930lb raw powerlifting total-700 squat, 480 bench and 750 deadlift. I’m a white belt that’s been training for 17 months now. I’m glad you broke it down to isometric strength because I have maximal (or absolute depending on your preferred nomenclature) strength and explosive strength, but my isometric strength is terrible. I end up releasing chokes and certain holds because my muscles get tired and half the time my rolling partner will tell me they were close to tapping but knew they could wait me out. Someone who has been grappling for 10 years, that I outweigh by 80lbs, can grab a collar tie, a two on one, or distribute their weight on me through a side control or mount pin, and I have a hell of a time peeling their grips off or moving them off me. Conversely, I am orders of magnitude stronger and more explosive than anyone in my gym. So long as I don’t let anyone settle into a position on me, I can get out of most things through just brute force and ignorance. I’m able to win scrambles against people with better wrestling than me. I’m able to survive submission attempts that a lot of other people would normally tap to. I can successfully complete body lock passes on purple and brown belts. It definitely helps me do things someone with the same experience level as me wouldn’t be able to pull off effectively. But I’m also 260lbs. My open guard is atrocious because I’m extremely susceptible to diving knee cuts, torreando (spelling?) passes, and various other standing passing because I don’t have the speed to stop people with better athleticism from getting around my legs. So I have to try to wrestle up on a single or find a way to trap someone in my half or full guard to mitigate their strengths while putting myself in a position to use mine. And my muscular endurance and cardio is good for people my size, but if I go against an athletic, fairly strong 190-210lb guy with analogous experience, I usually lose the match. It’s the perfect size/level of athleticism to be just strong enough to mitigate my strength, while having quite a bit more cardio and athleticism as me. But, it’s also the same reason I can beat a lot of 300lb guys at my experience level…I do the same thing the 200lb guys do to me and have the same advantages while providing the same disadvantages for the bigger guy. We all have various attributes that we try to capitalize on while mitigating our opponent’s attributes. If you can figure out what those are and develop your weaknesses to the best of your ability, you’ll get smashed for awhile but end up much better in the long run. Which is why I start every round in open guard right now…because all of my attributes are worthless there and I suck haha.

[@mouthguardcomic]

It's cool that you know and admit it. A lot of guys that strong (in my experience) overestimate their strength and rolling with them can be nightmarish (when they are beginners). They may not know when to slow down when cranking a submission or when exploding out of a position. Without knowing the mechanics and the basics, they can hurt others unwillingly. However, once they gain more experience, they are not usually difficult to roll with.

[@chadd3299]

@@mouthguardcomic I have the complete opposite problem as most new guys…I have issues becoming aggressive. I’m 36 and when I was younger I was a big hot head. Had a rough upbringing and abusive father so I spent my entire time in my teens and early 20’s resentful and fighting all the time. Then I spent the rest of my 20’s fixing my life. Now, I feel like I put in so much work beating my unnecessary aggression out of me, that I have issues flipping the switch and turning necessary aggression on. I apologize all the time while rolling…to the point where my training partners tell me to shut up and stop apologizing lol. Part of that is my journey and the other part is my best friend told me before I started that everyone is wary of the new spaz white belt, so I overcorrected and became “too nice.” So now I’m working on trying to turn on aggression when I need it. I guess there are worse problems to have though…

[@mouthguardcomic]

@@chadd3299 True, as I assume you are more technical. One of the drills we are doing in our competition class is a HIIT roll. The first minute is spent rolling as hard as we can and the next few minutes are geared toward flowing. The goal is to force us to focus on when to 'turn it up' or 'dial it back.' Also, your style of rolling may make you more laid back. For instance, if you like to start seated, try standing and learn a couple of take downs that work for you. Or you can focus on achieving side control or mount more often. That may make you more aggressive just by the style you play. I like take downs and submitting people from kesa gatame. I have to be aggressive to do that. When Andrew analyzed my roll, he told me I should avoid staying on my knees when trying to pass. I took that advice and my game became more aggressive because I wasn't on my knees trying to pass. I also have been using his buzz saw pass and I have been slicing through people's guards. I have to be more aggressive when I pass so easily.

