TFS#37: Be Patient With Yourself

Jiu-Jitsu is tough, but learning it isn’t.

But figuring out how you learn is the real challenge. As a lower belt, it can be overwhelming to learn a new technique each week. You might feel like you haven’t fully understood the technique from the previous week while the instructor is already moving on to something new.

In my early stages of training, I learned that it’s best to set my own personal focused study. And instead of giving myself one week, I’d give myself a whole month. So today I’ll be sharing this 4-week scheduler you can use to track your progress.

This will help you directly see the improvement in your rolls.

Week 1: Create the reaction

For any technique, you must have the opening to even execute the move. You can’t just force the technique. (I’m sure you’ve heard this a lot!)

Take a step back and think about how you can get to that position. Which is equivalent to saying “how does your opponent have to be positioned for me to get into the entry?”

As an example, let’s say you want to work on your passing game, specifically the Leg Trap. The Leg Trap is what I use to counter a Knee Shield…which I use the Knee Cut to create that reaction.

So for this example, here’s my game plan: I’m going to Toreando Pass, into a Knee Cut, which naturally will get the opponent to Knee Shield. From the Knee Shield, I’ll readjust into the Leg Trap.

The goal for week 1 is to force the reaction you want, and set up the entry of the technique.

Week 2: Connect the steps

Now that you can get to the entry of the technique, your goal is now to understand potential reactions to your entry.

For the example of the Leg Trap, I can say I want to either pass to the left or the right. This opens it up to a Leg Drag or a Long Step (there’s a lot more but for the sake of simplicity, I’m sticking to binary options.)

Both the Leg Drag and Long Step will create further defensive reactions from your opponent which allows me to continue to threaten their guard position.

So now I’m working on connecting the entry to other techniques or moves I need to reach my goal. You can approach this week by asking yourself this: Once I setup the position, what are some common reactions I’ll get from my opponent?

The goal for week 2 is to connect the entry to the next steps, or other techniques to help you get closer to your goal…aka chaining moves.

Week 3: Stabilize the position

The whole point of the sport is to control your opponent. So if you aren’t able to control your opponent in a specific spot, you’re giving them an opportunity to escape.

Scrambling can even be see as a position. Remember: some people look for the scramble.

I would recommend learning to stabilize a position before learning attacks or transitions from there. Wedges, pins, leverage, are a few examples of details you want to pay attention to in those positions.

In the example that I’ve used here, I’ll want to pass my opponent’s legs and stabilize the hips—before fully passing. Although I may not have fully passed, I’m in an advantageous position. And then I’ll slowly climb up by establish head control and moving into Side Control or threatening the Back Take.

The goal for week 3 is to stabilize the position and limit your opponent’s movements. Let them pick their poison.

Week 4: Complete the technique

If you found success during Week 3 in stabilizing the position, then Week 4 is usually the easiest week. You now want to complete the process and get from point A of your technique to point Z.

During drilling time, you’ll drill a technique with little to no resistance. But during sparring you’ll run into a plethora of defenses. Through this 4-week process, you’ve given yourself time to see the potential reactions and also give yourself time to troubleshoot through the different resistances.

The goal of week 4 is to be able to execute the move while being able to work through different reactions.

For Your Jiu-Jitsu

→ Grip fighting can be a complete mystery when you’re new. These easy-to-follow tips will help you get started.

→ This sport is stressful and might cause anxiety, but luckily that’s normal and here’s how you can embrace it.

→ If you’re preparing to receive your purple belt in the near future, be aware of what to expect.

Closing Thought

If you’re given 30 seconds to draw a dog riding a bike, you’ll probably doodle up some stick-figure drawing to get the point across. But if I told you, you had 4 weeks to draw that picture, you’d put in the effort for shading and getting the texture of the fur on the dog.

Your Jiu Jitsu learning is going to happen over a course of years…and maybe decades. Your white/blue belt is like the 30 second drawing, good enough to get a rough idea. You have your whole life to learn.

Be patient and trust yourself even if you’re not seeing the progress...