No Hands Hip Flow, Mobility Game for BJJ

No hands hip mobility game for BJJ

When it comes to mobility, or flexibility for Jiu Jitsu, I think we can categorise further into static mobility and movement. Static mobility is when you perform flexibility work on your limbs or joints in one set position, for example yoga. Movement then comes applying that new found range of motion into various different positions as you move through space.

For hip mobility as it relates to Jiu Jitsu, this becomes even more important because of how complex the hip joint is and how complex the movements can be. So, I wanted to share with you this “No Hands Hip Mobility Game” for you to experiment with.
​
This game came about from just sitting with my baby daughter, watching her move around and playing with her on the floor. I noticed that while trying to move around on the floor if I was holding her, I was quite limited in my movement if I didn’t place my hands of elbows on the floor. So, I started to experiment with different positions I could flow between, while being sat on the floor, all without using my hands.

After a while, my hips, core, legs and spine started to feel very relaxed, flexible and active. By active, I mean, it felt like the correct muscles were being activated in unison to allow my move freely between positions. Yes, its exercises, but I feel like it helps the muscles around the hips recharge and recover.

The muscles of the hips is much broader than just the hips flexors, so getting truly healthy and flexible hips for Jiu Jitsu, requires a much broader approach than just some simple hip flexor stretches. Just to name a few, some of the muscles impacting hip movement are the adductors, the quads, the psoas, the hamstrings, the lower abdominals. Its all interconnected.

---

---

When you try out this “No Hands Hip Mobility Game” you’ll notice how it forces you to think in more more detail how everything works together, particularly how you need to keep an engaged core and if you’re doing it properly, maintain a strong spine and head position

So many muscles impact hip mobility

I believe all of these movements have good application to BJJ and you’ll see in the video, I point a few different positions that replicate exactly how we move when fighting on the mat. That being said, I don’t have all of the possibilities in this video and there are so many different combinations that could be used. ​

Click for a static hip mobility routine

Use this as a starting point to explore how you can move your body, and more importantly how you can’t move your body. That way you can use it as a tool to identify weaknesses or lack of mobility and know where you need to focus to improve.


Lastly, never forget to focus on nose breathing throughout the entire routine. Our body predominantly relies on oxygen to fuel our movements during Jiu Jitsu, so the more you train you breathing off the mat, the better your breathing will be, and you will be, on the mat.


Enjoy! ​