Home » White Belt Problems » I gas out and get exhausted really fast when I spar. What can I do?

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   7-27-13

   Aesopian says:

   Relax. White belts tend to be very tense and hold on to everything with a death grip. You’ll quickly burn out that way. Relaxing doesn’t mean to turn into a lifeless rag doll or flopping around passively. You still need to go for your moves, and learn to be assertive and react quickly, but the trick is to not force moves that aren’t there.

   Breathe. Under the stresses of sparring, it is common to get into bad breathing patterns, either holding your breath, or breathing too hard. Either way, you are messing with your oxygen. When you spot that you are breathing poorly, take a moment to reset by inhaling deeply, then letting the breath out with control. This has the added benefit of helping you focus and relax.

   Get in better shape. Your body will take time to get accustomed to the rigors of BJJ. Keep pushing yourself through warm-ups and as many rounds of sparring as you can. You may need to do extra strength and conditioning if BJJ class alone isn’t doing it for you. But this is BJJ we’re talking about, so you don’t need to be Hercules if you really work on the next tip.

   Improve your technique. The goal of BJJ is to perfect effective techniques that require a minimum of strength and power. While it’s impossible to truly use zero strength, it’s still a good ideal to strive towards. As you learn more techniques and get better at the ones you do know, you will need less endurance. Understanding the right way to hold positions and the right timing makes you seem stronger and faster without being stronger or faster.

   For more tips, read How can I learn BJJ faster?

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