Today, we’ll answer the question: How should you roll in BJJ?
This is a long-debated topic in BJJ. There are people who always go 100%, and there are people who enjoy light-rolling.
Personally, I like to do both. But there is a time and place for everything. You need to know how to roll in BJJ.
Not knowing that will lead to injuries for both you and your training partners. And if you or they are injured, you won’t get better at Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.
So when should you do hard-rolling? When should you do light-rolling? I’ll discuss this and more in this post.
When To to Roll Hard in BJJ
Rolling hard is both fun and scary. If you spend a longer time at one Gym, you’ll know against whom you’ll have intense rounds.
Nothing wrong with that. It’s just that sometimes we roll hard for no reason. A lot of BJJ injuries come from that.
So what you shouldn’t do is to roll hard every round. But you can pick your guys against whom you roll hard. But let them know before.
I have 3-4 guys in my gym – they are similar skill level as me, and I know that when I go against them, it’ll be a war. But if I don’t feel like a war, I simply tell them that I skip for today and that we’ll roll another time.
They become my favorite guys to roll with whenever a competition goes up. I want to get used to the intensity. I want my body to get used to the pace and scramble.
I want to create as much of a competition feeling as possible. Therefore, I’d recommend rolling hard when you are facing competition. When there is no competition ahead, it’s smart to roll hard only occasionally to avoid injuries.
When Not To Roll Hard In BJJ
You shouldn’t roll hard in every practice. You can mix a couple of hard rounds within the week but don’t overdo it. And don’t do it with everybody.
You shouldn’t roll hard with somebody who weighs much less than you. That’s just not cool. Also, don’t roll hard with people who have less skills than you.
You have to learn to feel the people out. The first roll with a new person should be light. Look at their pace and match that.
After a while, you know with whom you can have hard rounds and with whom you can have smooth rolls.
But please let the people know if you want to want to have a higher-paced roll! And, of course, the other way around, if you don’t feel like it, tell your teammate that you don’t want to go hard.
And it goes without saying that you shouldn’t roll hard if you heal from an injury. Take it easy and let your body recover first.
How Should You Roll In BJJ? Final Words
So how should you roll In BJJ? It depends. Against smaller guys and BJJ athletes with less skills than you, go light. If you heal from an injury, don’t go hard.
If you want to test yourself against your skill level or you have a BJJ competition coming up, go harder.
Rolling hard is important and is part of a sport, but you have to know when and how to do it. You need to develop a feel for it. You don’t want to be that guy nobody wants to roll with.
Plus, you’ll only get better if you and your training partners stay healthy. So take care of yourself and others, and you’ll progress faster in BJJ.
