/ 0 comments

Will Kettlebell Training Help My BJJ?


Many who practice BJJ have thought that going to a gym to lift weights would bring about a magical change in their Jiu-jitsu. That in just a few short months, membership at a local “Fitness Center” would be the catalyst that would shoot them up through the belt ranks and have them knocking on the door to Black Belt status.

Many have added a strenuous workout system to their already busy schedule and have strained themselves or worse,injured themselves and found that they could not even handle even their former BJJ classes without pain and suffering.Recently,a lot of you have heard the cry of well- meaning kettlebell trainers who have claimed that the kettlebell is the missing ingredient that will insure success on the mat. I am here to say that this just isn’t true. What? Wait a minute! I am a kettlebell trainer and I am telling you that as much as I love kettlebells, they will NOT improve your BJJ at all!

Kettlebells will develop strength, cardio, endurance, the ability to prevent some injuries and hand-eye coordination but all of these qualities are attributes and BJJ is a skill! It is a technique!It makes use of attributes but the only way you will ever improve your BJJ is to learn the skills and techniques of BJJ and to learn them better and better!

With that being said,does the Kettlebell have anything to offer a BJJ athlete? I am glad you asked!

First of all, let us get our priorities straight. You want to improve your BJJ,not become a bodybuilder.You want to have the time and energy to visit the academy as often as possible and not have it compete with gym time.If you have poor sweeps or escapes,don’t think that getting stronger will improve your techniques, so why even bother with a kettlebell at all? Why are they for sale at Budovideos.com?

Because Kettlebell workout will develop all the attributes mentioned above and it can do it quickly with brief workouts at home in as little as 20 min. If you keep your goals clear(BJJ technique advancement) and don’t try to be the incredible Hulk, you can learn simple,fast workouts that will leave you with plenty of time to go to your main area of interest, the academy.

I can tell you with my hand on my heart that I know that Kettlebell training complements BJJ work and that if you give it a chance,you will not need to no look further for your strength and conditioning needs.   Suffice it to say that by learning just two basic kettlebell moves, the Swing and The Get-Up, you will rapidly notice obvious increases in your strength, endurance and quickness. Both of these moves are taught on the DVD that comes free when you purchase any size kettlebell from Budovideos.com.  For most average sized men,I would recommend purchasing ONE 16 kilo/35lb kettlebell. That kettlebell alone will take you very far on the road to strength and fitness and leave you with ample time to pursue BJJ.If you decide to go further with kettlebells, the DVD teaches much more and offers further suggestions.

In my next blog post,I will detail one kettlebell drill,that if performed in a certain way, for a certain time cadence,will take care of you ever getting tired late in a match again!

Rik Brown is a certified kettlebell instructor and strength and conditioning coach. To reach him, please visit LibertyStrengthTraining.com

Browse our full collection of Kettlebells here. Prices starting as low as $12.95!


0 comments

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.