The Absolute Jiu-Jitsu Debate with Lachlan Giles

In Part 4 we turn our attention to S&C for competitive grapplers. 

Topics include:

• The importance of planning for the competitive grappler
• Recommendations for those with and without experience in S&C
• How to undertake a needs analysis
• The simple S&C planning process all competitors should know.

The panel includes:

Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 2019 she qualified for ADCC and has been an IBJJF World Champion (gi and no-gi) at blue, purple and brown belt. Before Jiu Jitsu, Livia competed at a high level in both gymnastics and track cycling. She is also a physiotherapist specialising in jiu-jitsu injuries and sits on the Australian Professional Boxing & Combat Sports Board.

Ben King is a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Victorian Institute of Sport in Melbourne, Australia. He works with international elite athletes across a range of sports focused on achieving success at Commonwealth Games and Olympic level for Australia. In 2019, he helped Livia prepare for ADCC. As well as a big focus on combat sports such as BJJ, Wrestling, Judo and Karate, Ben also works with athletes in gymnastics, golf, racquet sports, basketball and shooting.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics.

In Part 3 we continue to answer questions from Instagram with a focus on S&C for the recreational grappler. Topics include:

• How specific does my S&C program need to be?
• How often should I change my program?
• What are some of the biggest S&C mistakes to avoid?

The episode finishes with some S&C training recommendations for the recreational grappler.

The panel includes:

Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 2019 she qualified for ADCC and has been an IBJJF World Champion (gi and no-gi) at blue, purple and brown belt. Before Jiu Jitsu, Livia competed at a high level in both gymnastics and track cycling. She is also a physiotherapist specialising in jiu-jitsu injuries and sits on the Australian Professional Boxing & Combat Sports Board.

Ben King is a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Victorian Institute of Sport in Melbourne, Australia. He works with international elite athletes across a range of sports focused on achieving success at Commonwealth Games and Olympic level for Australia. In 2019, he helped Livia prepare for ADCC. As well as a big focus on combat sports such as BJJ, Wrestling, Judo and Karate, Ben also works with athletes in gymnastics, golf, racquet sports, basketball and shooting.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics.

In Part 2 we answer questions from Instagram with a focus on S&C for the recreational grappler. Topics include:

· Which body parts should I focus on?

· When and how often should I do S&C?

· Is cardio training useful for BJJ?

· Barbells, dumbbells or kettlebells, which are best for BJJ?

The panel is made up of:

Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 2019 she qualified for ADCC and has been an IBJJF World Champion (gi and no-gi) at blue, purple and brown belt. Before Jiu-Jitsu, Livia competed at a high level in both gymnastics and track cycling. She is also a physiotherapist specialising in jiu-jitsu injuries and sits on the Australian Professional Boxing & Combat Sports Board.

Ben King is a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Victorian Institute of Sport in Melbourne, Australia. He works with international elite athletes across a range of sports focused on achieving success at Commonwealth Games and Olympic level for Australia. In 2019, he helped Livia prepare for ADCC. As well as a big focus on combat sports such as BJJ, Wrestling, Judo and Karate, Ben also works with athletes in gymnastics, golf, racquet sports, basketball and shooting.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

In this chapter, we focus on the role of Strength and Conditioning in Jiu-Jitsu and how it differs for recreational versus competitive grapplers. 

Part 1 introduces the wider concept of physical preparation, whether S&C is essential for success in BJJ and who can benefit most from training away from the mats.

The panel includes:

Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 2019 she qualified for ADCC and has been an IBJJF World Champion (gi and no-gi) at blue, purple and brown belt. Before Jiu-Jitsu, Livia competed at a high level in both gymnastics and track cycling. She is also a physiotherapist specialising in jiu-jitsu injuries and sits on the Australian Professional Boxing & Combat Sports Board.

Ben King is a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Victorian Institute of Sport in Melbourne, Australia. He works with international elite athletes across a range of sports focused on achieving success at Commonwealth Games and Olympic level for Australia. In 2019, he helped Livia prepare for ADCC. As well as a big focus on combat sports such as BJJ, Wrestling, Judo and Karate, Ben also works with athletes in gymnastics, golf, racquet sports, basketball and shooting.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

Part 4 wraps up this chapter with a discussion of Lachy’s strategy when rolling. We then go on to comparee his overall training plan to what coaches are typically doing in other sports.

