Mobility plays a huge role in your Brazilian jiu-jitsu game. Having flexible hips and moving freely will significantly benefit your standing and bottom game. In grappling, fighters who weigh more tend to focus on strength rather than mobility, as many believe mobility is reserved for athletes in lower weight classes. However, this does not have to be the case, as there are many things that heavier athletes can do to improve their mobility and move better on the mat. One exercise you can start with is the Asian squat. An Asian squat involves lowering your buttocks below your knees and placing your heels on the ground. This exercise has many benefits for your body and is excellent for BJJ. Let’s examine how we can get better at this exercise.
The first problem you can encounter when practicing the Asian squat is that you can’t hold the position. As a result, you cannot stay in that position for very long when you get down, so you need something heavy in front of you to balance. The reason for this is usually a problem with your posture. One way to fix this is to try and start from the ground up. Start on your knees, and move up to a squat position. Ensure your heels are planted on the ground and go as low as possible while keeping your back straight. Try to grip the ground with your toes and push your knees out, so your feet are arched. To make the Asian squat even easier, you can extend your arms in front of you and work on your balance.
Another problem might be if you have a big belly blocking you from getting down. Sometimes this can limit your movement, but sometimes it means you need to open your hips more. From the neutral position, ensure that your hips are open and your shoulders are retracted, just as you would when bench pressing. From there, put your hands in front of you and go down. In addition, you can grab your big toes and anchor yourself to the position to stay there for a bit longer. Once you are settled in the Asian squat position and don’t feel pain, you can move your hips around and work on opening them a bit more.
Overall, this is a great movement for improving the mobility of your hips, and it can significantly improve your performance on the mat! Be sure to try it!
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- Get grappling-specific exercise routines to build mobility, strength, grip, and core, with or without a gym
- This system was designed by BJJ brown and black belts and professional fitness gurus Joe Worthington and James Tomlinson
- Get different exercises, sets, reps, and more to keep your workouts fresh and dynamic:
My name is Milos, and I am the head coach of Fort Jiu-Jitsu! Thank you for reading, and I will see you soon!
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