Flexibility in BJJ - Why is it important?

Flexibility is everything. It allows you to move quicker, be comfortable and effective in strange positions, and makes it a nightmare to pass your guard. Another benefit is the strength it adds to your joints, allowing greater mobility and easier recovery - arm bar hyperextensions are less of a big deal, and you get a little extra warning when rolling with that asshole who cranks all his submissions (I'm fairly sure we all know one).

Not only that, but you'll be thanking yourself later in life when you're not a tired old hobbit with immobile joints. You can't WD40 your knees, so prepare yourself well in advance!

Watching top-level competitors like Keenan Cornelius or BJ Penn, you'll notice an astounding amount of flexibility. The fact of the matter is, being flexible allows you to be more technical, and opens up your options when you're in a tough spot.

So, here's how I'm currently 'stretching myself out'.

There's no specific set of exercises I'm using - rather, I'm focusing on my legs, hip and back; the areas I feel are in most dire need of a flexibility increase. For a set of great videos you can use to aid your functional flexibility, head over here to Fight Camp Conditioning. These videos have been of enormous help to me in finding exercises that are both basic and efficient.
My goal is to be able to hold my feet when I touch my toes, within the next few months. By two years time I want to be able to hug my foot to my chest while seated. My only plan for doing this is to allocate time for stretching and monitor how I improve between sessions - so far, I'm already seeing positive results.

I am Groot.
- George