7 Habits That Accelerate Your Progress in BJJ and Grappling

1. Sleep
   
2. Eat to perform
   
3. Prevent injuries
   
4. The mind
   
5. Constancy
6. Mobility and stretching
7. The community

When we think about progressing in BJJ or Grappling , we almost always look to the mat: more hours of drills, more sparring, more new techniques. And yes, training is the foundation.

But what many don't know is that true progress is also built off the mat . The habits you maintain in your daily life are what allow you to train with energy, learn faster, and stay healthy so you don't have to stop every now and then due to injury or fatigue.

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If you feel like you're stuck, always exhausted, or not progressing at the pace you expect, the key may not be to train more... but to train better off the mat.

Here I share 7 essential habits that can mark a before and after in your journey as a fighter.

Rest is as important as any technique you practice. While you sleep, your body repairs itself: it regenerates muscle fibers, memorizes the movements you've repeated, and regulates key hormones for strength and energy.

Poor sleep means poor training. Have you noticed? You wake up slowly, lacking reflexes, struggling to react, and even your breathing accelerates faster than normal.

Ideally, you should sleep between 7 and 9 hours a day . Create a routine: avoid screens an hour before bed, do gentle stretching, or do some deep breathing. Getting enough rest not only improves your performance, it also lengthens your career in this sport.

Food is your fuel. If you load your body with processed or heavy foods before a workout, the consequences will be clear: you'll feel sluggish, short of breath, and have trouble digesting right in the middle of a workout.

A fighter who eats well has more explosiveness, better endurance, and faster recovery. Try incorporating these foods:

• Lean proteins (chicken, fish, eggs).
• Clean carbohydrates (rice, potatoes, soft fruit like banana or apple).
• Healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts).

And don't forget to hydrate constantly. Water and electrolytes are just as important as technique: many believe they're well hydrated and arrive at the mat already deficient.

Injuries aren't inevitable; they're often the result of neglecting your body. A pain in your knee or elbow that you ignore can lead to weeks of not training.

The key is prevention:

Daily mobility of knees, hips and shoulders.

Targeted strengthening : shoulder rotators, strong core, strong neck.

Proper protection : knee pads, elbow pads, earmuffs… are not a sign of weakness, they are tools to extend your time on the mat.

Training while injured doesn't make you tougher, just more vulnerable. Training while protected makes you smarter.

BJJ and grappling aren't just physical; they're a chess game of body and mind. Being calm enough to think under pressure is what separates a beginner from an advanced practitioner.

Some habits that boost your mind off the mat:

• Watch fights and analyze what black belts do in key situations.
• Take notes after class to consolidate what you've learned and avoid repeating the same mistakes.
• Record your workouts (if possible) and review them for improvements.

Mindset also means managing frustration. Don't compare yourself to others, celebrate your small steps forward, and remember: he who never gives up goes the furthest.

In this sport, the winner isn't the one who learns a technique the fastest, but the one who keeps training over the years.

You can train two, three, or six times a week; the important thing is to keep at it. Consistency helps you absorb techniques better, adapt to sparring, and maintain seemingly invisible progress… until one day you look back and realize how far you've come.

A constant fighter always overcomes the talented one who appears and disappears.

Many believe that a warm-up for class is enough, but a practitioner's body needs more care. Mobility and stretching off the mat are what keep your joints young and ready to endure years of training.

Dedicate at least 10 minutes a day to:

• Hip and spine mobility (ideal for guard and transitions).
• Foam roller or self-massage to release tension.
• Gentle post-workout stretching to prevent chronic stiffness.

A mobile body not only performs better, it is also less likely to be injured.

BJJ and grappling don't train alone. The environment and community you surround yourself with are key to your progress.

Surround yourself with teammates who challenge you but also support you. Ask questions, share your doubts, and learn from the higher-ranked athletes. And don't underestimate the power of motivation: training with a positive team increases your desire to return to the mat each week.

👉 This is also where our Tenace community comes in: through our blog, Instagram , and newsletter, we seek to create a space where fighters of all levels can care for each other, share, and evolve together.

Your progress isn't measured only in hours on the mat, but in how you take care of your body and mind off it.

Sleeping well, eating clean, preventing injuries, training your mind, being consistent, working on mobility, and surrounding yourself with a good community are the pillars of a strong and long-lasting grappler.

At Tenace, we know that taking care of yourself is part of the game. That's why we design equipment made for fighters who want to last for years on the mat:
✅ Knee pads with stabilizers.

✅ Comfortable and durable elbow braces  .

✅ Earguards to avoid cauliflower.

👉 Discover our collection at tenacesports.com and use code T-10 for 10% off your first order.