Does your teacher make you warm up before class?
I don't know about you, but I'm paying my instructor for technique and training time, not for calisthenics.
I disagree. I think that a warm-up gets everybody ready and focused for class (as long as it's isn't too long). As well if your school is getting ready to compete some people rely on class to help get them in shape. Since our school has started warming up for about 15 min a night, our classes have grown and people tend to enjoy the classes more.
are you the class fattie?
I think warm ups are good, but I prefer to do a skill based warm up, such as guard passing drills with little or no resistance, or transitioning drills from position to position.
I don't like to do calisthenics, not because I'm afraid of hard work, but because I think it's a waste of time compared to something skill based.
Skill based and movement specific warmups plus stretching are all very helpful.
Sometimes our guys showup, warmup by themselves and and roll with everyone at the end of the basics class as a warmup for the advanced class which follows.
If several guys get on the mat who are not ready to go however, we do about twenty minutes of warmups.
If it's an advanced class then you may allow people to warm up any way they feel like. But I think it is more responsible to incorporate a warm-up into the training.
People are lazy. I started bjj to help lose weight. I like the warmups and I like calisthetic excersises mixed with training. We have very tough physical cardio intensive training, alot of people dont like this. They give the typical responses, I pay to learn jiu jitsu, I can get in shape on my own, blah, blah, blah. Well, that is wrong. Everyone works harder when they are pushed. If that weren't the case top athletes wouldn't have trainers and the army would let everyone do just what they want during PT instead of having a leader to lead it. I work out on my own, but I never realized how much harder I could push myself til I had an instructor pushing me. All elements of training are helpful and people who dont like this in their training are just lazy.
My class does NOT include calisthenics.
Folks do those and stretch ahead of time. We use technique reps to get warm, or maybe some light drilling if we're going to work timing or focus on options in a specific place.
If they ASK about exercises to improve movements, I will show them and give a couple minutes for practice. But I don't include any calisthenics as part of the class.
Here's why:
I was taking a Judo class for 6 months (just stopped recently) so I could work on my throws w/ gi. We would do 15 minutes of calisthenics, 5 minutes of ukemi, they'd ROLL for 20 minutes starting from knees, and then work ground techniques for awhile. If there was time left (60 minute class) we'd spend the last few minutes going over throws. Rarely did we drill throws for any length of time, and randori was a one-match-once-in-a-while kinda thing.
I will do calisthenics on my OWN time, thanks!
~TT
We save calisthenics for our competition team classes, for the most part. Even then, much of our conditioning comes through hard drilling.
If you don't warm up you will get injured
We warm up, we just try to emphasize movements that are more directly related to jiu-jitsu than doing tons of pushups and situps. I throw in jumping jacks, squat thrusts, and a few other general movements every now and then, but not too much in the regular classes.
Louco,
You're assuming that no one goes to class just because they're interested in learning self defense techniques. I don't pay my money to "lose weight, work harder, be pushed, become a top athelete or train like they do in the army." I pay my money to learn self defense techniques.
I don't have a problem with anything that is done to avoid injury (stretching) or practice technique (drills), but if my goal was to get in shape I'd get a personal trainer not a jiu-jitsu teacher.
twinkletoes: (though i'm sure you know this) there is a huge variety of Judo teaching styles. if you look for another club, it could be a lot more like what you were hoping for.
for example, at my Judo club we usually do a few minutes of ukemi as a warmup, then into dynamic uchikomi of whatever throws you want to work on, then a throw-workshop with practice, then tachi-randori, then a ground-workshop with practice, then ne-randori, then more intense integrated randori, etc ...
kingabiu,
That's my impression of it. It bears noting that after a couple months of not going, I finally did what most people (myself included) wouldn't normally do:
I emailed my sensei and very respectfully asked if I could work more on the other areas that we weren't focusing on, to help my judo develop better. She was very, very receptive to my comments and eager to help me get what I wanted out of the class. I will go back next week.
~TT
I agree with Andrew...
The most pointless bjj class I was ever into (in a foreign country) consisted of half an hour warmup (including several strength exercises like FIVE HUNDRED reps of abs-exercises).
Then there was half an hour techniques and drilling (3 or four completely isolated techs e.g. one sweep, one escape, one lock)
And then half an hour sparring...
Something like this...
Ususally we do a little (5 min) warmup and then begin with bjj-specific drills or VERY easy rolling. Strength and flex are everyones own concern.
Jorgen
AlivenessGym Estonia
I was going to a school that did that. So I started timing it so I skipped the warmup and went straight to training.
I'll get in shape on my own. That other people are lazy is not my problem.
I agree that no more than 15 minutes is sufficient. I'm more concerned with learning new moves and fine tuning techniques I already know. Rolling at the end of class is the kind of cardio you need to learn for grappling. As for the types of warm ups, some laps around the dojo, some stretching, and movement specific drills like rolls and shrimping will warm the body enough to prevent injury. If people want to follow exercise programs on their own time, that should be their personal choice.
ttt
Class warm-up exercises will help your BJJ game if your instructor
knows what he is doing and picks the right exercises. Also,
calisthenics like push-ups and sit-ups will warm your body up properly
for jiu-jitsu.
Learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu requires more than just the memorization
of a few new techniques every night. You must develop the flexibility
and movement skills to pull off the techniques with fluidity. Who's
more qualified than your instructor to lead the class in the exercises
that will help the development of your jiu-jitsu game the most? Of
course, 45 minutes of "ginastica natural" for a one hour class is absurd,
but a 15 minute warmup is perfect for a 90 minute class.
Plus, I've never heard a physically fit BJJ student complain about warm-
up exercises. The fat ones who can't do 30 sit-ups or push-ups (and
regularly tap out in exhaustion to non-submissions) are generally the
ones who complain the most.
I think warmups are neccesary to get everyone loose for training. The only thing I take exception to is having to do butt scoots all the way across the mat. Anyone else hate this drill?