[@jemag]

You seem to have a very similar story to Chad Wesley Smith at Juggernaut fitness on KZbin. He is probably the strongest powerlifter to ever make the transition to Jiu-Jitsu but is still facing some of the challenges you mentioned. He also has a lot of videos on strength and conditioning for bjj

[@badxradxandy]

No one's reading all that and cool e-stats. Post body on /fit/

[@insidetrip101]

Being afraid of being tired is the biggest thing to overcome. Its what we trained for in the college wrestling room. This mentality is the reason why I'm successful in jiujitsu. You just got to throw caution to the wind and decide that when you're going to commit to something, you commit and you fucking rip someone's arm off. JUST DO IT! DON'T LET YOUR DREAMS BE DREAMS!

[@x-Musashi-x]

Fuck yeah! Thisbcomment made me run the 3 miles I beeen avoiding. Thanks bro.

[@therainman7777]

Are you joking or being serious? You really should not be “just going for” ripping someone’s arm off. Especially in your gym, during training-but even during competition. Yes, use the strength needed to get the submission but you should be aiming to do it with as little strength as possible, both because a) it will lead you to learning better technique over time, b) it will allow you to conserve more energy during a bout, which against a difficult opponent is extremely important, and c) it drastically reduces the chance of unintentionally injuring your opponent (or yourself). There is no need to “throw caution to the wind and try to rip someone’s arm off,” and in fact this is actually a stupid tactic that could easily cost you a fight. Staying as calm and controlled as possible is always important.

[@thuuryn6249]

"41 minutes" I feel like I'm about to get called out.

[@jordangalida8387]

Great video, Andrew. Anecdotally, I took 10 years off of BJJ to compete in powerlifting at the national level. Coming back I am 60lbs heavier and obviously enormously stronger. As soon as I refamiliarized myself with BJJ, it was night and day. And I'm talking about on people "my size" which again, if you have a lot of muscle mass for your weight, then you automatically have an advantage.

[@srali7609]

this video has given me soooooooooo much, i had tears in my eyes like a bitch, i was thinking am just not made for BJJ but after hearing what andrew had said and what he had gone through or still going through and what fake impression we all have of certain JJ methods and moves etc... omg its like hes opened my mind, its like its common sense. thank you sooo much Andrew. everyone needs to hear this. this is GOLD knowledge

[@BarryFranks]

It’s weird that perspective ever really gained popularity. Anyone who has ever trained for a meaningful amount of time has gone up against a true specimen and knows there are times where there’s zero impact your technique has in certain positions/maneuvers. I’ve seen white belt animals tap out high level belts through a mix of technique and pure physical exertion. Strength is everything in life.

[@isupportthecurrentthing.1514]

Yeah but we're learning the game of Japanese leverage wrestling, so developing technique is kinda the point. If strength was everything , we'd just do weights.

[@hermanmelville3871]

Never believed in strength until I trained with truly world class guys. I realized the one factor they all shared beyond a very particular mindset was they are all strong as fuck.

[@mouthguardcomic]

When I first started BJJ, I used to be able to just sit up when people had me in side control or when things would get to hectic, I could bench press people off of me when they had side control or mount. As I wanted to focus on technique (as I bought most of the rhetoric long ago), I focused on trying to be as technical as possible. Now though, as I have to deal with guys that do similar things I used to do, I regret not being as strong and have refocused on building my strength again. (Flexibility is something I need to focus on too.) As Andrew mentioned, flexibility is a great guard recovery enhancer. There are new guys who's guards become very irritating (quickly) as they just throw a leg in front of you when you are almost past their legs.

[@The_YouTube_Critic]

That is the worst!! The lanky super flexible people are the hardest to roll with. I've noticed at the elite level, they all have the most ridiculous AROM at the hips. They can bring their legs up from any position to avoid mount, recover guard..etc.

[@mouthguardcomic]

@@The_KZbin_Critic I agree. We had a new guy join our gym that is a yoga fanatic. People thought he was lying about never practicing BJJ because he could recover guard easily from any angle after a couple of months of training (on anybody). As soon as you thought you passed his guard, his foot would pass in front of your face (lol!).

