Rolling is an important part of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It allows you to practice the techniques you’ve learned in class and improve your skills. However, you don’t want to roll too hard.
Why You Should Never Roll Too Hard
How hard you should roll depends on your level of experience and skills. If you are a beginner, you should roll slowly and avoid using any submissions until you learn to control them. As you progress, you can start rolling with more intensity. But you should never roll so hard that you injure your partner.
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Rolling too hard can lead to injuries and can also discourage your partners from training with you. It’s important to remember that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, and the goal is to learn and improve, not to hurt your partners.
How to know if you roll too hard in BJJ?
Rolling is an important part of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). It allows practitioners to improve their techniques and get a good workout. However, rolling too hard can lead to injuries for you or your training partners. In order to know if you roll too hard in BJJ, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you feel pain outside of the normal muscle soreness after a training session?
- Do you feel pain during or after training that keeps you from completing your normal routine?
- Do you have joint pain that lasts more than a day or two after rolling?
- Does your training partner look annoyed or frustrated with you after the roll?
- Do you hurt your training partner during the roll?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be rolling too hard. Injuries can set you back in your training, so it is important to be mindful of how hard you are rolling.
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How hard should you roll in BJJ?
There is no one definitive answer to this question. It depends on your level of experience and your goals for training. However, a good rule of thumb is to roll with intensity that allows you to maintain your technique and focus. If you are rolling with someone who is significantly more experienced than you, you may want to roll a bit less intensely.
BJJ beginners shouldn’t roll so hard
If you’re just starting out in BJJ, you may want to roll at a lower intensity until you develop a better understanding of the techniques. Remember to always use caution when rolling with someone who is significantly more experienced than you.
Check in with your body
Injuries can occur when rolling with too much intensity, so it is important to be mindful of your body and how it feels. If you are feeling pain outside of the normal muscle soreness, you may be rolling too hard. Take a step back and dial back the intensity until you feel better. There is no need to injure yourself in order to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Adjust your intensity to the level of your opponent
If you’re rolling with someone who’s of a lower level of you in skill or physical attributes, you should roll lighter. For example, if you’re rolling with a girl that’s significantly smaller than you, you can still use all your speed but you should probably hold back some of your weight when you’re on top. Vice versa, it’s ok to go a little harder against a bigger opponent, but don’t go crazy with this. Big guys have feelings too!
Tips on lowering your intensity in BJJ training
It’s easy to get carried away while rolling in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and end up injured. Rolling too hard not only increases your risk of injury but can also lead to frustration if your technique isn’t up to par. Rolling at 50 to 70 percent of your maximum intensity is a good way to maintain your technique and prevent injuries. Some techniques that you may use to roll at a lower intensity include:
Use more defensive techniques
If you’re having trouble getting the submission, try using more defensive techniques. For example, if you’re in bottom side control, just try to keep your arms close to yourself and try to take 5 deep breaths. This will give you time to regroup and figure out a way to attack.
Taking breaks more often
If you find yourself rolling too hard again, take a break. Sit out the rest of the round or the next round to regain your composure. Check in with yourself to see if you can find out what triggered you to go too hard again.
Rolling without using any submissions
The best way to slow yourself down is to roll without submissions. Many people call this flow rolling. You can just ask your partner if you can roll without submissions, and you’ll find that the roll becomes less competitive. You can allow yourself to move more freely from position to position if you’re not hunting after that finish.
Avoiding high-intensity positions such as standup
Some positions are more likely to increase the intensity of a roll. The biggest culprit of this is standup. In standup you have so much freedom of movement that you can spazz out completely. Try to avoid these kinds of positions completely. So for example, start your roll seated.
Remembering that you shouldn’t try to compete with higher belts, you should try to learn from them
I can’t stress this enough, but especially against higher belts it doesn’t make sense for you to roll very hard. Remember, they’re not rolling hard either, otherwise they would have submitted you already. They’re trying to give you some room to learn, and you should use that room calmly. If you try to go a 100% to try to sneak out a win against them while they were going easy on you, they won’t give you that chance again.
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