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Tips For Practicing Jiu Jitsu At Home

We’re sure you’ve heard the saying “practice makes perfect,” and it absolutely holds true for anyone training in Jiu Jitsu. But since you probably don’t have 24 hours a day to spend on the mat at your academy 7 days a week, don’t forget that you can also practice at home – just make sure you do so safely! Below, we’ve outlined three tips that you should definitely read through before doing any training on your own:

Find the right space: Especially if you’ll be practicing with a partner, you need to make sure that you choose a room in your home that offers enough space to move around comfortably. That means, don’t choose a room where you can easily bump into something that stores breakable items! You may also want to have a mat of your own for added comfort and protection, and if you use one, make sure it fits into your practice space properly.
Do conditioning drills: Practicing Jiu Jitsu doesn’t always have to refer to specific fighting techniques – it can also include some strength training. After all, in order to excel you need be strong, so any time used to strengthen your muscles is time well spent! To learn which strength training exercises we recommend for our students, give us a call or ask your instructor.
Don’t forget to stretch: Whether you’re practicing the latest technique you learned in class or are going to spend time on conditioning, don’t forget that you must always stretch first. Even if you’ve only got a few minutes to dedicate to practicing, you need to stretch in order to prevent yourself from getting hurt.

Of course, though, even when you do have a safe place to practice at home, our recommendation is to leave the harder skills for your class – it’s always best to have a professional with you and have access to the proper equipment!

To learn about our training facilities in Salem and Exeter, NH, as well as for more information about our expert instructors, please give us a call at (603) 777-2775 or visit us in person today!

March 29, 2016/by Renzo Gracie NH

The Importance Of Physical Activity For Children

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It’s no surprise that we live in a world largely based upon technology, and in fact, many of your daily tasks may depend on it. And although the latest gadgets are usually on a child’s wish list during the holiday season or around their birthday, giving them the latest phone, tablet or gaming system can result in tons of inactivity. Not to mention, being too involved with electronics can even cause children to lose some of their social skills.

So what are stressing here? Put simply, it’s that all children need to be physically active to live a happy and healthy life. Take a look below to learn a few reasons why physical activity is growing increasingly important for children each and every day.

It promotes weight control. According to the American Heart Association, about one in three American kids and teens are overweight. When children are inactive and spend most of their day sitting, a common result is consuming more calories than the body actually requires – those calories later turn into fat, which contribute to obesity. However, children who are physically active can see a deficit in calories, which ultimately reduces fat and the chances of becoming overweight.
It leads to increased energy. Everyone feels sluggish from time to time, but the more active you are, the less likely you are to feel like this on a regular basis. When children participate in physical activities, they’re helping to increase the amount of energy they have, and that certainly has a positive impact on how they feel every day.
It works the heart and lungs. It’s so important for our heart and lungs to be healthy, and being physically active can help a child’s muscles and organs stay this way. Through exercise and other similar activities, our heart becomes stronger and our lungs become more efficient at transferring air in and out of our bodies.
It increases strength. Milk isn’t the only thing that’s said to build strong bones – regular activity does too. Additionally, exercise also works the muscles, which can lead to increased strength all around.
It encourages positive emotions. Feeling down every once in a while is normal, but by being physically active on a regular basis, children can learn to become more confident in themselves, gain self-respect and ultimately just feel better. There’s no better way to feel good about yourself than through physical activity if you ask us!

Here at Renzo Gracie NH, we are HUGE proponents of children being physically active, and the earlier they start, the better! We also recognize how much of an impact technology and electronics are having on a child’s daily dose of physical activity, which is why we highly encourage participation in a fitness program or sport.

To learn about the children’s Jiu Jitsu and kids fitness programs we offer at our Salem and Exeter academies, please give us a call at (603) 777-2775 today.

March 18, 2016/by Renzo Gracie NH

Nutrition Tips To Follow During Jiu Jitsu Training

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We’ve said it a few times and we’ll definitely say it again – what you eat and the diet you follow has a huge impact on your ability to succeed in Jiu Jitsu and any other form of martial arts. Of course it’s important to eat healthy even when you aren’t training in a sport like this, but when you are, it becomes even more critical that you keep up with a solid plan.

With that said, what do your eating habits look like? If you know that you need to make some changes, here are a few great places to start:

Focus On Water

Regardless of whether you drink it out of a bottle or consume it through the foods that you eat, water is huge. Try aiming for foods that have a high water content (at least 70%) – fruits such as watermelon, strawberries and grapefruit should do the trick, as will vegetables such as lettuce and cucumbers.

Adjust Your Combinations

Most of us eat certain foods together because, well, they taste good! But, it’s actually really important for all of us to put some more thought into which foods we combine and eat at the same time. The Gracie Diet places a huge focus on combinations – for example, starches can be combined with vegetables, greens, seafood, meats, sweat fruits and foods, fats and oily foods, and fresh and creamy cheeses, but not with each other. Another rule of the thumb you can live by is to not eat protein, carbs and starches in the same meal.

Work On Portion Control

It doesn’t matter how hungry you think you are – you don’t need to eat yourself sick during breakfast, lunch and dinner. Especially right before bed, it’s important to analyze the size of your servings to make sure you aren’t over-doing it. If you do feel the need to eat a lot, make yourself a big bowl of salad. And, should you be feeling hungry late at night, try to stick to fruit.

Still have questions about nutrition and how it relates to Jiu Jitsu? We at Renzo Graice NH are your Jiu Jitsu experts, so please feel free to give us a call at (603) 777-2775 to learn more!

March 15, 2016/by Renzo Gracie NH