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Gassing while Grappling... Any ideas?

5K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  Freelancer 
#1 ·
Well, first off I'm in great shape and I workout all the time. I've been doing Muay Thai and now that a few of my injuries have healed I'm back into rolling as well. The only issue is that I'm gassing pretty bad. I know I'm trying to use a lot of my strength which is causing some of the issues and I've been trying to control my breathing but after a few rounds of rolling I'm completely exhausted and don't have anything left in the tank. I get to the point where I'm feeling really weak and at that point my training is almost done.

Is the only way to increase stamina to just roll more or is there other things I can do to help with this? With pad work during Muay Thai I never gas and I know I'm using different muscles in different ways but any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete
 
#2 ·
Thanks,
Pete[/QUOTE]

I can relate to that. I too started MT about 3-4 years before I started submission wrestling. I was in pretty good MT shape but would gas when rollin. To me it was because I didnt know any technique so I would have to rely on pure strength for everything. I also never wanted to grapple from the bottom, so I would do everything to stay on top. It took time but When I started to relax and not care if I win or lose or what others watching thought, that I started to be able to get better at everything. And that includes conditioning. after a while each individual would have to grapple with five guys, 1 fresh guy every 2 minutes. That was torcher but it also helped with conditioning. Also I would recommend weight lifting for conditioning, and NO im not talking about pressin as much as you can and resting for 5 minutes. This kind of workout will definitely help your grappling, here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Tqv4TK7xk
 
#3 ·
That's a great Link. no one knows more about grappling condition than Randy! If you're like me when I started you'll need to get in better shape before you can do that workout. Try adding sprints to your cardio workout. If you have access to water, swimming underwater works great. whatever you do needs to be anaerobic. Isn't that a terrible feeling when your gassed and the other guy won't get off of ya unless you tap.
 
#4 ·
Great post jcal. I really agree with the first part.

I've been doing judo and BJJ for a while, and one thing I have noticed (both personally and by observing others) is that the best way to not gas is to just relax. Grappling is almost entirely technical and all about control. When you roll, if you are all worked up trying to exert as much strength as possible and trying to overpower your opponent, you will no doubt gas. Instead, just relax and rely on your technique. If your opponent/partner is going intense and trying to overpower you, just take a deep breath and use your skill to control him, without having to out-muscle him. It's the beauty of grappling.

You will notice 3 things when you do this. One, you won't gas (I don't remember the last time I really gassed when grappling). Two, your opponent will get frustrated. THey are exerting a ton of energy, you aren't, and they aren't getting anywhere. Three, you will become a much better grappler and your technique will only improve.
 
#6 ·
I agree with the previous posts about relaxing. But in order to fully relax while rolling you must remove the competitiveness from your system. If you are trying to "defeat" your sparring partner you will use more strength than you need. It's not easy but I suggest you try.
 
#7 ·
Thanks everyone for all your advice this is already working. I worked out tonight with great success and no gasping. I relaxed a ton and worked on my technique instead of my strength with great success. I also took each sparring session as to not caring if I won or lost and just tried to improve my position and not use only strength to overpower my partner. It was hands down the best grappling I've done and i appreciate all the advice given here. It's amazing how making such minor changes can have such major effects on things.

Thanks again,
Pete
 
#9 ·
I've always been of the impression that the hardest guys to teach BJJ too are strong guys who spend a lot of time weight lifting. They are hard to teach because they end up relying on strength all the time. It might work for a while, but eventually everyone else's technique starts getting better and theirs does not and before long they can't win a match.

Remember the more muscle you have the more oxygen you need to keep those muscles going. Big guys normally don't take long to gas and it's harder to get to that point where you don't gas. The only way I know to stop gassing while rolling is just rolling more.

The more skill you get the less you are going to gas as well. When I was a white belt I would gas often because I would use power, but I would use it all the time. When I got my blue I finally realized that I had to pick my moments when it came to using power. Sure you can use power, but you have to be smart and not wear yourself down.

Work on the technique and try not to use power, even if it means you lose some matches. If you lose, so what...it's class, it doesn't matter. Focus on the technique and give it time.
 
#11 ·
do resistance training focused on muscle endurance instead of strength. For instance, low weight with high reps. Put 50lbs on a press and go at it until you can do it anymore. Do the same with your legs and other muscle groups. Also focus on cardio. You should be able to run a few miles no problem.
 
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