cardio and competition

[jcandoitbig]

So after my second competition, I've definitely noticed that my cardio is still not up to par. It's drastically affecting my performances which is frustrating as hell. I thought I was good to go for this one as I lost 25lb between my first comp and this last one, but I suppose this was due to eating healthier and training more and not so much on the cardio side of things. Do you guys supplement training with additional cardio (running, HIIT, etc)? I realize some of the fatigue is via stress and not a lot of competition experience, but I still feel like I should be better prepared....also, I've been victim to massive reversals once I pass guard which almost never happens when rolling at the gym. Anybody have suggestions other than not holding on so hard and losing my base?

Thanks!

 

[JKEENAN7]

I have only competed twice but there were a few major changes that I made between the two that drastically improved my cardio (and actually helped me win gold in my nogi category):

1. It may sound odd but whilst waiting in-between fights I have found that listening to ambient/chilled music as opposed to aggressive music helped me remain focused without becoming too emotionally attached to the situation. I think this helps because when I fought in the second tournament I found it far easier to manage my adrenaline, subsequently preventing me from gassing too quickly.

2. EAT! As soon as you have weighed in make sure you eat plenty of carbs to keep you going throughotut the day. For example, before my first fight in my second tournament I ate a banana, a snickers bar and a sandwich around 45 minutes before I fought and it provided me with the energy I needed.

3. With regards to doing some form of cardio outside of jiu jitsu I would say definitely, however, nothing prepares you for jiu jitsu cardio like actual rollling. So, if you can do cardio outside of jiu jitsu make sure it replicates a fight. For example, I have a tournament coming up this Saturday and I have been doing 5 minute rounds (times 3) of cardio in the gym. Within these 5 minutes I will do a 20 second sprint and then 10 seconds of normal pace for the entire duration. This way I can replicate a match as much as possible. I also find it prevents cardio from becoming boring...

In terms of preventing reversals I would say make sure you a placing as much shoulder pressure as you can on to your opponent by having your toes digging into the ground so you can direct all of your weight into them. However, be aware of your opponent's hips and legs. If they are trying to escape I would suggest placing your arm/elbow next to their far hip to prevent movement, or, I would grab their nearest leg and drive it away from you so they pretty much end up on their side (Ryan Hall has a good demonstration of this on YouTube). However, with every situation you have to judge for yourself and if you feel they are going to escape just flow with it until you return to a dominant position (i.e. they try to reverse side control by coming up on to their side and you spin around to the other side).


Again, I am no expert so take everything I have said with a pinch of salt, however, I have experienced similar problems and these responses have worked for me.

 

[LivingSnakeOil]

Mental. Mental. Mental.

Competition is a mental game almost more so than the physical. Your ability is there, but most people barely perform half as well in a competition as they do in the gym. If you can focus yourself and find a motivating factor to calm yourself down and yet drive you to succeed in a match, you'll have a huge upper hand. All but one of my matches that I've ever done, win or loss, have been determined by my mental state going into the match.

Only once was I sick the week of the competition and my mental state was sharp, but my body was dead lol

 

[Russky]

I did 10 years of bicycling before starting judo/bjj. I got significantly better endurance than an average bjj practitioner. Still I was gassing out in the beginning like anyone else. Endurance does not mean you are not going out of breath. It only means you can move faster before hitting anaerobic threshold.

Once you hold your breath you are going into anaerobic mode and your endurance does not matter anymore. If you tense up or use wrong muscles for technique you waste oxygen. In bicycling we try to relax all upper body and only use specific leg muscles for spinning. In bjj if I used ab muscles I almost certainly did something wrong. Oxygen debt results in lesser ATP (=energy) production from glucose and creating lactic acid (=fatigue). Moreover, lactic acid kills mitochondria which in turns kills your muscle endurance.

Not getting enough oxygen creates deficiency in brain as well. You forget your techniques and start using instincts.

Food also plays significant role in performance. When you train you are losing glycogen and salts. Muscles require protein for recovery and rebuilding. You need to replenish these reserves. Losing potassium and sodium make you feel fatigue - muscles cannot function without electrolytes.

