BJJ

What to Do When You Don't Have Time to Train BJJ

What to Do When You Don't Have Time to Train BJJ

In this busy world, making some time free to train BJJ when you are not a professional athlete is a challenge. Managing your time between work, family, and friend circle and extracting some time to train is difficult but not impossible. You can use strategies to make some time and train in BJJ even if you have a packed schedule. Some useful tricks to train BJJ when you do not have time are as follows.

1. Select a Reliable Training Session

Most of the BJJ academies offer multiple sessions in their daily schedule. Some sessions are in the morning while some are also in the late evening. If you do not have time to train BJJ in your busy routine, you can choose a morning or late evening session. But remember, do not just focus on time, you also have to choose the best training session for you. If you are a beginner, you should choose a session in which you can learn the fundamentals of BJJ. Taking sessions on advanced techniques will not be useful for you. Discuss all these factors with your instructor. He can guide you about the right time and right session which will help you to learn and also take the class despite your busy schedule.

2.  Be Focused

When you are on the mat, remember you have sacrificed something for this. Do not waste a single moment and try to learn and be focused. Listen carefully to what your instructor is telling you. Try to spend each moment learning something. This is not a problem that you have less time on the mat if you will try to use this time properly. Try to adopt the best learning techniques that increase your BJJ skills in less time. 

3. Online Learning

This is the age of digital learning. If you cannot find time to train in an academy, you can take help from online videos available on the internet. A lot of websites, youtube channels, and online academies are available where legendary BJJ fighters teach various techniques. To learn a specific technique from a fighter who is considered an expert in that technique is quite helpful.


You can watch these videos multiple times to understand the fundamentals of techniques. Some institutes also offer online training and have a virtual belt ranking system. To get promoted into a new belt level, you just have to watch the video, practice the technique, record it, and then send it to the institute's online portal.     

4. Mindfulness

BJJ is not only a physical activity but also a mental activity. You must be focused and keenly observe each and every technique of your instructor. Try to spend some offline time watching some online videos of BJJ training. It will help you to observe some small tactics that you missed.


You can imagine different situations and their solutions. Then when you get time, you can perform those techniques with your training partner.

5. Make it Compulsory to Take Class Even if You are Late

If you have a busy schedule and you cannot train like other regular students, you must take the class even if you are late. If you get half time in the class than all the other students, even then you should attend the training session. Discuss this problem with your instructor. He will definitely get your point and struggle and will allow you to attend the class. After the end of the session, you will end up learning something new.

6. Private Lessons

In BJJ, various students join private BJJ sessions in which the instructor teaches only one student and gives his proper attention. If you do not have time to join sessions, you can attend private BJJ classes that can be conducted on Sundays and provide a flexible schedule. In private lessons, you will learn BJJ more accurately and properly in less time. Learning more in less time is the basic requirement of BJJ students who do not have time for training and private lessons will definitely fulfill this requirement.

7. Try to Train at Home

If you have a busy schedule and cannot give time in the gym, you can train at home. You can practice some techniques in the early morning in the evening or at night when you have some time. At home, there is no limitation of time. You can train whenever you have time to spare. You can also make a training routine at home. There is no need to make a complete gym at home. You can do conditioning and strengthening exercises, or some solo drills at home. This may not be enough but still contributes to the growth and development of your BJJ skills.   

8. Solo Drills

Solo drills can also be helpful if you do not have time to go to the gym. Solo drills can be practiced at home without any training partners. These drills will improve your BJJ skills significantly. Here is the link for some solo drills that can be done at home.

9. Conclusion

Training BJJ in this busy age is challenging, especially for enthusiasts who are not professional athletes. Lack of finances is also a challenge for BJJ practitioners as they need to earn to support their  BJJ training. Making time for training out of one's busy schedule is challenging. But if you are fond of BJJ and want to train despite your busy schedule, you can train in BJJ by following the tips mentioned above. You have to select the most suitable training session near your house and dedicate the small pockets of time you get throughout the day to BJJ training  It may take longer, but you will notice significant improvement in your skills over time.

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