Beyond Climbing: How a BJJ Brown Belt Trains Grip Strength with Crux Gear

Grip strength is often associated with climbing, but the ability to create and maintain a strong connection matters in many other disciplines too.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a perfect example.

For Crux Gear customer “Old Man Dave,” a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt with nearly 10 years on the mats, grip strength is not about overpowering an opponent. It is about creating the connection that allows technique to work.

As a repeat Crux Gear customer, Dave has incorporated several of our grip training tools into his regular routine. Here, he explains why grip strength and endurance matter in BJ, and how different tools can be used to train different types of connection.

Technique Needs a Connection

“Grip strength is one of the most overlooked aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,” Dave says.

As a soon-to-be 59-year-old Brown Belt, he has learned that technique will always beat strength. But without the ability to maintain a grip, many techniques never get the opportunity to work.

Whether controlling sleeves, collars, lapels, pants or wrists, fighting for underhooks, or guiding an opponent through a transition, the hands are constantly working.

Despite this, many Jiu-Jitsu practitioners spend hours drilling techniques while dedicating very little time to specifically training their grip strength and endurance.

Over the years, Dave has used kettlebell carries, towel pull-ups, gi hangs and farmer’s walks. More recently, he has added four Crux Gear tools to his training.

He uses them to target several different qualities:

●  Crushing strength
●  Pinch strength
●  Finger endurance
●  Open-hand support grip

For Dave, these qualities translate to longer-lasting grips, better control and less forearm fatigue during extended rolls.

“At nearly 59 years old, I’m no longer trying to out-muscle younger athletes,” he says. “I’m trying to be more efficient, preserve my body and make every grip count.”

The Grip Comes Before the Technique

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the grip is often the first point of connection.

Before the sweep.

Before the pass.

Before the submission.

There is a grip.

But effective grip training is not simply about learning to squeeze harder. Different situations require different kinds of hand and finger strength.

Dave uses each Crux Gear tool to train a different part of what he describes as a complete grip system.

The Sloth Claw: Hook Grip

Tool: MagBoard Mini

The MagBoard allows Dave to work on isolated finger strength and endurance through small contact points.

He connects this type of training with BJJ situations such as:

●  Thumb-in collar grips
●  Lapel hooks
●  Elbow crease control

Maintaining grips while an opponent attempts to strip them

The goal is not always to crush.

The goal is to stay connected.

 

The Lego Man Hand: C-Grip Control

Tool: Rock Ball

The Rock Ball trains the hand in a more open, wrapping position.

Dave describes this as the “Lego Man Hand”—using the hand to wrap around a structure and guide movement without wasting unnecessary energy.

In BJJ, he relates this to:

●  Triceps control
●  Arm drags
●  Wrist control
●  Steering an opponent’s posture
●  Controlling limbs during transitions
●  The fingers create the connection.
●  The body creates the movement.

The Pinch Grip: The Collar Connection

Tool: Pinch Rock

The Pinch Rock develops the thumb-to-finger strength required to hold and control fabric.

Dave uses it to support the demands of:

●  Collar grips
●  Sleeve grips
●  Lapel control
●  Grip fighting

In Jiu-Jitsu, the difference between keeping a grip and losing it can often come down to the thumb.

The Pinch Rock gives Dave a way to train that specific connection away from the mats.

The Precision Grip: Small Connections, Big Results

Tool: Mono Rock

Advanced grappling is often built around small, precise points of contact.

Dave uses the Mono Rock to work on finger strength and control when a full-hand grip is not available.

He connects this type of training with:

●  Two-finger collar grips
●  Lapel feeds
●  Fingertip control
●  Grip transitions
●  Small connection.

Big opportunity.

Loaded Grip Training: Strength Under Fatigue

Tools: Crux Gear grip tools with kettlebells or other suitable resistance

A fresh grip is one thing. Maintaining it while the rest of the body is working is another.

Dave also uses Crux Gear tools with kettlebells to train his ability to stay connected under load and fatigue.

This can help him practice the demands of:

●  Grip fighting under pressure
●  Maintaining control late in a round
●  Staying connected as the forearms begin to fatigue

For a grappler, the ability to keep a useful grip while tired can be more valuable than producing a brief burst of maximum strength.

Stronger Hands, Smarter Hands

Dave’s approach is not about becoming the strongest athlete in the room.

It is about building hands that can create the right connection, maintain it efficiently and support good technique.

“You don’t have to be the strongest person in the room,” he says. “But if you can keep your grips while everyone else’s hands begin to fail, you’ll often control the pace of the match.”

Crux Gear was developed as portable grip training equipment for climbers, but grip strength is not limited to climbing.

From climbers holding small edges to grapplers controlling collars, sleeves and limbs, different athletes rely on their hands in different ways. Dave’s experience shows how tools designed to train individual grip positions can also become part of a broader athletic training routine.

As Dave puts it:

“The grip creates the connection. The connection creates the opportunity.”

OSS,

Old Man Dave
Train smart. Stay on the mats.