New Year's resolutions
The new year is the time for good resolutions.
A good resolution is nice, but what is much more effective is adjusting your routines. As James Clear from Atomic Habits beautifully says: “alle jouw energie zou moeten gaan naar het opbouwen van betere gewoonten, niet naar het najagen van betere resultaten.”
Here are some examples of routines that can help you achieve your BJJ goals. Of course, you don't have to do them all; even if you choose just a few, we guarantee that you will make significant progress:
Train consistently 1 or 2 times more per week.
Anyone can push hard for a month. The art of jiu jitsu is to maintain it in the long term. Did you train an average of 2 times a week last year? Make sure you train 3 times a week this year, whether you feel like it or not, and you will see that you make great strides.
A light protein source with every meal
Something we learned from our sports dietitian Sarah Tuohy:
Make sure every snack and meal contains a light protein source. Do you have breakfast with a sandwich with peanut butter? Then drink a protein shake with it, or eat another boiled egg. Having a bag of chips before bed? Preferably eat a bowl of yogurt with fruit and granola instead.
Study some jiu jitsu every day
There are a ton of jiu jitsu matches available for free on YouTube, and even more paid on FloGrappling. Choose an athlete with a similar body type, and study a match or a piece of an instructional from him or her every day. This is one of the best ways to learn new techniques that fit your body type and style.
Work on your flexibility while watching TV
Every time you are sitting on the couch watching Netflix, you have the chance to work on your flexibility. A very handy skill for jiu jitsu, especially if you want to get better at maintaining your guard. So: watch the latest season of Stranger Things or Ex on the Beach in a butterfly stretch from now on!
Written by Daniel de Groot, 1st degree black belt and head coach at Haven BJJ