How often do you need to train in something to make progress? If you have a base style which is you main focus, how much time should you spend on cross training? Using myself as an example I train BJJ, and have been messing about with a few judo sessions, but if I seriously wanted to gain the benefits of crosstraining how many sessions of judo should i be aiming for? One or two a week, or more?
It depends on the seriousness with which you fight/ play. If you’re competing at national, and international tournaments, then a couple days of judo, mixed with your BJJ would be appropriate. However, if you aren’t that serious then one day should suffice. It also depends on how often you’re training everything else, such as weight training. Maybe provide a bit more detail…
OK,some more details. I am not doing any competing yet, I am still very new to the game. I have access to BJJ training five days a week, and on one of those days I have option of training twice. Being realistic, I make it three or four times a week. I have the option of training judo twice a week without clashing with BJJ, but this would mean I would have training sessions every day of the week unless I drop some BJJ classes.
As for other training,I’m a fully signed up Enamait fanboy- four days on, one day off rotating a challenge (high rep, muscular/anaerobic endurance work), interval running. strength training and GPP.
Where do you train?
That’s quite a bit of training already. I would do as much as you feel comfortable with first. If you notice diminishing gains then cut back. However, if you feel as if you can handle such an aggressive load then ,why not?
Personally, with school and work, I can only handle 3 additional training sessions along with my weight training split of 4 days. But if you don’t have such things interfering, then go for it! It’s a great opportunity.
So do you think progress can be made with one hour a week of judo? As I have noted in other threads, I want to train judo both to improve my grappling game by spending time focusing on standup, but also because I think judo will fill some important holes in my self defence repertoire. Most of the clubs near me train only one night a week, but is that really enough to develop?
As you will find a lot of judo is shadow boxing so to speak so take a techique from your one hour class and work it on your own and you should do fine with that for now. That’s what I do at least.
yes, one hr a week of Judo will be enough to allow you to improve. There is plenty of overlap with the BJJ that you are training so you can use some of the things that you are learning in judo during your BJJ sparring.
Well having talked it over with my Sensei again, he is very much against doing any crosstraining for my first year of training, because it will make it harder for me to learn and also harder for him to teach me.
So I think I will probably leave it for now and focus on my BJJ, although I am a little concerned that I will not be developing my self defence skills.
I disagree with the boss only in that BJJ and Judo are almost twins. Plus you have some takedowns in BJJ because falling to the floor and butt scooting in a match it just gehy.
I disagree with the boss only in that BJJ and Judo are almost twins. Plus you have some takedowns in BJJ because falling to the floor and butt scooting in a match it just gehy.
Well his point was that the differences in scoring might lead to inconsistencies. He gave the example of a North South, which in judo is held in a very different way to that taught in BJJ, reflecting the need in BJJ to develop into another attack, and in judo to simply find the most stable position possible (I am parroting here, so don’t ask me to justify it!).
Regardless, I respect my sensei too much to go and train judo now he has expressly advised me not to. There is however a wrestling club that I recently learned about, just 20 miles down the road from me. Seeing as that is very rare in the UK, I might go and check it out, see if it might have any benefits to my BJJ/self defence game. We’ll see, I don’t want to disrespect anyone, but I want to develop as well as I can.