How often do you free-roll?

[ThaiFighter_83]

I've found that with almost every exercise I do, I can do it hard 4 times per week for maximal results, no more, no less. Running, weightlifting (with different muscle groups on different days, each group just getting worked once per week), isometrics in the Kung Fu forms I do, pad work for Muay Thai, etc, etc.

However, sparring is something that I've found is best for me to do just twice per week. I did it 4 times a week for a long time, and my timing somehow didn't develop quite as well when I did greater quantities of rounds on just 2 days per week. Something about the pressure of going with someone else's timing is just too taxing for me to sharpen my own timing if done over 2 times per week.

Now, for my question to you guys...Is this true of free-rolling? I just started grappling this year, so I'm not very experienced yet. I had been rolling 3-4 times per week for most of this year, but I overtaxed my body last week and got sick. I think it was due to the extra rolling I did. I think the same is true with rolling as is with striking sparring...something about the pressure of working around someone else's timing and strength is too taxing to develop my own timing to sharp levels, if done more than twice per week. Last week, when I got sick on the extra day I rolled, I noticed I wasn't as aggressive as I normally was, and was just getting my butt kicked.

But it's crazy when i hear about how some people spar and free-roll 6 times per week or whatever. Or what boggles my mind even more is when I hear of Thai fighters in Thailand hitting pads and running twice per day, SEVEN days a week! They must be going super easy on some days if that's the case. And even if that's so, I still have a hard time believing it.

 

[ModernWarrior]

We free roll every day. 3 ten minute rounds, or 4 8 minutes rounds, sometimes 3 9's. Occasionally we will do 5 5's, or a lot of 3's.

2 or 3 minutes between rounds.

Always a half hour of free rolling a day in regular class. We have a competition class which is all drilling and rolling. The basics class only does 2 5 minute rounds.

In case your wondering, regular class is morning and night 5 days a week, open mat on saturdays which is usually just all rolling. Competition class is tue, wed, and thurs. Mon/wed/fri is basics.

If it matters i train 6 days a week, and go to all the night classes and do all classes two days a week.

 

[Mark Limbaga]

Well, it is also good that you don't always go at 100%. At times, light rolling also helps you focus on technique/s you want to improve on

 

[silverline122]

I've found that with almost every exercise I do, I can do it hard 4 times per week for maximal results, no more, no less. Running, weightlifting (with different muscle groups on different days, each group just getting worked once per week), isometrics in the Kung Fu forms I do, pad work for Muay Thai, etc, etc.

However, sparring is something that I've found is best for me to do just twice per week. I did it 4 times a week for a long time, and my timing somehow didn't develop quite as well when I did greater quantities of rounds on just 2 days per week. Something about the pressure of going with someone else's timing is just too taxing for me to sharpen my own timing if done over 2 times per week.

Now, for my question to you guys...Is this true of free-rolling? I just started grappling this year, so I'm not very experienced yet. I had been rolling 3-4 times per week for most of this year, but I overtaxed my body last week and got sick. I think it was due to the extra rolling I did. I think the same is true with rolling as is with striking sparring...something about the pressure of working around someone else's timing and strength is too taxing to develop my own timing to sharp levels, if done more than twice per week. Last week, when I got sick on the extra day I rolled, I noticed I wasn't as aggressive as I normally was, and was just getting my butt kicked.

But it's crazy when i hear about how some people spar and free-roll 6 times per week or whatever. Or what boggles my mind even more is when I hear of Thai fighters in Thailand hitting pads and running twice per day, SEVEN days a week! They must be going super easy on some days if that's the case. And even if that's so, I still have a hard time believing it.

Different people, different Recovery rates...
Felix Trinidad, from what I've heard ran 7 miles, 2 times a day... pretty crazy...

Dean Karnanez did 25 marathons (all 26.2) miles 25 days straight, and broke the record for running 500 miles straight over a period of a few days, I think

 

[judofarmerbob]

3-4 days a week, 15 minutes to three hours.

 

[slideyfoot]

I can normally only get to class twice a week, or three times a week outside of term-time. At the end of each class, there will normally be time for about 5 or 6 rolls, which will have been preceded by a chunk of specific sparring (e.g., guard passage, where one person tries to pass, the other to sweep/submit: if either one of them achieves their goal, the spar restarts).

I'm pretty wimpy, so I'll never spar every round: at most I'll go four, and I tend to pick training partners about the same size. That often means I'll be sparring with women, as I'm small (5'7, 65kg). Biggest advantage of training at a large club is that if you're small, you still have a decent range of people to train with. I always roll to work technique: I keep saying it, but for me, class is about learning, not 'winning' or 'losing'.

 

[Goat Meal]

3-6 hours a week.

 

[Goat Meal]

3-6 hours a week.

 

[Goat Meal]

3-6 hours a week.

 

[Mr. Switch]

From one relative newbie to another: If you're going 100% and then going for the tap every single time then I imagine it'll get pretty tiring.

Less tiring: if you're spending some of the time just playing around with positions, experimenting with things you've perhaps seen and then spending some other sessions going a little harder. Your "overall game" (whatever that means) will develop better too. That's what I've noticed in my short two years.

 

[JDV5811]

after every class we can all free roll.

 

[B3rserk3R]

We roll for a half hour at the endof every class (so 3 times a week for me)

 

[davejitsu]

We free roll for the last hour of class 3x a week in the summer and 4x a week during the rest of the year. Sometimes we do 5 min rounds and sometimes we do 10 min rounds.

 

[lethalazn]

2-3x a week

it takes my body an entire day and a half to recover

 

[goatfury]

9x a week on average. I'd say 30-45 minutes of rolling per session is normal, but sometimes I'll attend open mat Sunday (2-3 hours of rolling).

 

[amp_1986]

I usually do open mat once or twice a week for an hour and a half each time and we also roll for half an hour at the end of each class which I usually go to three or four times a week.