Developing a BJJ Game that Fits You!

There are times in Brazilian jiu jitsu where you will be learning far more than your body can handle.  Usually it is best for new students to learn the fundamentals of the guard and build up.  You will be taught some simple submissions and then your game will continue to grow. You will begin to favor certain styles more than others, for example deciding if you are a top or bottom player. When you first start out you should try to only focus on a few techniques a month.  Don’t be afraid to try new moves and look for ways to set up the moves while sparing.  After a few months, you develop your own series of moves or your game plan. You will be able to see opportunities for the submissions in your game plan and hit them somewhat regularly.

Just because you now have a working system for yourself doesn’t mean you will stop learning. Every time you go to an Arnold BJJ class you learn something new. This is when you may feel overwhelmed by everything new. You start to try new moves and you are basically going through the same process as you did when you first started. You are learning and trying a new set of moves and you have to again sort through them and decide which you like and which you don’t like. Your brain goes into overload because you are taking in so many moves and your body needs to catch up.

You might feel down about how you’re doing in jiu jitsu at times like these. In Arnold Jiu Jitsu instructors teach us that you need to just push through it and let your body catch up with all that your mind has learned. After you spend some time trying new moves you may find that you are having trouble with your old moves while sparring.  This is something that will happen and also something that will pass. After sorting out some new moves, you can begin to add them in and start refocusing on your old moves. It’s important to not get discouraged and to just keep pushing through. Your mind and body are connected, but also work at different paces and they just need time to catch up to each other.