Every BJJ practitioner wants to better their game, right? For that matter every musician, accountant and rodeo clown probably feels the same way. So what’s the secret to getting better at BJJ (or anything else?) As the old joke goes, (Q:) “Excuse me, sir. How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” (A:) “Practice, practice, practice.“

No matter your reason for training Jiu Jitsu – exercise, competition, self-defense – you’ll see the improvement of your skills are directly correlated with the amount of mat time you get. If you come only once per week or less, you most likely notice you’re getting passed up by the folks who are coming 3-6 times per week. To really retain what you’ve learned, you should be shooting for a minimum of 3 classes per week. More if you can manage it. This is most important if your goal is self-defense. You need these techniques to be second nature.

If you’re coming less than once per week, you’re not getting what you can from BJJ. Sure, you’ll learn something, but the chances of successfully using the techniques you’ve learned in a real situation or competition are greatly diminished.

If you’re considering trying out our school, take a look at our schedule to see what classes work for you. www.bjjsinsight.com/schedule
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Okay… let me start out by saying that this is in no way meant as a slam on other forms of martial arts. I do make some comparisons, but they aren’t meant to dissuade anyone from trying them out or stop anyone from continuing on with them. These are just my observations based on my way of learning.

I’m not writing this as a gym owner, but as a student of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu… As a child, I struggled with how things were taught to me in school, especially high school. I’m more of a learn-at-your-own-pace kind of student. This really rang true when trying to learn a foreign language. (French, in my case) I would try my best, but learning French in a regimented (often outdated) environment full of other non-French speakers while the teacher was rushing us to get a certain concept down so he/she could stay on schedule just wasn’t conducive to my success. I will say that many of my friends did very well in that environment. It just didn’t work for me.

I have known numerous children and adults who have moved to a foreign country, immersing themselves in the language and culture where everyone around them are experts and the rush to get a specific concept isn’t driven by an arbitrary schedule set by an instructor, but rather the needs of the people themselves (i.e. the need to eat, sleep, use the restroom, etc.)

I make this comparison because I see the similarities with learning martial arts. One of the the deterrents for me trying Karate or Kung Fu was the regimented “kata” format, where you learn a specific set of moves, in a specific order for a specific result, while in a group of other people at your same level. This is too much like learning in a classroom environment. Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It just doesn’t work as well for me.

Alternatively, BJJ is considerably more organic – more like learning through immersion. You’re put in a room where everyone has varying levels of skill and knowledge. You are thrown into whichever technique is being taught that day, with whomever your partner(s) may be. You could be with a blue belt – you could be with a brown belt. And your  success (or survival) is dependent on how well you understand the technique. There’s no skating by on a technique you don’t really understand. If you don’t get it, the technique won’t work. (much like living in a foreign land – if you don’t get it, you don’t eat)

The nice thing is; in BJJ your physical survival isn’t really on the line so much. Maybe today isn’t the day for you to completely grasp a new concept. You are still laying the ground work. This technique will come back around someday, and you will have the foundation laid to build upon when it’s time. You don’t have to understand every detail in order to move on to other new, exciting techniques. You’ll have other opportunities in the future.

As a student of language, travel, and just life in general, I’m a firm believer that immersion is the best way to learn new life skills. Physical fitness, and specifically martial arts, falls squarely into “life-skills” in my opinion. If you haven’t had a chance to try out BJJ and would like to, give us a call at 512-718-2539.

Just like anything you may do in your life – whether it’s being exceptional at your job, being a good parent, running marathons or jiu jitsu – consistency is the key. Even if you have more potential than the average person, you can’t tap into that potential without commitment and consistency. I’m not saying it has to rule your life (though it does tend to take-over more than we expect once we really commit) but devoting yourself and making BJJ a priority is crucial to one’s advancement in the art and in the state of mind needed to be successful. Your measure of success may be different that mine. One person’s measure may be weight-loss while another person may measure success by how many medals they’ve won. That part is less important… whatever drives you to be your best is okay… but the common denominator is consistency.

If you have chosen jiu jitsu as your path to a happier, healthier life, don’t cheat yourself by only giving it a little bit of effort. Make this a priority so you can get the most out of your journey. If you find yourself looking for reasons not to come to class, try to push through that… I believe that you will soon be looking for reasons to COME to class.