Jiu Jitsu 101: How often should a Beginner Train
So you’ve decided to try Jiu Jitsu but the question you might have is what is the optimal time to train? A lot of beginner will really have this question in mind before starting. Should they start small, or should they start training every day. How often should a beginner train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
As a general rule, a beginner should train at least 2 times per week. It is enough for a beginner to learn, and have enough time to recover. However, there are factors that might affect if you should train more or less. Such factors are their recovery rate, their goals, and their free time.
There are numerous factors that can affect the times you should train per week. It depends on your goals and your body if they can handle. We also can’t forget about burn out. It is also good to know how many times per week an average beginner trains. Let us all check check them out.
How often should a Beginner Train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
A beginner should train at least 2 times per week in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. This makes their body familiar to the moves and will prevent any injuries. Furthermore, 2 times per week makes sure that you will continuously apply what you’ve learned so that you will not forget the things you are learning.
As a complete beginner, aiming for 2 times per week is ideal. This will give your body some time to recover each session.
There are numerous beginners who started training 5 times a week instantly. This strains their body and burns them out.
While it is true that the results will be faster, many people who started at that rate eventually quit within a month of two.
Jiu Jitsu is not a sprint, it is a marathon. It doesn’t even matter if you can only train for once a week. As long as you constantly improve, you can be better than those who trained 5 times a week them quit at week 6.
Is Training Jiu Jitsu 3 times a Week Enough?
Training Jiu Jitsu for 3 times a week is the ideal for improvement. This gives you enough time to train each week that gives the optimal time to improvement ratio. Furthermore, an average Jiu Jitsu beginner also trains for 3 times a week which will make sure that you won’t be left out.
3 times a week of training is the best since you can have enough rest while training.
Remember that in sports and martial arts, rest is also as important as training itself.
Resting strengthens your muscle and instills the muscle memory. Furthermore, it helps your brain to fully memorize the things necessary in to order to execute being taught especially when starting out.
If you also want to improve your Jiu Jitsu at a faster rate, here is an article that will discuss what you can do to improve your Jiu Jitsu faster. It is specifically made for beginners: Why is Jiu Jitsu Hard?
But let us dive deeper into the 3 times a week rule for beginners and why is it good especially if you can stick it within your schedule.
Let us start looking at how many time an average BJJ beginner train.
How many Times per Week does an average Beginner Train?
Data Source: BJJ Surveys
| Belt | Hours of Training Per Week |
| White Belt | 5.98 |
| Blue Belt | 6.62 |
| Purple Belt | 7.65 |
| Brown Belt | 10.2 |
| Black Belt | 11.21 |
Here is a table summary on how many hours per week does a Jiu Jitsu Practitioner train per week.
Now, most Jiu Jitsu classes will be about 2 hours long which would include warm up or stretching, teaching of techniques, rolling or sparring, and cool down.
This will still depend of the school you will be attending, but most will stick to that routine every class.
A regular Jiu Jitsu class ranges from 1 hour and half to 2 hours per session. Let us assume that it is 2 hours.
Using a computation of hours of training divided by 2 hours per class, an average white belter trains for 3 times per week. However, not all white belters are completely a beginner. So twice a week is still the best for people who are just starting out.
Plus, busy people can also opt for a session per week whatever their schedule allows.
Training for 2 times a week is also enough but also has limitations.
Is Training Jiu Jitsu twice a Week Enough?
Training Jiu Jitsu twice a week is enough for absolute beginners. This is because beginners will need more time for their bodies to adjust to the exercises and rolls in Jiu Jitsu classes. This means that they need more recovery time. Twice a week is also enough so that they won’t forget what they’ve learned in classes.
While most people will say that 3 times a week is ideal, for an absolute beginner, it may be not.
This is especially true for people who are starting Jiu Jitsu at an age of 30 and more.
At a higher age, the recovery time for muscles will be slower than someone who is 18. This means that to prevent any injuries, you need more time to rest your muscles.
Furthermore, when it comes to improvement, 2 times a day is still very optimal. This is because practicing for twice a week makes sure that you are applying the techniques at a rate that you will not forget it.
Starting Jiu Jitsu at an older age? You might want to read this article: Are you too old to start Jiu Jitsu?
Practicing 2 times a week is a good start and once your body gets used to Jiu Jitsu, mostly at the 6-month mark, you can start training for 3 times a week to keep up with the others.
One thing to take note of when training for only 2 times a week is it is not ideal for competitions. This is because to keep up with others, you also have to train at the same rate as them.
Which what we learned that 3 times per week is the average.
Is Training Jiu Jitsu once a Week Enough?
Consider that you are really busy and Jiu Jitsu just interests you. You have no plans to compete and is just there to learn. Is going to class once a week enough?
Training for once a week is enough if you just want to learn Jiu Jitsu. In joining competitons, it is not ideal as you will not be able to keep up with others who trains 2-3 times per week. On improvement, you can still improve. However, it will be at a slower rate.
Take note that it is better to train once a week for a year than someone who trains 5x a week then quits at the 6th week.
This is because, as most BJJ practitioners tells it, “Jiu Jitsu is a marathon, not a sprint.”
