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chris wojcik

1y ago

Daily posts about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (and sometimes other things!).

How to Taper For a BJJ Competition
chris wojcik
  1. First, have a few weeks of hard training. The reason you rest before a competition is because you have been training hard for a while and you actually need the rest. If you are not training hard for your competition, you are already preparing inadequately and you don't really need to "taper". Skip to step 4 if that's you (maybe it's a short-notice match).

  2. Have a few days of high-intensity, low-volume training. You don't want to go straight to just flow rolling for an entire week before a match. Do relatively intense rounds (make safety a higher priority than intensity) and make sure to stop the session a bit earlier than your normal comp prep sessions. Generally, this is Monday-Wednesday.

  3. Have a day or 2 of low-intensity, low-volume training. I like one or 2 days of just going light, enjoying being on the mat, and letting myself recover actively. I only train with safe partners during this period. I work on some of the things that I will do in the competition. I make sure I'm sleeping a lot and resting. This is generally Thursday.

  4. Take a day off. I like to take one day off before competing. Generally, this is the weigh-in day or the travel day (or both). The only physical activity I really do on this day is a walk on the treadmill or in the town I'm competing in. Get the blood flowing but hardly any exertion.

  5. Go compete. Wake up on competition day, eat a light meal similar to what you'd eat at home before training, and then go do a light warm-up and go do the thing. Don't overcomplicate the process, just go out there and do the thing.

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