Better BJJ Training only 2 days a week!
If only we could train full time our Jiu-jitsu would get so much better, right? This is not necessarily the case. You might wish for extra days to train but you should know that even if you only train 2 days a week you can be better at BJJ.
Picking your approach, planning your week and BJJ sessions means you will get more from the time you put in. The 5 steps outlined below will put you on track and in just a month you will notice your jiu-jitsu game improve significantly.
- Pick a discipline:
You can do Anything, but You can’t do Everything!
You must choose GI or No-Gi. The nature of modern BJJ means the 2 modes are so different and so technically complex in their own unique respects that you must only choose 1.
2. Pick a Position / Strategy:
Wrestling, Judo, Guard Player, Top game Player, which is it going to be? Pull guard or shoot for the take down? You must choose a strategy and stick to it! You only have a small amount of time to learn and apply this knowledge. This will require a tonne of determination and a willingness to fail. Don’t deviate from your strategy, even if it isn’t working keep on track until you have made it successful.
3. Day 1 Experiment: Think Like a Scientist.
Your first session of the week is where you can play around, drill, ask your coach questions, get feed back and really try to learn as much situation specific knowledge as possible. This gives you an opportunity to adjust and tweak certain details so you are ready to put your particular hypothesis on what will work to the test. Trial and error!
4. Day 2 Execute: Roll like Terminator
Execute, execute, execute! You have to put your Hypothesis/ game to the test. Your second day of training needs to be about pushing your game no matter what. Regardless of what the class technique was or what is the new hot move – Stick to your plan every roll. Keep coming back like the Terminator. Be relentless as this is where major insights will occur to you win or loose.
5.Write & Reflect:
We do not learn from experience but from our reflection on what we have experienced. If you are not recording footage of your rolling then you have no objective feedback. Also keeping a BJJ journal is key to mind mapping new ideas and concepts that relate to your current approach to jiu-jitsu. It also gives you a chance think about what worked and what needs improvement. You then process this info for next week when you make your adjustments in your experiment session and seek advice from your coach on your rolling footage.
This isn’t your BJJ game forever and if you get more time to train feel free to mix up your technique and grappling game. But if you are looking to really improve in just 2 days a week this is the method, you can thank me later.

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