How to Split Training Time Between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Striking: Find Your Balance

Everything you need to know about leveling up the most important skillsets in MMA

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: October 27, 2022 References

Training Balance

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Practicing with Others

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BJJ and Striking Basics

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Competitive Considerations

If you’re looking to improve your ground and pound game, you may be thinking about revamping the way you train. A great striking game will make you a serious threat when you’re standing, while a phenomenal Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) skillset will help you steal wins via submission. But how much time should you spend on one discipline versus the other? There are a lot of considerations here, and there may not necessarily be a universal “correct” answer. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a right answer for you personally, and that’s what we’re here to help you find out.

Things You Should Know

Split your training time 50/50 if you want a straightforward and easy-to-follow way to split training time.
Train different components of BJJ or striking in sets (periodization training) to focus on mastering individual skills separately.
Hire a trainer, find a sparring partner, or take an MMA class to get help acquiring new BJJ and striking skills.

Section 1 of 4:

Training Balance

1
Work on each discipline on alternating days to keep it simple. If you’re on a training schedule, the easiest way to split training time is to simply split it in the middle and go back and forth between the two disciplines. If you typically train 4 days a week, spend 2 days practicing and learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) techniques and spend 2 days on striking.^{[1]
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- Most MMA fighters will split their training time between fighting mechanics/practice and general fitness. If you’re following a similar schedule, alternate your fighting days and stick to the fitness regimen.
2
Dedicate a little more time to your weaker discipline to improve. If you know there’s an obvious gap in your game and you really want to rectify it, go ahead and prioritize your weaker discipline. If you’re a solid striker but fairly week on the ground, you might spend 1 day a week keeping your striking game in tiptop shape but the other 2 sessions practicing with a BJJ partner and doing footwork drills.^{[2]
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- For example, on days where you’re sparring or practicing your MMA mechanics, you might spend 75% of the time on BJJ techniques and 25% of the time working on your striking combinations.
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3
Practice your strengths periodically as you train to stay sharp. If you’re a phenomenal boxer and that’s a core part of your fighting style, don’t abandon your speedbag and heavy bag entirely to train BJJ or striking skills. As tempting as it may be to drop everything and just focus on one set of skills, you don’t want to fall behind in your strongest area by neglecting an entire component of your game.^{[3]
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- No competitive MMA fighter is successful by skipping entire elements of the sport. Being well-rounded is key!
4
Try periodization training to master one skillset over time. Periodization refers to a system of training where the intensity and complexity of the work scales in groups. You might spend 5 training sessions with a sparring partner working exclusively on base BJJ skills like bridging and hip escapes, working your way up from simple mechanics to real-time escape practice. Then, start low again with a new skill, continuing until you master.^{[4]
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- The benefit of periodization is that it allows you to compartmentalize the different skills and master them in isolation. The difficulty curve resets with each group of training sessions, which gives your body a break when things get hardest.
- For BJJ, you might work in an order of: escapes, wrestling reversals, chokes, Kimura submissions, rolls, then armlocks.
- For striking, you could go: jabs and straights, hooks and uppercuts, kicks, combinations, combination fluency, and accuracy.
5
Listen to your body and don’t skip recovery days. If you find yourself starting to get worn out, take a break. If a new skill feels “wrong,” take a step back and re-learn it from the ground up. As tempting as it may be to get in the gym every day, give yourself at least 1 day a week just to heal and relax.^{[5]
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- Many MMA fighters will work on form or do extremely light legwork or cardio on their recovery days. That’s perfectly fine so long as your body can handle it!