[@AbsoluteADCC]

@@mouthguardcomic Leg locks would work great against any ultra flexible guys throwing their legs around like that. That's what's great about this whole grappling thing. You are never out of danger (unless you do some lapel 50/50). You bench press a fella, if he is strategically disconnects (Andrew's term), he can use that go to other pinning position and keep doing that until you run out of strength. Both things are very important and the good thing is that both technique and strength are skills (according to Pavel Tasutsulin) that everyone can obtain.

[@Gainsforlife]

Gym > dojo > everything else

[@katokianimation]

I used to rolled with a woman who had backround in judo. She often just grab your head with her legs pushed you to the ground and squished your neck in a half-ass reversed triangle fashion. And that could happened any time during the rolling. Even when she was mounted. Also she never tapped out for joint locks...

[@grappler562]

Fuckin crackling fireplace 1980s television background 🤣🤣

[@austiny6539]

I see the “your using too much strength argument” as a cop out to keep the colored belts from losing they ego cuz I started out very skinny and weak and no one had issues with rolling me but then I gained about 40lbs and suddenly everyone didn’t wanna roll with me. At the end of the day that strong person is the best test for your ability so don’t sleep on their importance

[@tarebf]

Are you sure you are not just abusing your strength now, though? Maybe people want to practice technique and not a game of brute strength.

[@austiny6539]

@@tarebf well what is technique if not an effective use of strength and power every movement in bjj requires some degree of physical strength to execute. Also why not use it, we don’t tell fast people to not use their speed or flexible people to use their attributes why tell a big guy not to use his attributes

[@Dankelheit]

​@austiny6539 because people want to learn techniques and be able to safely work on their application. If you just care about strength lift weights, why even care about bjj?

[@BulletMagnetJB]

@@austiny6539do you not try to match your strength with the ability of your opponent? Training is not for winning rounds, it’s for developing skills.

[@austiny6539]

@@BulletMagnetJB for sure but at the same time I’m not here to give people things they shouldn’t get

[@heymelon]

So much of athleticism or at very least your athletic potential is dictated by genetics and can't be changed. Which is at least in part why I imagine it's such a controversial pill to swallow. Which means that for most people putting most of their eggs in the basket of improving their bjj skills, is what will get them more success in bjj. But hitting certain metrics strength and mobility etc is certainty a big factor and worth focusing on. Along with realizing you are never going to "become" an elite athlete. Just to be clear, everyone can get stronger and improve some other athletic abillities. But most people can't become a freak, that just wrecks higher belts with their strength and speed. Most prodigies in our sports that have the records of fastest black belts or history of subbing blackbelts regularly very early after their start in the sport usually have the gift of learning the sport fast along with creativity.

[@McLeodJJ]

a vid on your stretching routine to increase flexibility and mobility for jiu jitsu would help a lot :)

[@Tang77so]

I agree...Strength makes a huge difference, i have gotten out of a lot of compromising positions or submissions because of strength.

[@drspicy9789]

This is a great rant but who still thinks athleticism isn't super important? Who's still saying that?

[@SyBlast]

Could not stop laughing when he said “when you’re going with a regular human being” and Bird’s picture showed up😂

[@JP-uv5tt]

Thank you. I hadn’t considered that my concept of “conserving energy” was putting me in bad situations. Please keep this type of content coming.

[@MikeyMinimo]

It’s as black and white as you are trying to make it. There are spectrums and thresholds in which technique overcomes strength and vice versa.

[@rodvan-zeller6360]

Why do tournaments have weight, age, rank and gender divisions?

[@justinbrown7048]

Dude I fkin love the way u break shit down...ur brilliant when it comes to body movement . Strength..just common sense really haha

[@jasonmurray8777]

Its all a video game-style power bar. Different folks have different base levels of a given power bar - which can also be increased using physical training to increase. The other thing that grows your power bar is technique. So, for example, a 140 pound woman might have a base power bar of 10 whereas as 200 pound man has a base power bar of 50. If the woman trains enough BJJ she can perhaps increase her power bar to 50 or 60 by the time she is a purple belt or brown belt. She will probably also get another good 10 points of athleticism. That will let her beat that average 200 pound man whose base power bar is 50 and has not trained because hers is now something like 60 or 70. So yes, athleticism matters, but so does training. They both grow your power bar.