My recommendations are:
- watch for your breath and never hold it. Exhale on throw/sweep/attack.
- watch for ab muscles and never hold them tense. Core muscles are the biggest oxygen consumer.
- pause and catch breath between moves. Almost in every position there is a chance to take a break.
- eat enough carbs to sustain training and take a few days break before the competition to get enough glycogen stored.
- get enough salts to re-hydrate during and after training. My favorite drink is diluted orange juice with a pinch of salt.

Training for endurance in any sport is working just below your lactate threshold. BJJ sparring is perfect for this training as long as you control your breath and do not gas out. The most important result of such training is ability to control the pace to get enough energy for the fight. HIIT, running, bicycling are not any better than sparring.

 

[loyalyolayal]

Mental. Mental. Mental.

Competition is a mental game almost more so than the physical. Your ability is there, but most people barely perform half as well in a competition as they do in the gym. If you can focus yourself and find a motivating factor to calm yourself down and yet drive you to succeed in a match, you'll have a huge upper hand. All but one of my matches that I've ever done, win or loss, have been determined by my mental state going into the match.

Only once was I sick the week of the competition and my mental state was sharp, but my body was dead lol

I smoke cigs before and after my matches to calm me down(to each his own). I have a very carefree attitude going into the mats, like after watching my opponents matches, I'd be like-"This fcuker's gonna kill me!". Like I try to psych myself out. Until I'm actually grappling. Then a switch just turns on in my brain & I'm talking trash in my head. It really is a mental game.

 

[jcandoitbig]

I did 10 years of bicycling before starting judo/bjj. I got significantly better endurance than an average bjj practitioner. Still I was gassing out in the beginning like anyone else. Endurance does not mean you are not going out of breath. It only means you can move faster before hitting anaerobic threshold.

Once you hold your breath you are going into anaerobic mode and your endurance does not matter anymore. If you tense up or use wrong muscles for technique you waste oxygen. In bicycling we try to relax all upper body and only use specific leg muscles for spinning. In bjj if I used ab muscles I almost certainly did something wrong. Oxygen debt results in lesser ATP (=energy) production from glucose and creating lactic acid (=fatigue). Moreover, lactic acid kills mitochondria which in turns kills your muscle endurance.

Not getting enough oxygen creates deficiency in brain as well. You forget your techniques and start using instincts.

Food also plays significant role in performance. When you train you are losing glycogen and salts. Muscles require protein for recovery and rebuilding. You need to replenish these reserves. Losing potassium and sodium make you feel fatigue - muscles cannot function without electrolytes.

My recommendations are:
- watch for your breath and never hold it. Exhale on throw/sweep/attack.
- watch for ab muscles and never hold them tense. Core muscles are the biggest oxygen consumer.
- pause and catch breath between moves. Almost in every position there is a chance to take a break.
- eat enough carbs to sustain training and take a few days break before the competition to get enough glycogen stored.
- get enough salts to re-hydrate during and after training. My favorite drink is diluted orange juice with a pinch of salt.

Training for endurance in any sport is working just below your lactate threshold. BJJ sparring is perfect for this training as long as you control your breath and do not gas out. The most important result of such training is ability to control the pace to get enough energy for the fight. HIIT, running, bicycling are not any better than sparring.

yep I swam D1 so I know what you're talking about, I just don't think I trained hard enough to prepare this time. work has only allowed me enough time to get a few rounds in after class a few times a week, and I haven't been supplementing it with anything else. I guess I'll just train more seriously for the next one. and I'll definitely hydrate smarter as it was like 90 degrees and I'm sure I sweated out about 10 pounds lol

 

[LivingSnakeOil]

I smoke cigs before and after my matches to calm me down(to each his own). I have a very carefree attitude going into the mats, like after watching my opponents matches, I'd be like-"This fcuker's gonna kill me!". Like I try to psych myself out. Until I'm actually grappling. Then a switch just turns on in my brain & I'm talking trash in my head. It really is a mental game.

It definitely is subjective. I personally roll around in circles on the ground, stay warm and act just as I do in the gym (basically a bit of a weird clown). Let my confidence go up, my stress go down and try to reach a level of near-cockiness that I don't doubt myself for the next few minutes (as long as the match is going). It doesn't always work, and when it didn't, I lost. Simple stuff here.