So when we drill and roll, sometimes we have music playing. Most of the time it’s in the pop/rock genre, unless one of the younger guys gets a hold of the music and then it can be dance music, or Rage Against the Machine. Now and again our coach feels like everyone is too amped and will put something slower and more soothing during class.
My question is, do you feel that music really effects the way you drill and train? Personally, I think if you’re sort of a middle place, music can sway your emotions one way or another. If you’re in one extreme or another however, I don’t think it has much of an effect.
Do you even like when music plays during class? It can be nice in the background, but sometimes it’s so loud I can’t hear our coach, or the timer when a match ends. That’s when I feel like there’s a problem.
Let me know what you think- otherwise, have a great day everyone!
A Skirt on the Mat 
I don’t think I’ve ever trained without music!
We have a very eclectic mix of music playing when drilling and rolling, anything from Bob Marley, Johnny Cash, Foo Fighters to Dean Martin.
I love the music on when rolling, but not when drilling.
Just no country. I always tell them that if they start playing country, I’m leaving.
We usually never have music at my academy and on the few occassions it happens it’s usually some weirdo epicmovieheromusic. Whenever I train something else than bjj, e.g boxing or gym etc I neeeeeed music to keep me motivated, but I never reflected on the fact that there is no music at bjj class. Maybe it’s bcs I’m a whitebelt and staying busy just getting not choked out by the purplebelts hehe.
I like having music during warm up, whatever that may be. I like it turned off during drilling/technique practice. Then when it comes time to roll, CRANK IT UP!!! 🙂
Yep, I always put on music during class. I’m very particular about what I include on the playlist: it needs to be calm, but upbeat, with nothing potentially offensive in the lyrics. So, that tends to mean a lot of funk, hip-hop (stuff like De La Soul, not the rubbish misogynist stuff that has proliferated since the ’90s) and disco.
I don’t want anything too aggressive, as I don’t want people getting amped up during sparring: I want them to be relaxed and technical. It’s tough to be all macho when Michael Jackson is trilling from the stereo, especially if I’m also prancing around in my pink Fenom gi trousers. ;P
No music when I’m teaching or during drilling though, as it’s important people can hear each other talk.
I REALLY dislike music DURING instruction. It’s hard to hear, it’s distracting, etc. I enjoy it during rolling, but not during drilling. One of the coolest academies I went to had Bob Marley playing. Nothing aggressive about that! At other academies in Korea I’ve had to ask them to stop playing certain hardcore songs that kept referring to women as bitches and had horribly misogynistic undertones.