Section 2 of 4:

Practicing with Others

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Take an MMA class to learn the BJJ and striking basics. If you’re new to MMA fighting, consider signing up for a beginner or advanced MMA class at your local dojo or gym. Since BJJ and striking are both core competencies in MMA, you’ll develop the foundation you need and learn the basic mechanics of both schools.^{[6]
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- If you’re new to the gym or dojo you’ve joined, this is also a great way to meet potential sparring partners for the future!
2
Hire an MMA trainer to master the skills you need to know. If you’re an experienced fighter and you want to take your karate-style strike game to the next level or master that armbar on the ground, hire a pro. Work with them 1-on-1 to finetune your mechanics, learn complex skills, and take your fighting game to the up a notch.^{[7]
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- If you are looking to get into the professional fight game, vet your trainer carefully and look for someone who has trained pro fighters before.
3
Find a sparring partner to learn from one another. Reach out to a friend at the gym or look online for a local fighter who is also seeking a partner. Team up and learn new BJJ techniques and work on your sparring together. By working out and practicing with a partner, you’ll be able to pick up skills from one another and get some reps in a low-stress environment with a like-minded friend.^{[8]
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- If you hire a trainer and you can’t find a sparring partner on your own, the trainer will be able to hook you up with someone on your skill level.

Section 3 of 4:

BJJ and Striking Basics

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is focused on grappling, locks, and close range. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art that’s all about pinning your opponent into submission. It’s popular as an effective form of self-defense, and includes grappling, ground fighting, lockouts, and other various wrestling moves. In mixed martial arts (MAA), BJJ is considered an essential skill.^{[9]
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- Other popular grappling disciplines include judo, wrestling, and sambo. However, BJJ is seen as a more essential school to master among most MMA fighters.
2
Striking is all about quick contact and short bursts of power. Striking is a general term for any immediate physical attack that involves your limbs. Punches, slaps, elbows, kicks, and knees are all forms of striking. In MMA, striking is a key skill that every fighter incorporates.^{[10]
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- Striking disciplines include boxing, muay Thai, Krav Maga, karate, and taekwondo.
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Both BJJ and striking are core, but distinct, MMA disciplines. Every MMA fighter needs to have a ground game and a standing game, so it’s exceptionally important that you learn both BJJ and striking skills if you’re going to fight competitively. These disciplines don’t have any crossover though, so it’s paramount to find a good balance between the two.^{[11]
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- You can focus your training on a different ground discipline, like wrestling, but BJJ is widely considered the superior school for MMA since winning by submission is a major path to victory. Other ground games don’t focus on submission the way BJJ does.

Section 4 of 4:

Competitive Considerations

1
Develop an understanding of both disciplines, even if you won’t use them. Even if BJJ or striking don’t align with your fighting style (i.e. you’re primarily trained in kickboxing, kung fu, or judo alone), at least get familiar with the key moves. The vast majority of your opponents will be trained in these schools, and you don’t want to put yourself at a disadvantage.^{[12]
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- At a bare minimum, at least learn the key moves in BJJ and the major striking disciplines.
- For BJJ, learn how to guard your hip, triangle choke, and escape with a bridge and roll.
- In striking, boxing is the core competency you’ll want to master. Jabs, hooks, uppercuts, and straights are all key moves to know.
2
Emphasize BJJ if you plan on fighting MMA competitively. If you want to fight MMA beyond the basic sparring session, it’s really important to have a good BJJ skillset. Most professional UFC fights end in submission or go to a decision. In other words, professionals rarely punch and kick their way to victory. On top of that, BJJ maneuvers are the key way a physically weaker or smaller fighter might overcome a more powerful opponent.^{[13]
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- A good grappler can use their skills to smother a great striker, while a striker with a weak grappling game won’t be able to stave their opponent off.
- This isn’t to say it’s okay to ignore striking skills—just that you may want to lean more towards BJJ if you plan on going pro.
3
Let your fitness and level of experience inform your training. How fast and hard you train in both BJJ and striking depends a lot on where you are in your MMA journey. If you’re just starting out, focus on getting fit and learning the basics. On the other hand, if you’ve already got a good fighting foundation to work from, go ahead and push it to the limit to acquire new skills quickly.^{[14]
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- Every fighter is different. Don’t force yourself to stick to some kind of arbitrary deadline in the name of progress.