Our core philosophy at BBJJ Martial Arts is about fostering growth by providing the supportive, collaborative conditions that allow students at all stages of life to train well for the long haul.

But with holidays coming, lots of us are planning to be away from the dojo.

So…a quick quiz:

Q: What do you do when you can’t get to training?

A: When you can’t do what you want, you have to do what you can. 

Sometimes when you can’t train you can still grow and improve by focusing your training energy elsewhere when you’re not at home to train.

What should you do? Well, it depends. Here are a few ideas to get you started without over-stressing yourself or other people:

#1 Use Equipment: Two things you always have room to pack are a jump-rope and a resistance band. 10 minutes on the rope a day and you’re cardio will improve…guaranteed!

(And a small resistance band can be attached to hotel furniture or trees outside, providing you with opportunities to work the core, upper body and lower body as well.)

#2 Bodyweight Exercises: If there isn’t a gym nearby (or time to get there), use yourself as resistance. You’ve seen dozens of pushup and sit-up variations in our classroom. With a chair or some well-placed end-tables, you can do a wide variety of squats, dips, sit-ups and pushups.

#3 Run: If all else fails, run. You can always use your time away from the dojo to concentrate on cardio. Every hotel, cruise-ship or vacation place has somewhere to run, even if it means wind-sprints in the hallways. Stairwells are a place for stair-runs or -walks, and even plyometrics for the adventurous (just be careful!).

#4 Rest and Recharge: Remember that a little rest is a good thing sometimes. If you’re training as hard as you should be regularly (3 times per week), then a trip out of town for 3 or 4 days can be a chance to rest and recharge. You’ll be reinvigorated when you return.

Above all, plan ahead and be creative. Worse than doing nothing on a vacation or a break is doing something that will set you back in training. You don’t need to take unnecessary risks, or endanger the physical or mental relationships you’ve built so far.

Reading and studying may not seem like the best substitutes for being on the mat, but they can give you a well-needed perspective on the work you’re doing in our classroom.

So…what do you do when you’re on vacation or away from the dojo?