It is our desire to spend more time on mats. However, work, family, and other social obligations often distract us. These 10 tips will show you how to improve your BJJ, even when you aren't able to get on the mats.
1. Practice visualization.
Your most powerful resource is your mind. You can use visualization to practice even when you don't have the time. This can be done in your spare moments, like when you're in the shower or before bed.
These guided visualizations are a great option:
You can recall details about your last sparring session, such as how it began, how it went, and what difficulties you faced.
What techniques were you taught in your last class? Make a mental picture of your instructor. What were they saying, and how did it look? It is important to remember it exactly. What was your drilling performance? What can you do better next time?
Choose a technique that you are interested in learning. Could you put your mind in the position to do it? Close your eyes. What are your movements? Where do your hands go? How do your fingers move? This is how it looks from the first person. Try it again in the third person.
BJJ competitors, inside and outside the sport, use visualization to calm their nerves and focus on positive outcomes. Although I am not a sports psychologist, you can read many books about the topic. You can find these books at Amazon and your local library.
2. Keep a training journal.
My first tip for retention is to keep a journal. Write down what you learned in class after finishing training, whether later that evening or the next day. You can use the visualization cues I mentioned in the previous tip and write down the "see" part. The active recall it requires is more critical than what ends up on the paper. Although I don't understand my old notes very well, they helped me to remember the lessons.
It may be a good idea to take notes in class. For great advice on writing in a BJJ notebook, read "6 Tips for Taking notes in Jiu-Jitsu" by Ayanthi Gunawardana.
3. Your game plan can be a flowchart.
It can make all the difference if your grappling game plan is not well-developed. It is a must-have for any blue belt (or soon to become one) and even more so for your competitors.
Gameplanning can be broken down into two steps: 1) Taking inventory and 2) Mapping it out.
Here are some ways to take inventory. Write down the best 1-3 techniques you have for each position. Next, identify 1-3 strategies you can use at the bottom.
Standing (takedowns).
Mount rear
Mount
Knee-on-belly
Side control
Turtle
Half guard
Open guard
Closed guard
Do you know a few good techniques for each position? If you don't, you can learn what to do next.
Let's now map your techniques. This can be done with bubbles or arrows.
Your match begins standing. Which stance will you adopt? What are your grips? Which takedowns are you willing to do? What's the result? What are you going to do? You can go on and on.
You can go through the sequence again. But this time, think about the what-ifs. What if your move is countered, what happens if they escape, what if your guard passes, etc.?
Continue this process until you have a complete game plan. While you don't have to plan for all possibilities, it is essential to know what your "A game" is and how to recover from any mishaps.
4. Analyze your strengths and weaknesses.
You can also open your journal and reflect on yourself. Take the time to honestly assess yourself and evaluate your strengths and areas for improvement. These are the categories you should rate yourself.
Technique
Evacuations and defenses
Takedowns and takedown defense
Guard (closed/open, half-swept, pass prevention)
Passing (opening the guard or passing through specifically available guards)
Top
Back attacks
Leglocks
Submissions
Physical
Strength
Power
Endurance
Flexibility
Durability
Mental
Self-discipline
Focus
Learning speed and knowledge retention
Strategic thinking
Grit, determination, and heart
Confidence
Composure: Overcoming nervousness and performance anxiety
Although it may hurt to look at your ego, it is all for self-growth. These insights will guide you in your future training and studies.
5. Set goals.
It can sometimes feel like you're spinning your wheels, but BJJ is not moving forward. Is this really what it all means? It's just another boring class. Another day of showing up, not knowing where you are going.
Setting goals can help you make real progress. It's easier to overcome plateaus when seeing how each day brings you closer to your bigger-picture goals.
These are your responses:
What are your big goals for the next 10 years?
5 years?
1 year?
6 months?
3 months?
1 month?
Week?
Limiting the list to BJJ goals is possible, but you can also include other purposes (such as becoming a doctor or moving to a different country). You'll want them all listed together for logistics.
After you have established your overall goals, you can work backward towards the medium-level goals that will assist you in reaching them. Next, you can get to the short-term goals. Are they all supportive of each other?
This is where the idea comes in: Have long-term goals you are passionate about and align your lower-level goals to help you get there. Your lifetime goals can be achieved by repeatedly doing the same mundane tasks until those days turn into years and those years into decades.
He gives examples of realistic goals for "Brazilian Jiu Jitsu goals that don't involve becoming world champion." You can also read my thoughts in "What Drives Success In BJJ.
6. Learn instructional strategies.
Learning from some of the best BJJ instructors in history has never been easier. There are many options: DVDs, membership websites, apps, streaming services, and the old faithful YouTube. It isn't easy to know where to focus your attention.
I recommend narrowing your focus. Focus on a specific position or technique, and study how top competitors do it. You can also choose a competitor to analyze their game. (Learn more about this in the next tip.
BJJ marketing tends to concentrate on specific techniques or guards.
This allows you to narrow your search to your interests. This is my favorite instructional type. I find it hard to concentrate on watching "moves BJJ from A–Z" DVDs. My instructional Roy Dean Academy is shamelessly promoting my instructional. It is dedicated to one topic, the crucifix. A birdie informed me that Nelson might soon release an instructional ...)
7. Analyze competitor footage.
You can now find competition footage like instructionals. Marshal D. Carper has an article titled Supplement Your Training With Competition Footage. You can pick your favorite competitors to channel your inner BJJ Scout.
8. Increase your health and strength of your body.
VR gaming is still far off, so you must continue BJJ with your bones and flesh. BJJ can cause joint damage over years of practice and injury. This can be countered by an intelligent strength- and conditioning program.
It is entirely up to you and the results that you desire. Maybe you can refer to the physical weaknesses you identified in your self-analysis. It's not difficult to stick to the basics. I advise you to stick to the basics and focus on general health and strength, to offset the strains BJJ places on your joints.
9. Find activities that are fun and complementary to your sport.
Although it may seem blasphemous, it is okay to do other things than BJJ. They can help.
Many outdoor activities can be combined with BJJ. You may see improvements in grip strength, balance, and coordination. You can swim, surf, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, and rock climbing.
God forbid you to do anything other than BJJ just because it's enjoyable.
10. Connect to the hivemind.
Thanks to the internet, you can now connect with grapplers all over the globe. You can search Google for the answer to any problem or question you may have. There are plenty of forums where you can ask questions. The Inverted Gear team is active on Reddit's/r/bjj for online BJJ news and discussion. However, there are many older BJJ/MMA message board communities.
Every Wednesday, /r/bjj hosts a White Belt Wednesdays thread. This allows you to ask dumb questions and not be too basic. To get my attention, you can use "/u/Aesopian" in any post. I'll be there to answer any questions.
These are my top 10 tips to improve your BJJ, even if you don't have the time. This list will give you plenty of options for activities when mat time is not available.
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