Despite your best efforts, at some point in life you’re going to find yourself sidelined from rolling for an extended period of time, be it from life circumstances, an injury, or an unexpected worldwide pandemic. Nothing can replace time on the mat, but here are 3 ways that you can emerge from this situation better than when it began.

Analyze your game

The word “game” can seem heavy and nebulous, especially if you’re a beginner and aren’t sure you even have one. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, think of your game simply as situations that you find yourself in on a regular basis. These can be both positive and negative situations, and you can zoom in or out as far as is beneficial to you.

Ask yourself: What do I want to get better at doing to others? What do I want to do a better job of preventing from happening to me?

For example, my game relies heavily on collar, lapel and kimura grips from half guard and side control (and sometimes mount, if I’m feeling sassy).

My game also involves not being defensive quickly enough and getting my guard passed, ending up in disadvantageous positions that I have trouble escaping from.

Once you have analyzed your game in this way (mind maps can be helpful here), you now have a solid foundation on which to build on and explore from, instead of wandering around the internet wilderness at random. This is where watching Youtube videos and competition matches can come in handy, because it allows you to see aspects of your movement that may have been missing, details you can tighten up or link together, and ways to prevent your opponent from imposing their game on you.

Imagine your success

Jiu Jitsu is as much of a mental game as a physical one, and when we’re off the mat you can use this fact to your advantage. One of my favorite principles of combat is head control: the body can only go where the head is oriented towards. The same can be said about our inner world in that if we don’t first go somewhere in our mind, the chances of us getting there with our body are slim to none. 

When we use our imaginations to drill specific actions, we’re grooving the movement into our subconscious, creating the mental landscape of victory within ourselves. It’s not a coincidence that the submissions that I hit the most often are the ones that I spend the most time imagining throughout my week.

How do you start? Pick a specific sequence or action – ideally one you already have real experience with -, set a timer for 5 minutes, close your eyes and imagine in as much detail as possible yourself executing it. See yourself finishing the submission, watch yourself blocking and countering your opponent’s action, and imagine yourself escaping from a bad position and into a more neutral or dominant one. 

Physical Fitness

Just because you’re unable to train doesn’t mean that you have to let your physical strength & conditioning fall off the face of the Earth. Here are four options that require no (or minimal) equipment to get you started.

• www.markfisherfitness.com/online
• https://bjjfanatics.com/products/self-master-solo-bjj-training-drills-by-john-danaher
• https://deansomerset.com/high-tensile-strength-free-access/
• Email Miguel Argoncillo at ma@miguelaragoncillo.com OR DM him on Instagram and ask for his free “Cypher Files” program

– Rog Law @RogLawFitness