It doesn’t matter if you can only fit 1 class per week in Jiu Jitsu, as long as you are having fun and are interested in learning, you can definitely get better.
Plus, the physical exercises it gives is good for your body if you want to be in a better shape.
If you are interested in if Jiu Jitsu builds muscle, here is an article you can read: Does Jiu Jitsu Build Muscle?
Can you train Jiu Jitsu Everyday?
It is not ideal to train every day in Jiu Jitsu. This is because recovery time is necessary to prevent injuries. Training too much will also impact your motivation to train as it is one of the leading cause of burn out. Most people quit Jiu Jitsu classes early because of too much training.
While it may seem cool to train 5 times a week and reach Black belt as fast as possible, but it is not ideal to go this route.
Jiu Jitsu causes too much muscle strain for beginners, and going at that rate will more likely cause injury.
Furthermore, in Jiu Jitsu, it is the consistency that counts.
In fact, a black belter in Jiu Jitsu is just a white belter that didn’t quit.
To tell you frankly, it takes at least 8 years to be a BJJ black belter. They experienced a lot of rolls, exercises and that’s why they are black belters.
There is no real shortcut to be a black belter. It took dedication and not quitting for them to reach there.
And to prevent any burn out, it is better to practice 3 times a week for years rather than practice everyday then quit after a few months.
If you are interested in how strong a BJJ black belter is, you may read this article: How dangerous is a BJJ black belt?
Conclusion
To conclude, training for once, twice or even 5 times a week will greatly depend on you as a person. If your schedule allows you to train for 5 times a week without strain to your body, then it is completely fine.
For optimal results as a beginner, it is also okay to go for 3 times per week. This will give enough time to rest which is necessary for improvement. Plus, the training will be sufficient for you to go to competitions.
Training for twice a week is very optimal for a person only starting. This is because their body is still not adjusted to the exercises Jiu Jitsu has to offer. This means that the exercises will be hard for their muscles. Thus, they need more time to rest.
Furthermore, 2 times per week is still good for you not to forget what you’ve learned
Training once a week is only recommended for people who are extremely busy and do not care about competition. These are people who go to Jiu Jitsu for losing weight, exercise, or just having fun. There is nothing wrong with doing that.
So it depends on your schedule, age, goals and so much more. The data in this article will also be useful if you are not a beginner.
As you can see, it will require more hours per week the more you advance in your belt. Furthermore, on competitions you might train for even 2x a day.
But take note that as a beginner, it will still be far away from that and what you need to worry about is how you will train consistently.
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Welcome to my recommended list of Jiu-Jitsu gear.
In this section, you are going to see my recommended Jiu-Jitsu gears both for beginners and pros.
Grappling Shorts
When getting some grappling shorts, you first need to understand that the thing we are looking for in grappling shorts is the ones that will provide flexibility.
This means that we are not looking at designs but what we are looking for is how comfortable it is and if you can do a full range of motions while wearing the shorts.
If that’s the case, I recommend an IBJJF approved grappling short which has no pockets that can interfere with rolls, and most importantly, allows a full range of motion. This can help you in rolls since you need to have fluid motions to do some maneuvers.
Here is the link for the product: BJJ Shorts
Grappling Spats
Grappling spats are a great alternative to Grappling shorts and are sometimes used in conjunction with Grappling shorts.
The reason for using a Grappling spat is to prevent friction.
Remember that BJJ is focused on rolls, locks, and takedowns. This is prone to friction that can cause injuries such as burns and mat cuts.
In choosing a good pair of grappling spats, you need to take note that it is important that it is also flexible so you can easily do some full-range motions while rolling.
Furthermore, since you will be covering your whole legs with it, it is important for it to absorb some sweat while still being comfortable for the wearer.
If that’s the case, I recommend these Grappling Spats which are very stretchable making them good for fluid motion. Furthermore, it is well made to handle friction which prevents any unwanted injuries.
Lastly, its cloth is breathable which means that it is very comfortable for your skin.
Here is the link for the product: Grappling Spats
Rashguard
Think of a rash guard as the grappling spat for the upper body.
Rashguard helps in preventing friction that can cause injuries such as mat cuts and burns.
When finding one, it is important to find a comfortable rash guard which is breathable. Furthermore, have one that allows a full range of motion.
Thus, I recommend this rash guard which does all of the functions I’ve said: Rashguard
Knee and Elbow Pads
Personally, I am a victim of a knee injury. That’s why I always tell people to use knee and elbow pads when doing some physically intensive activities such as BJJ.
Because of my injuries, I can’t really last long with any sort of long physical activity.
So, while it is often neglected, I believe that Knee and Elbox pads are important.
Good Knee and Elbow pads are supposed to be comfortable while still providing maximum protection to both your elbows and knees.
Thus, I recommend these safety gears:
Ear Protectors
There are lots of cauliflower ear incidents with BJJ practitioners.
Even if this is quite an unpopular safety gear, it is important as we are preventing friction that can come from rolls.
In choosing an ear protector, you do not need to get something that protects you from strikes. Striking is usually not allowed.
So, what’s important is to find something that is very lightweight and protects you from friction.
If that’s the case, then you may opt for this which is really useful and won’t look weird on rolls: Ear Guards
