The better you move off the mat, the better you’ll be on the mat.
And here’s the thing: your crappy mobility isn’t helping your martial arts.
It’s time to do something about it.
Improving your mobility doesn’t mean you need to add a bunch of extra stretches to a long workout routine.
In fact, less equates to more when you’re smart about what you’re doing off the mat.
And in all the years I’ve been training, I’ve found ground-based animal-type movements to be the biggest bang for your buck to do that.
I’ve included video follow-along routines at the end of this article that will help you improve your mobility, strength, and spatial awareness.
First, let’s take a look at why locomotion is the key to moving better on the mats.
Time To Get Loco
Improving your mobility off the mat is a sure-fire way to move better in your martial arts.
When you move better overall and are savvy with how you train on the mats, you’ll be able to stay on the mats longer.
This is something we all know deep down. If you’ve been away from your martial arts for some time, getting older, or even just starting, your body will definitely feel tight and unresponsive.
You know you need to do something about it and might even have good intentions of “stretching” after class.
But we both know that ain’t gonna happen. You’re worn out from the class, wanna chat with your buddies, and still riding that high from practice.
You need a more straightforward way to improve your mobility—one that helps you on the mat without taking away time from the other things in your life.
That’s where locomotion comes into play.
The general definition of locomotion means the ability to move from one place to another. In our case, we will use locomotion to mean ground-based movements where you are in contact with the floor using your hands and feet.
Locomotion won’t get you as flexible as Eddie Bravo, make you as strong as Travis Stevens, or jacked to the gills like Ryan Gordon.
Honestly, you don’t need those levels of abilities if you’re a recreational martial artist.
You just need to be good enough for what you want to be able to do.
And good enough doesn’t mean you need to be able to do the splits or put your leg behind your head—unless you’re into that kind of thing.
Look at it this way.
Having good enough range of motion + good enough strength + good enough spatial awareness = a better you on the mats.
“Good enough” might not sit well with you since we are constantly bombarded with messages saying we must be the best.
Unless you’re striving to be a pro-level martial artist and getting paid for what you do, just being good enough to enjoy your martial art is well, good enough.
I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t want to be a better version of yourself. So don’t skip out on lifting heavy things. Anyone who tells you that you don’t need to be strong is full of it.
However, your time would be better spent focusing on the strength and mobility that will transfer directly to what you do on the mat.
Locomotion will help you with,
- Better range of motion (mobility)
- Injury prevention
- Improved spatial awareness
- Better use of your time
- It’s fun! 😁
Now, let’s look at how to do it.
What You’ve Been Waiting For
The following are things you can use to help you move better. In case you didn’t know, my company is GMB Fitness, and locomotion is the main part of our training.
The movements we use are variations of the Bear, Monkey, Frogger, and Crab.
Here’s an AI pic for you. Yeah, it’s cheesy.
I’ve included links to articles featuring the videos. These are great sources of additional information, and I highly recommend reading them when you have the time.
Depending on your needs and wants, you can use these videos in several different ways, but I suggest starting with this.
- First, do 4 minutes of daily mobility for one week straight.
- From week 2, add in the 20-minute follow-along locomotion routine 2 times a week.
That might not sound like much, but it’s probably more than what you’re doing right now regarding mobility work. Keep it simple, and you’re more likely to actually do it.
If you do additional strength training, then do the 20-minute locomotion routine on your non-lifting days.
The 4-Minute Minimal Mobility Routine
Start off with the 4-minute version for at least a week to ensure you’re consistent daily. If you have the time and want to do more, do the full 15-minute version.
Here’s the article to go with it.
https://gmb.io/morning-mobility/
The 4-minute routine is also excellent before your grappling class. Do that, and you should be good to go.
You might even try to get your instructor to do this instead of the typical push-ups, sit-ups, and other conditioning work done at the beginning of class. This makes no sense to me at all, but that’s for a different article.
20-Minute Locomotion Follow-Along Video
This is my go-to routine, which I do several times a week. However, another option for a 4-minute routine is to do only the first 4 moves.
Here’s the article with a detailed guide to each movement.
The cool thing about this 20-minute routine is that it also improves stamina while promoting mobility and spatial awareness.
The 4-minute minimal routine and 20-minute locomotion routine are great for most people, but I don’t want to leave you there.
Supplemental Videos
The following are all BJJ-specific routines that we’ve done over the years in GMB Fitness.
Some of them are follow-along, and some of them are not.
BJJ movements for mobility, strength, and control (level changes)
Here’s the article for it.
BJJ Mobility Routine.
Neck exercises for BJJ
Loser Hips = Less Pain
BJJ Core Strength
Going Full Loco
If you seriously want to improve your mobility with a proper program, there are two options.
My #1 recommendation, without a doubt, no-brainer, is to get Elements. It is everything I’ve talked about in this article in an easy-to-follow-along program with 3 different tracks and time options: 15, 30, or 45 minutes.
Finally, I created a program for BJJ Fanatics that includes stand-alone stretches and a follow-along routine specific to BJJ.
Mobility For BJJ by Ryan Hurst
Remember, good enough is enough. Integrating locomotion into your training routine is essential for enhancing performance, reducing the risk of injuries, and improving your movement efficiency on the mat.
Focus on being a little better each day, and that’ll help keep you on the mat forever.
Love it. Especially the message that even 4 mins can offer improvement. I can beat myself up and think I should do more but consistency is king. I am always shocked by the gains I get from just doing a little bit every day. Thanks for the great article!
Thank you and yes! A little bit every day is better than a lot done only once in awhile.