Home Grappling Conditioning #2: How to use the Ten Basic Drills to improve your Grappling

Now that you have a good grasp on the drills that you should be using here are a few quick ideas to help get you started developing your own training sessions with them.


First you will need to find a suitable size area where you can do both ground and standing drills.


Second determine which areas you want to focus on the most. If you can’t decide you can simply do them all and then adjust your focus as you get a better feel for where you are weakest.


Third choose your workout format. Will you do a set and rep type workout or would you rather work through a series of timed rounds? I find that the set and rep workout is better for pure skill development while the timed rounds are great for a combination of skill development and conditioning. Again if you have a hard time choosing just pick which sounds best to you. I have included examples for both in this article.


Ten Basic Drills to improve your Grappling
1. Bridging (Neck and Shoulder)
2. Shrimp
3. Elbow Sit Up
4. Technical Standup
5. Granby Roll
6. Pendulum Swing
7. Sprawl/Burpee
8. Squats
9. Lunges/Level Changes
10. Stance Footwork


Set and Rep Workout (sets are listed first, reps are listed second)
1. Bridging
a. Neck 2 x 15
b. Shoulder 2 x15 to each side
2. Shrimp 3 x 15 to each side
3. Elbow Sit Up 2 x15 to each side
4. Technical Standup 2 x10 to each side
5. Granby Roll 2 x10 to each side
6. Pendulum Swing 2 x15 to each side
7. Sprawl/Burpee 2 x 10
8. Squats 2 x 50
9. Lunges/Level Changes 2 x10 to each side
10. Stance Footwork 2 x 2 directions


Timed Rounds Workout: 3 – 5 rounds
(1 Round = Perform 5 - 10 repetitions of each exercise over a 3 minute period with 1 minute of rest before your next round)
1. Bridging (Neck and Shoulder)
2. Shrimp
3. Elbow Sit Up
4. Technical Standup
5. Granby Roll
6. Pendulum Swing
7. Sprawl/Burpee
8. Squats
9. Lunges/Level Changes
10. Stance Footwork


Working on your skills in this manner not only allows you to get better at the basics but increase your specific strength and conditioning levels. I have found that this type of training is much more effective than other forms of cross training as it is extremely sport specific. I hope these suggestions help you on your quest for grappling greatness.


Click here to see the drills in action!