Training And Sleep Deprivation

I need my sleep. For one reason or another I have betrayed my body over and over again and  neglected to get enough sleep this week. Yesterday the reality of how sleep deprivation effects my performance in Jiu Jitsu become clear to me. Yesterday’s class was a good class – but it took considerable effort to get enough from it because I was so tired. Here is why.

First, it was hard to retain information and execute new techniques without extra concentration. The amount of time it took learn something was longer than normal. It was also easy to forget specific details – such as the position of a foot or a type of grip.

Second, being tired does things to your overall confidence – even if not on a conscious level. Break falls, for example, seemed hard to execute properly. I also had hesitations to be thrown. Not helpful, obviously, to learning and growing your technique – or your partner’s.

Third, being so tired made for poor decisions when rolling. In three consecutive roll sessions I tried to pull guard – but ended up defending side control. Being impatient and unwise made for a poor (and mostly painful) day in rolling.

Tomorrow is Saturday, thankfully – and when I wake up late tomorrow morning and finally well rested, I should  think about how I can get more sleep on a regular basis. If I don’t there is no guarantee I won’t make the same sleeping mistakes I made this week. Training in Jiu Jitsu – and many other things – is just too important to interfere with.