How To Get Better at BJJ Faster

Ever wondered how you can upgrade your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills to an advanced level?

To increase your Jiu-Jitsu performance and level up faster, it is essential to constantly evaluate your abilities, strengthen your weaknesses, master the basics, and keep track of your improvement. It requires a regular training schedule of 3 to 4 days per week to develop and harness your BJJ abilities.

To understand the bigger picture, we have compiled the most result-oriented and effective methods to help propel your Jiu-Jitsu game. Continue reading to find out more!

Learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a process that requires consistent training over an extended period of time. The efficient method to increase your Jiu-Jitsu proficiency is to be consistent. If you train only every other week, you might not notice any improvement or retention of skills.

There is plenty of room for growth if you can find a way to train regularly. Also, overtraining is just as harmful as not working out regularly. It would help if you don’t push on retaining more than your limits. Because you do not want to gas out yourself to the point that you're causing more damage to your body than benefit. Finding the proper equilibrium and keeping it constant is the most important thing.

You will likely be prone to prefer some training mates more than others which could result in creating sportsmanship. It's a good thing since you are aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and can work together to advance your skill level.

However, it is also essential to take advantage of the opportunity to train with other people with different skills. Working with different abilities, dimensions, styles, and sizes can help you build an overall game. Training with people with atypical body types - such as the tall man - is ideal since they provide you with a distinctive defensive and offensive mechanism. This helps you develop an effective fighting style and helps you achieve versatility.

Regular attendance in BJJ classes will significantly improve overall physical fitness. Strength isn't the only factor to consider when improving your jiu-Jitsu skills. When you're exhausted, it becomes difficult to coordinate your motor movements and keep up with your techniques.

The truth is, you need to maintain cardiovascular, and muscular strengths to perform at your highest level.

Most Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools adhere to the same structured program of training that begins with studying the fundamentals before moving to the more advanced classes.

When new pupils demonstrate that they've learned fundamentals, they'll be able to continue learning more advanced techniques and can participate in a live rolling session.

In the end, if you genuinely want to improve at BJJ, do not forget the basics.

Have you noticed the purple belt holders that attend the advanced class but leave out the fundamentals?

As you grow, it's essential (and enjoyable) to master the great sweeps and submissions so that you are proficient in applying these techniques as well as defending against them.

The basic principles of BJJ are the most important because they constitute the foundation on which everything else will be built.

• You're aware of Jiu-Jitsu's various positions
• You have learned the basic movements, techniques, rolling, and sparring
• You are aware of what your opponent is trying to achieve in every situation which means you're able to anticipate and even counter his / her next move

If you have trouble retaining information, one piece of advice is to keep a journal. After training, maybe at night or the following day, note down or write down the things you learned in class and highlight your weaknesses to keep track of your progress.

How do you know the process of becoming better, faster, and more efficient in your BJJ journey?  If you aren't aware of the areas in which you need to make improvements.  However, what specifically are you trying to get better at? Identify the areas before starting learning freelance jiu-jitsu. Narrow down your priorities and set realistic and achievable goals.

It is essential to set specific objectives that are confined to timing, habits, and progress. For instance, you shouldn't just desire to become better at choke-inducing your fellow trainers. Instead, it would be best to try to take out five people using the Rear Naked Choke in each of your three training sessions.

This will allow you to determine your success rate; you'll be aware of areas that require improvements.

If you're enthusiastic about something, you'll be able to learn faster. There are many theories about the scientific explanations for why this happens; however, the fact is that excitement boosts learning. Research shows that children who are excited to learn to play the violin are more successful than those who just have to study violin as a subject in school. 

The stress of being the winner of sparring matches can distract you from the real purpose of training. The focus should be on learning and mastering different techniques and the defense against each technique instead of winning. You must keep reminding yourself that the real essence of sparring is improving, learning, and getting better.

Do not be afraid to opt for a new technique, even if there's a slight chance that you'll end up gaining an advantage. The practice of sparring lets you test the methods you'll be using during self-defense situations or competitions.

Take out your smartphone and ask a buddy or teacher to film you as you exercise - or, when you're in training outside of the class with a trainer, set up a tripod and place your phone mounted on it.
Make sure you record footage of both drilling and rolling. The more angles you can capture, the more enjoyable and beneficial it would be for you to see and improve yourself.

After recording your training, you'll be able to:

• Make sure you're practicing the correct techniques
• Check out the errors you're making while rolling
• Find out which are your strengths and where weaknesses lie.
• Create a list of what you'll have to do to improve

With video footage of your training, you'll be able to accurately and honestly assess where you are standing in your journey to becoming an elite BJJ fighter.

Visualization is proven to be an effective method for improvement. Through visually imagining concepts, strategies, and even transitions while doing it in a way you're trying to bring as many details as possible to your mind. You'll start to observe your BJJ skills are increasing faster than your typical training partners.

It is best to create a routine. Maybe you can imagine the techniques discussed in class each night before going to sleep and every morning. Make sure you don't spend more than 5 minutes on each visualization session.

Watching online videos and finding solutions to issues in your BJJ skills can be very useful. You'll get more suggestions and ideas to try out in rolling. Now you know the methods. Try it out in your training sessions.

Closed guard, also referred to as full guard, is a position that stops your opponent from being able to stand up or move away. If you're looking for a real test, start with a place where your opponent is in the closed guard.

By doing this, you'll learn to think in a new way to escape a weak position and will be prepared to overcome an awkward position during a match. Also, prepare yourself for the unexpected.

This is connected to our last idea. Most sparring partners will not be able to accommodate your preferences. For instance, if you are always stuck in the lower half-guard position. Inform your sparring partner that you can begin from a lower half-guard position, whenever you roll.

Learning in private lessons is the most beneficial option to help accelerate your progress in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The most important thing is that this individual should be an expert in Jiu-jitsu but most importantly, he must be adept at giving explanations and making your understanding logically before implementing practical moves. His ability to identify areas you're required to improve on, and the trainer's skills in articulating strategies are crucial and can be used to help you get many steps ahead.

A single private session per week would make a huge difference. If you can, put in enough time (and the amount of money) for anything from 3 and 5 private lessons each month. It will surely take your BJJ grappling skills to a new scale.

It's unfortunate, as BJJ can cause joint damage through years of practice and injury. A well-planned training and strength routine is the best way to stop this.

Escapes are likely to be the most neglected and the least practiced by most people. Most people want to jump straight into the excitement of winning and don't think about having a solid base to fall back on should something go wrong.

It should be done by working with a trainer, to begin with, and then gradually progress to more and better partners and then opponents as you go up the BJJ ladder.

Practice your escapes, as submissions and positions regularly, it will help you become more confident initiating your attacks because you'll be happily willing to test moves when you do not worry about them not working.

The answer to how to get better at Jiu-Jitsu isn't too difficult. but it's not easy as well. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an intrinsically physically engaging sport, so it is essential to ensure that you take proper care of your body to increase your performance. Beyond physical fitness, it is necessary to practice the fundamental moves that make up the game until they are incorporated into your muscle memory and then neural reflexes. The best way to do this is with a friend - this allows you to enhance and polish your skills.

If you are rolling, make sure to keep your goal in your mind. Beware of the urge to fight and realize that rolling is an additional tool for improving your BJJ.

Photo credit: @anyrgb