I love incorporating yoga poses such as these because they challenge your body’s “neuromuscular command system” to assume a position while balancing on one leg. This is challenging for the nervous system on many levels and helps to mimic the amount of coordination it takes to create movement on the mats.
This alone makes it a great training tool for the sport and has plenty of balance benefits.
Universal Cues
In the video I cover specific cues, but universal cues for balancing exercises are as follows:
- Keep eyes focused on a fixed object
- Squeeze glutes tightly and engage quadriceps to straighten leg
- Should feel as if kneecap is being pulled up
- Steady lower belly breathing is a focus
Some Balancing Tips
Never take balancing exercises too seriously. They can be extremely fickle day to day! Approach this style of training with a relaxed, calm focus and you’ll reap more benefits than trying hard to “get it right.”
Balancing Exercises and Yoga Carryover
The ability to plant solidly and hold your one-legged positioning is a crucial skill that will translate directly to BJJ. Performing movements and holds with the opposing leg plays into the multiple levels of neural processing that takes place during a BJJ roll.
Final Balancing Considerations
Adding these to your routine will solidify your base and structure along with making you more mobile and calm. All ingredients to keep you healthy and performing well on the mats!
I cover more performance training tidbits at https://www.mobillitytraining.com/ that will help you prepare, recover, and perform better on the mats!