Lachlan Giles is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is the Head Coach at Absolute MMA in St Kilda, Melbourne and holds a PhD in physiotherapy.

As a competitor, Lachlan is a medallist at ADCC (2019) and the IBJJF World No-Gi Championships (2017). Giles is also known for his work as a grappling coach, aiding athletes such as Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) and Craig Jones.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics.

Part 3 focuses on Lachy’s broad plan for the skill development macrocycle before diving in to look at his daily training and how it changed as he moved from a focus on skill development to competition preparation.

Lachlan Giles is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is the Head Coach at Absolute MMA in St Kilda, Melbourne and holds a PhD in physiotherapy.

As a competitor, Lachlan is a medallist at ADCC (2019) and the IBJJF World No-Gi Championships (2017). Giles is also known for his work as a grappling coach, aiding athletes such as Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) and Craig Jones.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

Part 2 focuses on how Lachy broke down the last 8 weeks before ADCC into 3 mezocycles and also discusses the concept of ‘sports form’ and how training could be individualized further.

Lachlan Giles is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is the Head Coach at Absolute MMA in St Kilda, Melbourne and holds a PhD in physiotherapy.

As a competitor, Lachlan is a medallist at ADCC (2019) and the IBJJF World No-Gi Championships (2017). Giles is also known for his work as a grappling coach, aiding athletes such as Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) and Craig Jones.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics.

In this chapter, we discuss the basic principles linked to planning for competition, by looking back at how Lachlan Giles prepared for ADCC 2019 and comparing it to how other sports prepare for elite-level competition. 

Part 1 focuses on what Lachlan learned from competing at ADCC 2015 and 2017 and looks at how to break the year down into periods, macrocycles and mezocycles and why it can be beneficial to do so.

Lachlan Giles is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is the Head Coach at Absolute MMA in St Kilda, Melbourne and holds a PhD in physiotherapy.

As a competitor, Lachlan is a medallist at ADCC (2019) and the IBJJF World No-Gi Championships (2017). Giles is also known for his work as a grappling coach, aiding athletes such as Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) and Craig Jones.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

In this episode, we focus on how to navigate the Jiu-Jitsu journey by developing a game that is tailored to your individual circumstances.

Lachlan Giles is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is the Head Coach at Absolute MMA in St Kilda, Melbourne and holds a PhD in physiotherapy.

As a competitor, Lachlan is a medallist at ADCC (2019) and the IBJJF World No-Gi Championships (2017). Giles is also known for his work as a grappling coach, aiding athletes such as Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) and Craig Jones.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

In this episode, we focus on how to navigate our Jiu-Jitsu journey by discussing progression through the belts and how goal setting can be used to improve more quickly.

Lachlan Giles is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is the Head Coach at Absolute MMA in St Kilda, Melbourne and holds a PhD in physiotherapy.

As a competitor, Lachlan is a medallist at ADCC (2019) and the IBJJF World No-Gi Championships (2017). Giles is also known for his work as a grappling coach, aiding athletes such as Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) and Craig Jones.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

In this episode, we focus on how to navigate our Jiu-Jitsu journey by exploring career goals, the interplay of BJJ as a martial art and a sport, and the role of competition in long-term progression.

Lachlan Giles is an Australian grappler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is the Head Coach at Absolute MMA in St Kilda, Melbourne and holds a PhD in physiotherapy.

As a competitor, Lachlan is a medallist at ADCC (2019) and the IBJJF World No-Gi Championships (2017). Giles is also known for his work as a grappling coach, aiding athletes such as Livia Giles (née Gluchowska) and Craig Jones.

Tom Crick is the Head of Track and Field Athletics at Aspire Academy in Qatar and a BJJ brown belt. He was previously the Director of Coaching and Athlete Development in Northern Ireland and worked for British Athletics in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics.