Who Are Part Time Grapplers?

Many people have sent positive encouraging emails to parttimegrappler@ymail.com over the past couple of months that the blog has been active, which is more than I ever anticipated. I initially started it as a venue for me to both jot down a few ideas on how I think Part Time Grapplers need to tailor their training and also show others in the same boat that we are indeed the majority of Grapplers out there.

Part Time Grapplers (PTGs for short) are those among us who have a deep passion for the arts of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and or No Gi Grappling. Some may even dabble in striking arts such as boxing or Muay Thai but deep down inside, they rather block, clinch and take you down than stand and trade punches and kicks.

On top of the above, which covers more or less all grapplers, PTGs are those who either can not, or do not wish to, dedicate more than a few hours a week to grappling/BJJ training. By a few hours I mean 3-5 hours of mat-time per week.

So who are those PTGs? In my experience they are people who either work and / or study more than 5 hours per day, have a partner or a small family and may or may not have another hobby other than Grappling/BJJ. It’s important that you notice that I call it “hobby” because that is what Grappling/BJJ is to us. It’s not a profession.

Keeping the above in mind, it is easy to see that some people may fall into the PTG category without actually trying to. People such as army soldiers, shift workers, full time professionals or perhaps people who are restricted to no more than a few hours a week. Such restrictions may be financial (can’t afford more classes or travel to classes) or logistical (only 1 academy in the vicinity and they only do so many classes per week) or even time-commitment (have access to classes and can afford them but is currently studying on top of working full time, like yours truly).

The aim of this blog is to share ideas and tips on how to maximise the results of these few hours of training so we can continue enjoying this wonderful art and sport. My contributions are not superior BJJ/Grappling knowledge; neither are they super-secret training formulae. They are simply pointers in the areas of:

1. Time management (so we can create more training opportunities)
2. Learning methodology (so that we can optimise the use of the above mentioned opportunities)
3. Project management (so that we leave no stone unturned and round up all the resources we have)

So, many thanks for all the kind words (keep them coming :) ) and I hope, if nothing else, my rants entertain you.


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