The closest thing an athlete might find to the fountain of youth is plyometrics.
Plyometrics are explosive exercises designed to improve power, speed, and elasticity by training your body to produce force quickly.
They typically involve rapid stretching and contracting of muscles—what’s called the stretch-shortening cycle—to develop reactive strength.
Plyometrics have been long known for their performance benefits, but they may be of special importance to aging athletes past the 35 year mark.
Plyometrics enhance tissue elasticity by training muscles, tendons, and fascia to store and release energy efficiently—supporting smoother, more resilient movement that preserves athleticism and reduces injury risk as we age.
Before we get into the three simple plyometric drills, let’s look at more benefits of ploys for grapplers.
Benefits of Plyometrics For Grapplers
Power is one of the first qualities to diminish as we age – fast-twitch muscle fibers shrink and slow down, tendons and fascia lose elasticity, and neuromuscular efficiency declines.
We also slowly lose bone mass starting around age 40, meaning less durability and more potential for breaks.
But, plyometric training has shown to strengthen bones, ligaments, and tendons, while also building those highly sought-after performance qualities like power and athleticism.
Low-level plyometrics, like the one’s below, build elastic ability, helping your tendons store and release energy like a spring.
They also improve the ability to absorb and decelerate force, which is critical for dynamic movements like takedowns, guard retention, and scrambles.
Plus, they improve neuromuscular coordination, keeping you sharp, reactive, and less injury-prone, while maintaining fast-twitch function of your muscles.
And best of all—they’re simple, scalable, and easy to plug into your warm-up or off-the-mat training.
Here’s how.
3 Simple Plyometric Drills for BJJ Longevity
While there are plenty of advanced plyometrics, you don’t need to do anything flashy to get the benefits.
These three low-impact drills are perfect for grapplers over 35 who want to move better, stay elastic, and preserve athleticism.
1. Skipping
Skipping (yes, like a kid) is one of the most underrated plyo drills in existence.
It trains rhythm, coordination, and timing—all while gently loading the Achilles, calves, and fascia for improved elasticity.
Plus it trains contralateral movement, helping build coordination between the sides of the body and improving sprinting and gait mechanics – the most fundamental of human movements.
Every landing in skipping trains you to absorb force through the lower body, especially the hips, knees, and ankles. This helps improve joint control and shock absorption—critical for injury prevention.
Start with 3-5 sets of 30 seconds, focusing on light, springy contacts with the ground.
Use it in your warm-up or add it in with your longer road work every few minutes.
2. Jumping Rope
This classic exercise used by boxers and martial artist for decades teaches you to recycle force quickly through the feet and ankles—exactly what you need for faster scrambles and smoother movement.
Jumping rope trains quick, elastic ground contact and helps reinforce posture, breathing, and tempo.
You can keep it basic or play with foot patterns. The beauty of jumping rope is that it’s self correcting and requires little technique. Simply emphasize quick, elastic ground contact—not jumping high and staying light on your feet.
Use variations like both feet, single leg, and side-to-side.
Try 3–5 rounds of 30–60 seconds intervals, or jump for 5 minutes straight adding more minutes over time.
3. Hill Sprints
Sprinting uphill reduces impact while demanding powerful hip extension, something many of us lose over time.
This is one of the best ways to safely train intensity and explosiveness without joint stress.
Sprinting uphill creates less stress on the knees, ankles, and lower back compared to flat ground or downhill sprints. It’s a safer way to train high-intensity effort, especially for older or injury-prone athletes.
Start with short sprints up hill around 20-40 yards, ramping up to 80–95% effort. Simply walk down casually to recover between reps and do 5-15 total sprints.
Final Thoughts
If you want to extend your time on the mats as long as possible, you can’t rely on strength and mobility alone.
You need to stay sharp, springy, and responsive—and plyometrics give you exactly that.
These simple, low-impact drills don’t just build athleticism, they help preserve it.
By training your body to absorb and release force efficiently, you’re not just improving performance—you’re investing in your longevity on the mats.
Add these into your routine consistently, and you’ll move better, remain athletic, and stay in the game longer.
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