[@VarsityAthlete04]

I wish there were stats irl

[@johancarlsson1287]

You having the game clear music from Mario 64 in the outro, is just the cherry on top.

[@pablotirado3993]

As a 170 cm, 64 kg blue belt I agree. Last year a spazzy gym bro white belt join our gym, I could submit him with relative ease during his first year of training, but now that he has 1 year of experience in grappling is a whole different story rolling with him.

[@mentaliseme9007]

For a moment I thought the title was "The Role Aestheticism Plays In Your BJJ". Now THAT would have been interesting!

[@Dhobby517]

Love this topic. I bought into the “technique over everything” idea after getting my blue belt and stopped lifting all together. Had built a solid foundation of strength prior to starting jiu jitsu that slowly deteriorated over 6 years. Have been making a focused switch back to strength training, mobility, and recovery the past 2 years and am seeing huge a huge level up in my overall performance on the mat. My techniques feel easier to impose, my body feels better overall, and I also have a strong belief that I could have avoided some major injuries over the years if I would have just done some maintenance lifting around jiu jitsu. Kama Jiu Jitsu did a great video on this simplifying everything down to a technical score and an attribute score (strength, flexibility, endurance, etc.). Whoever has the higher combination of the two scores will typically dominate the match. Working every day to improve a few things at a time and just get better. Appreciate you guys!

[@andycampbell85]

Love the honesty in this. In any other sport athleticism is important. Why would grappling be any different? It makes no sense.

[@vids595]

Great comment

[@rayrodriguez438]

I took Jocko Willink’s statement at face value over hitting the gym vs bjj and the time and personal roi. “You can always go back to the gym and train but the time lost not training bjj is lost” -

[@lastmanstanding5423]

Kama Jiu Jitsu video link please??

[@mraBJJ33]

Thank God you mention that stretching while cold is not as beneficial as when your joints, muscles and tendons etc are warmed up with maximum blood flow through them. I think I read that stretching on cold muscles increases the risk of injuries

[@SeventySevenScars]

If athleticism didn't matter, there wouldn't be weight divisions.

[@rosendalemedia]

There is a reason there is weight classes

[@therainman7777]

I agree with the general concept that strength does matter. However, technique also matters a _lot_ and I have seen some astonishing instances of technique over strength. For example, if you execute an upa perfectly and nail 100% of the details, there is no way the guy on top can stop it no matter how strong he is, if he doesn’t know the proper technique for stopping it. There are videos on YT demonstrating this. You can be as strong as you want, but if you have no arm to base with and no leg to base with, and the technique happens suddenly and with speed, so that you don’t have time to overpower your arm or your leg back to being available, well then you’re going to get rolled. Also, for the most extreme possible example of strength vs technique, there’s a video on YT of Gordon Ryan escaping from mount and other positions against Hafthor Bjornsson, aka The Mountain. So here you have the pinnacle of technique (Gordon Ryan. Best BJJ practitioner on the planet) against the pinnacle of strength (Bjornsson, previous winner of World’s Strongest Man). While it is certainly a bit of a challenge for Gordon to deal with his size and strength, he does manage it, despite Bjornsson resisting with 100% of his strength. I realize you said you’re talking about a street fight or MMA rules, rather than BJJ rules. And I do agree that that makes size and strength even more important. But still, it’s not as though escaping from being mounted or sinking in a successful RNC are irrelevant in a street fight or MMA bout. You will need to modify the upa technique in order to avoid getting punched, of course. But once you have a hold on each limb, if you act quickly and execute perfectly you can still sweep the guy and wind up on top. And yes, now you need to execute absolutely perfect mount control to even have a chance of maintaining mount and not simply getting bucked off by his enormous strength. But it’s still better than having been under his mount; you may be able to simply get up immediately and run away. My point is just that both strength and technique still clearly matter even in a street fight technique, and below a certain threshold of strength difference I would rather take the better technique. And that threshold is quite high; for example I would not trade being a BJJ black belt against an opponent with no grappling experience for a 20% or 30% strength advantage. For a 2x or 3x strength advantage, yes, maybe. But even still, consider that the average man has roughly 3x the upper body strength of the average woman, and 2x the lower body strength. Yet would you say that the average man, with zero grappling training, has a good chance of beating a female BJJ black belt of average size in a street fight or MMA bout? Perhaps so, but I have my doubts.

