Ground Conditioning for Fighting

Most grappling schools nowadays (BJJ, Judo, wrestling) are very well equipped. Most dojos have some very good quality matting from well respected companies. Some even use the same matting that is found at competitions. These allow for fast movements while rolling on the floor, and also when moving whilst performing certain throws and takedowns.

Apart from when I train at certain gyms and dojos, I also train at home in my shed. Unfortunately the shed doesn’t have a luxurious floor. It’s concrete with a very thin carpet on top only. No padding at all. When my training partner came over yesterday for some ground fighting grappling we noticed that at the end of the sparring our elbows, knees, forearms and shins were bruised and battered. Through rolling around on such a hard floor we noticed that it’s a great conditioning exercise. Many people condition themselves by constantly hitting the heavy bag, hitting each others forearms, punching makiwaras and other methods. Although these are all great conditioning methods, they can get rather boring. An alternative from time to time could be to simply grapple on a hard floor like wood or concrete for an hour or so a couple of times a week. Try it to see if you feel a difference.

Marks