Brazilian jiujitsu is one of the many self-defense sports offered by local gyms that a lot of people participate in. Not only is it a great way to train their skills, but it also helps them develop necessary strategies to tackle their attackers and develop discipline. A jiujitsu session typically consists of a few minutes of warm-up, technique portion where the students learn new techniques and strategies, and a free-rolling session where they get to spar with other students. A lot of jiujitsu classes in local gyms also have at least one day of open mat each week.

What is an Open Mat?

In jiujitsu, an open mat is a time where all the mats in the jiujitsu class are open and students can do virtually whatever they want. There is no cut and dried rule during an open mat session. Ninety-five percent of the time, open mats consist of sparring. But other times, the students will also perform drills and most of their techniques will only be involved rolling. There is no demonstration of techniques and some students only perform warm-ups before they spar with their partners.

Although the experience may be scary to newbies, it can be a very rewarding experience for some. Others may turn up with their spar partners, but others also prefer just showing up. Either way, performing in open mats is the perfect way to turn up your jiujitsu game.

The Benefits of Attending an Open Mats

Whether you’re training for a competition or you just want to have fun, participating in open mats offer a lot of perks for each student. Here are some of them:

It Enhances the Skills of Students

One element of open mats is that you will never know who is coming. In some instances, most of those who will come are trained and professional MMA fighters and black belters. With that, the students will never know whom they can spar with and may end up sparring with one of the experts. This gives them a chance to train and improve their skills and strategies.

Students can Learn a Lot

In-house training for jiujitsu may not be enough to develop and hone your skills. Sometimes, you have to explore other classes and spar with other students. This will give you a chance to learn what method best suits you and what strategies will work on other body types. Moreover, if you’re having trouble mastering a specific skill, you will also have a chance to learn it through open mats.

Meet New Friends

While you can meet friends in your jiujitsu class, mingling with others from different schools can make a huge difference. You’ll be surprised to know how supportive the Brazilian Jiujitsu community is. You’ll also get a chance to learn strategies and techniques from them that you otherwise won’t learn if you isolate yourself in one gym.

Meeting other people who do jiujitsu will also give you an advantage when it comes to competition. If you’re lucky, you’ll be paired up with someone who you have sparred with while attending a few open mats. When it comes to this, you have a greater advantage since you’ve had the chance to see how he plays and you already know how to combat the attack he will throw.

It’s Stress Relieving

Attending open mats can also give you a rush of endorphins. These endorphins help combat the hormone cortisol which helps relieve stress. This makes open mats especially beneficial to people who are constantly exposed to stress at work or school.

It Helps Train Your Mind

Since you essentially have no idea of what’s going to happen in an open mat, your mind becomes open to a lot of possibilities. While sparring with a partner you’ve never paired with before, you have no idea of what’s going to happen or how he will handle the game. With an open mat, your mind becomes faster and more alert to incoming attacks which helps you formulate a strategy for a specific move as you continue with your training. By the time that you encounter the move, you’ll be well equipped of how to block the attack.

Participating in Open Mats is a Good Training for You

Although open mats are invaluable to your jiujitsu training, it’s important to remember that an open mat is not a substitute for a regular jiujitsu class. Rather, it’s a chance given to students who want to explore, experiment, and improve their martial arts skills. Open mats provide a lot of benefits. So get loose and have fun.