[@rayrodriguez438]

I took Jocko Willink’s statement at face value over hitting the gym vs bjj and the time and personal roi. “You can always go back to the gym and train but the time lost not training bjj is lost” -

[@armedjoy3045]

It doesn't take a lot to be stronger than most BJJ guys or at very least be stronger than you were. Like 3 hours a week. That's funny coming from Jocko though because he doesn't appear to have much technique and just goons shit

[@ImMakEiTNasty]

@@armedjoy3045 the problem is that most people don’t have the time to hit the gym,jits,recovery

[@thomasavona1]

This is why bjj athletes should train pull ups, squats , power cleans , speed deadlift, and sprints. They don't tell you this early on at some schools. Also wrestling and judo extremely important. If Pure jitz guys just eat acai and pull Guard and don't lift, they can be dangerous but not against strong athletes.

[@biggrrrlbjj5833]

There is a reason that there is weight classes

[@CarlosVerdinOfficial]

This was glorious. Now for a super heavy weight to give tips

[@racsohern9178]

Awesome advice on many points, however what are your recommendations for older bjj practitioners that aren’t planning on high level competition, hold normal jobs, have family and are limited with time? Should we roll less and focus on the athleticism aspect first? How to get better on limited time?

[@PessimiStick]

Depends what you want to get out of jiu jitsu, honestly. Personally, I hate "working out". Running fucking sucks, I absolutely hated lifting when I played stick and ball sports in H.S., etc. I do jiu jitsu because it's fun, and it keeps me from being 300 lbs. Would I be objectively better at jiu jitsu if I started lifting 3 days a week and doing HIIT on the off days? Of course! But none of that is fun, and I'm in my 40s. I'm not trying to win worlds out here, I'm just trying to not get too fat. So I don't do any of that, and I just roll. Even then, you can give yourself a pretty difficult workout with just rolling, if that's what you want to do. It won't be exactly the same as someone who trains just as hard and also does all the extra-curricular workouts, obviously, but that's where it comes back to -- how much work do you actually want to put in?

[@rickykay06ify]

I'm 43 and agree with that comment, if you only have time for jiujitsu and dislike the other stuff then roll more for cardio and strength benefits. I would add you can work on mobility and flexibility as that will become more important as well get older

[@jonkersley4986]

I really gotta get my shit together. at white belt I worked out,dieted,stretched and now at purple I dont do shit whoatsoever other than bjj and have been feeling like shit and getting injured easier and put on all the weight I lost at whitebelt. Your videos are pushing me to get my shit together again

[@armenalexanian]

This content comes from extreme levels of real life experience. Super insightful.

[@ConveyApp]

I have rewatch this video. It’s been about 7 months. In that 7 months I have gone from a slow 225lbs at around 34% body fat (1) striped blue belt. I literally sucked at BJJ. Now I’m down to 165lbs at about 18% body fat and have been promoted to (3) strips, but I’m tapping low to mid level purple belts. My technique has gotten substantially better, but my newly found strength, and athleticism has made it possible. I can float on guys now in a knee ride/mount and slide into a back take triangle attack and move into a back take arm bar if that fails. My ability to move and my increased ability to not gas out has made my BJJ much better. Plus I was struggling to train (3) times per week at 1.5 hours per day with about 2 hours of rolling, to (5) days per week with an additional 4-5 hours rolling. I have been able to train about 10 hours a week for about 3 months now.

[@kgill99]

you're also doing a hell of a lot of BJJ!

[@ConveyApp]

@@kgill99 I have currently upped my BJJ to 7 days a week, and Mon, and Friday (2) times per day on those days. That puts me at around 15 hours a week. I also got my Purple Belt about 3 weeks ago. It’s crazy how quickly I’m progressing. I have surpassed (3 and 4) stripped blue belts. I went right past their skill levels. I am submitting guys that would crush me and submit me 2 or 3 times a 5 minute roll 6 months ago. Now I’m submitting them at 2-3 times a round. It’s a really cool change.

