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(Published June 30, 2022)
Note: This one got a little long, and there was a natural break in the middle, so I this is part 2 of a 2 part post. If you haven’t read part 1 yet, you can do so here.
So in my last post, I touched on the challenges of trying to improve in Jiu-Jitsu when you’re one of the best guys in your gym.
Here’s what I do in a nutshell:
Research and independent study.
Roll with a handicap.
Seek out opportunities to roll with higher belts.
Research
Research and independent study is a big one for me. I devour books and instructional videos. I used to think that everyone did this the way I do, but I’ve come to the realization that very few people do what I do.
I tried teaching a free class on it via Zoom back while we were on lockdown at the start of the pandemic, but we had few takers, and I”m not really sure anybody actually ended up trying my methods for themselves.
I have a vast library of books and instructional videos. There are some of them that I’ve watched so many times, I can quote the instructor word for word. My buddy Jason actually caught me doing this during one of my classes. I can’t help it. I find good technique, taught with good instruction and I obsessively watch it to the point that not only is the technique ingrained in my muscle memory, but often the very words used to describe the technique get indelibly etched into my brain.
On top of that, I’ve developed my own process over the years of breaking down techniques from video, memorizing them, and then practicing them through visualization to the point that I’ve internalized them to the reflexive level. I used to do this on deployment when I didn’t have access to a BJJ gym. Most people regress a little after a long layoff from Jiu-Jitsu like that, but I’d come home from deployment, go back to class, and after a 1-2 week recalibration period, my Jiu-Jitsu would be better than it was before deployment. Sometimes my instructors would ask me where I’d been training.
Handicap
Another thing I’ll do is to give myself a handicap while rolling. Maybe I’ll limit myself to armbars. No chokes. No leg locks. Only armbars. Or maybe I’ll only finish from the Mount today. Maybe I’ll only do Guillotines. Maybe I’ll let them pass and get a dominant position on me so that I have to work my way out from a really bad spot. Or maybe I’ll let them do whatever they want for the first four minutes, and then I’ll try to finish them in that last minute of the five minute round.
I don’t tell my students that I’m doing any of this. But it makes me work a little harder, and forces me to get creative.
Optional: Seek Out And Roll With Better Players
Lastly, I try to seek out and take advantage of opportunities to roll with higher belts, or at least people at my own level. Honestly, I haven’t had a ton of time to do this since opening my gym. But I’ve made it to some open mats. Once we get our competition program up and running I’ll start getting to some tournaments. And of course, I still plan on making it back to Indiana to Roll with Dax and his crew at least once a year.
Like I said before, rolling with folks who are better than you can be extremely valuable. Some would even have you believe it’s the only way to get better, but I disagree. After all, Gordon Ryan is often touted as the best submission grappler in the sport today, but he continues to improve.
And if he can do it, so can you!
Of course I’m not saying that you’ll be the next Gordon Ryan if you use these Ideas. But they’ll certainly help. And the best part is they’ll help even if you’re NOT the best in your gym!
Take care, keep training, and we’ll see you on the mats.
- Mike
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