[@blandz]

Great video so far. 9:25 was devastating as a brown belt who can do neither though 🥲

[@ashleykettle343]

Brilliant video! Something I’ve become very aware myself in my time with bjj, leading me to explore more cross training options for self-defence. As far as bjj is concerned, I’ve definitely made a conscious effort to be more practical with my strength (weight) training, and I’ve noticed a massive improvement over how I control opponents and how effective it is to have more strength under fatigue as well. I wrote an entire program if anyone wants me to send it to them, just shoot me your email. Free. I don’t want any money, just wanna help other people in the same position who might not know where to start or are stressed for time like I am. (If it helps, I’m professionally qualified in fitness & health) Let me know guys🤙🏻

[@JasonTodd339]

I don't want to type my email in KZbin comments, I'd love to get this, how else could I contact you?

[@JasonTodd339]

If you check my profile you'll see how far self training has taken me over a year, I'd love that compilation you made👌🏿👌🏿

[@PhatFrankiiie]

🙏 excellent video

[@saetia7]

Andrew everything is on fire behind you get out of there!

[@Scottierolls]

Not only can you see the fire, but you can hear the fire. Legendary

[@johnebrenn]

“You can’t armbar a [fucking] gorilla.” - that’s how I heard it 😂 best quote of the video!

[@diabolic42090]

Thank you for reiterating what I've been feeling all along. Something along the lines of 3 pounds of technique = 1 pound of strength. Those numbers are arbitrary but yea -- technique can overcome strength but you're gonna need a shit ton of technique to overcome a significant size and strength advantage.

[@insidetrip101]

I literally cannot stand the idea that strength doesn't matter and technique is what is important. Jesus Christ, this is exactly the reason why we have weight classes.

[@woolengrappler]

Strength is a skill that can be developed and honed. It’s much more about mind-body connection than it is about just being a brute animal. Another thing is that being stronger helps prevent injuries overall and allows for quicker recovery.

[@joeymarmo5399]

I have a question you talk about doing cardio outside of Bjj I don’t understand why u wouldn’t work the cardio during Bjj. I feel like sprints and running is so far from the sport and it will just take away from Bjj training meaning every hour spent doing cardio could’ve been spent training and you can make training particularly cardio intensive if Thts an issue for ex 1st to score, shark tank, speed drills. I feel like doing this would get your cardio better and your skills at Bjj better where running only does one. Would really appreciate your opinion.

[@ericrolston1836]

If you use bjj to train your maximal exertion capacity you will injure your training partners or yourself and the resulting layoff from training will reduce your capacity back to baseline (or below if it's a serious injury)

[@DosuKinu]

Exactly, I realized that i often couldn't finish a sub or get in certain positions against people around my level because of a lack of strength or "will" at times. I developed a bad habit of being too loose and wanting to preserve energy during rolls which turned against me most times. I'm actually kind of fast and explosive but i stopped rolling with too much speed and intensity because i didn't want to be a spazz. This video is quite helpful and debunks a lot of things i heard amongst the bjj community

[@brandonpemberton5707]

I love Wiltse bro jj. But HEAR me. You can IMPROVE your flexibility anytime. BUT you cant "control" it. There is a spectrum that you cant subvert. Featherweights will never have a heavyweight frame even though they can put on weight with hard work. If you were six years old and unable to do a lateral split even beyond 90° of range, understand there were 6 year olds at the same time who never streched or did sports who could hit that same position at or near 180°. If that person stretches solidly once a day while you do so twice a day.. YOU. WILL. NEVER CATCH. THEM. If you are person A, you can improve your range of motion greatly. You will never have musimecci's flexibility even if Andrew convinces you you can. You wont achieve mikeys flexibility anymore than cyborg will achieve Andrews speed even if he works on it every day. But... Still work on it😉

[@David-dw2iq]

Every time you post a video I’m like “yay” but also mad you could have spent that time making a gi halfguard dvd 📀. Get on it bro! We love you and need it.

[@steveb8821]

I tried to find a way to explain this to a new guy….technique is just a predetermined, mechanically advantageous application of strength. For some people, their brute strength will overcome your mechanical advantage. Techniques aren’t magic.

[@phobowl]

A great example is juniors who have train since they were little. At 13-14 when they’re still child strength u can power through them. At 15-16 when they get adult strength all of a sudden they’re monsters in the gym.

[@Michael-Humphrey]

The fire in the background for rants is perfect

[@christotheedge]

You're pretty wrong about flexibility being totally in your control. It's largely genetic, you can improve from where you're at but not everybody has their own different limits and these are beyond our own control. How good you technique is, is within your control. That's kind of the whole point of Jiu jitsu.

[@GreenSideScythe]

I'm a small guy, and I've ran into quite a few ppl who are over 100lbs heavier than me but wayyyyy weaker then me, even when they were higher belts. That's when i started hearing the phrase, don't use your strength. 😅

[@seanbarker9272]

The problem is when you spaff your energy too early on if you're not that skillful like me then you're in a lot of trouble

[@AndrewWiltse]

Sounds like the answer is more skill then. Physical attributes are technique adjacent and enabling. I'm not saying pure hulk is the way. Focused hulk is the way.

[@vids595]

If a guy is 30 pounds more than you in lean muscle, that's like at least worth a belt level. But if you are already a bigger guy, say 185 or more when lean, the advantage larger guys have over you really starts to diminish. 155 vs 185 is way different than 185 vs 215, the difference in ability to produce power and tolerate concussive force to the cranium is not as significant for the latter.

[@antonfilipov9747]

Point of diminishing returns. But it's hard to be 190 pounds of full athletic shape in the first place.

[@thecevi9179]

@@antonfilipov9747 I think it depends on your height too. Its much easier for 6,1 me being 190lbs of lean mass than some 5,7 guy

[@cecole]

My instructor has always said the same thing, like rolling with a blue belt who has 30+ lbs on you is essentially like you’re rolling with a purple belt. Not necessarily because of the other guy’s technical level, but because of the additional effort you have to put out in order to manage the bigger stronger opponent. But yeah, there’s probably a point in the 200+ range where another 30lbs isn’t going to make a significantly noticeable difference, especially at higher belt levels.

[@vids595]

@@antonfilipov9747 Statically yes. The vast majority of adult men worldwide will be 170 or less if they have no more than 15% body fat.

[@michaelcorcoran3942]

The fire sound is a good idea

[@TheCommonS3Nse]

I think there are certain techniques where speed and strength make all the difference. A good example of this being the hook and roll. I’ve had an instructor that insists the hook and roll is useless against anyone above a white belt, yet I find it very effective against pretty much everyone, from white belts to black belts. There are two things that I find make it effective. The first is timing. If you try to force the hook and roll, it’s going to fail. Anyone who has seen it before will stuff it immediately. Instead, you wait until they’ve committed one of their arms, either to a collar grab or hooked around the head. Once they’ve tied up that arm, they’ve done half the job for you. The second part of it is the strength and speed. The moment you feel that arm getting locked up, you have to explode into the technique. It can’t be a gradual push. If you can combine the timing and the power, using good technique, then you have a solid shot at finishing that escape. If you don’t have the power to explode on your bridge, then perfect timing and technique will mean nothing. You will think the technique is useless and ultimately come away with one less tool in your tool belt.

[@therainman7777]

Totally agree, this is a very high percentage escape if you do it just right. If I can offer you one other tiny detail that was a game changer for me: let’s say you’re rolling to your left, so you’ve hooked their left leg and have their left arm. The second you have those two, touch your right ear to your right shoulder. Then, instead of bridging and exploding, simply roll gently to your left, rolling over your neck/shoulder area. When done this way, zero athleticism is needed and it will work even on very large and strong opponents. So what’s the difference? If you do it the traditional way, you have to bridge to lift them up and then try to roll over your own head. On the other hand, if you simply touch your right ear to your right shoulder, you have removed your head from the picture and you have this nice, smooth surface to roll over-the area connecting your shoulder and neck. If this doesn’t make sense, or sounds like nonsense, just try it once. I promise you, it DOES work and completely levels up your hook and roll to an insane degree. These kinds of tiny details that nevertheless make such a huge difference are one of the things that makes jiu jitsu so magical. FWIW, this detail comes directly from Rickson Gracie, and my god does it work.

[@AaronForum-o7w]

Yes but, we have seen plenty of bigger dudes get gassed and subbed by someone who is an excellent practitioner. But point taken.

[@johnuphold6243]

Fire crackling & popping in the background 🔥🤣

[@heymelon]

I agree with your perspective overall but it does seem somewhat slanted if I'm getting the vibe right. Yes most people do not improve their strength and flexibility enough because either they devalue them or are lazy, or both. But also, not everyone is built to be able to put their legs behind their back while also deadlifting small cars. And even if they could get there through a lot of hard work it is not the most efficient way to spend the time they have allotted for the week training.

[@ramseybinns3987]

Hey Andrew! You and bird are an absolute gift to the BJJ community! I feel lucky to be a practitioner during this time in your careers where I can sit and listen to all your content (especially the long form stuff). Cheers mates!

[@star_fossil]

If I close my eyes, I could swear I'm listening to Christian Slater.

[@Encounterpart]

I don't know about this honey badger s***...can someone pls make up some sloth s*** I'd be much obliged xD thanks! xD

[@fredcharlotte]

Imagine walking into a Division 1 college wrestling room and saying, "We need to stop wasting all this time with strength and conditioning and just wrestle more." Anything you said after that point would be completely ignored, other than to possibly laugh at you.

[@claymac7895]

Just look at Nicky Rod for the perfect example of how much athleticism matters.

[@gb361TX]

So that's why 98% of bjj competitors do steroids 🤔 makes sense..

[@Bruhne]

I quick and strong and can fly around big guys. They can also peel me off of them.

[@youjitsuhoneybadgers8322]

Thanks for the Honey Badger shout out haha. You are 100% correct though. We do strength and conditioning every week as well as open guard and scramble drills just for this purpose.

[@fsteddy6576]

💯

[@mariowajrak3868]

Gordon Ryan submitted Bo Nickles and Bo is a ncaa champion

[@BillySoundFarm]

Did you ever do the steroids rant? Where's that?

[@svbravada5135]

Love the fireplace... nothing like a down home atmosphere when discussing improving one's strangulation techniques. 😎

[@thefootballpunnedit]

Hahahaha I did the ski instructor impression from south park and then looked and saw him edited in... blackbelt edits

[@stephenkiss4614]

Get this man a Panda Express sponsorship!

[@BG-sj7zh]

All these become much more apparent when you get into your 40s...

[@danilecashin4126]

Learn how to Box or kickbox too. Then all of this is out the window

[@DrewDarce]

The actual sounds of the fire add so much to the video. I'm 30 mins in. Great stuff so far.

[@dd805100]

I mean lets not shy away that Gordon is on roids and most people in his competition brackets are too.

[@kubikiribasara3499]

Love listening to your rants! Consider a poscast. 👍

[@yasinpatel12345]

Speed is an expression of strength, strength is the foundation of ALL athleticism.

[@KaleCulain]

The reality is while skill negates size there is a limit hence why weight classes exist

[@saudabalkhail1950]

one of the most important videos you have made, guys. I tend to be one of those "efficient" players. "Efficiency" might work in the gym, but definitely not in competition. Speaking from experience, unfortunately.

[@kyles5997]

Gordon Ryan = full natty

[@daveyblair6054]

I’ve literally armbarred a hydrolic press

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

A calming fireside rant 🔥 🧘🏻‍♂️ 🎙 . You found the sauce Andrew. Keep it up!🤘🏽🤙🏽✌🏽

[@thedopesickshow]

Strength absolutely helps. I powerlift and at 165 pounds there aren’t many guys deadlifting 515. In competition when similarly matched in skill extra strength to just squeeze past a frame in the chaos to keep side control. My coach is 140 pounds, not big but a world/pan/Abu Dhabi champ and taps 200 pound black belts because he is that good. I’m talking about similar skill and weight classes, it absolutely can make a huge difference.

[@JunJun-pm4vy]

Interesting ideas for sure. Do you have any plans on doing a rant about rulesets in bjj?