Clay Lonis
Clay Lonis - Comprised below is a list to help out anyone that is interested in beginning their training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Following these guidelines will help to make the progression to the next belt rank easier and quicker. This checklist can be applied to GI and No GI training.
Commit to Drilling
The specific warm up and technique drills are trained to perfect the movements. Rolling will become much more enjoyable when you have taught your body to instinctively react when transitioning and defending.
All you need is the basics
Everyone focuses on doing the acrobatic and difficult moves, but they should actually be concentrating on securing the high percentage and basic techniques that work. How do you think the top-level guys got so good? They have a deep understanding of the fundamental techniques and how to build more advanced movements from them.
Train regularly
Try not to become one of the people who start strong and then hardly train after a few months. Create a plan and stay with it. Use good judgment and give your body time to rest and adjust to the routine.
Put your time in rolling
In order to get the most from rolling, you need to combine positional rolling with live training. Do not treat the rolling in class as a competition. Use it effectively and understand that it is not about submitting every opponent. Train the positional rolling to work on the positions your weak at and start from the knees to cover all positions.
Focus on Escapes
Knowing the finer points to escapes comes down to putting in your time and training from a bad position. Your confidence will grow as you become more proficient with your escapes and your game will change overnight.
Spend time on your guard
Most of the time spent rolling involves playing a guard game. You can establish a good guard game and gain the added benefit of flexibility by focusing on leg circles and effective hip movement. Work on defending and maintaining the guard to set up your sweeps and submissions. Train the open guard as well as the closed to make your transitions more efficient when getting passed.
Study Jiu-Jitsu
Anything you do in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has a reason and it is important for you study and understand the technique, not just learn it. Having a good grasp of the tactics and theories to the moves will allow you to make quicker improvements in your game.
Learn from everyone
An open mind will enable you to make amazing strides in your game and find solutions too many of your training problems.
Be an effective training partner
You will get nothing accomplished in Jiu-Jitsu, it is a martial arts that requires a partner to learn the techniques and positions. Being a good training partner will save you a lot of time and energy.
Leave your Ego at the door
Eventually you will TAP or someone will get the better of you. Don't get disappointed, take it as a learning experience.
Have fun with it
You have to make your time spent training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fun. Once training becomes a chore, it will come to an end. Stay dedicated,set goals, and put in the effort, but don't focus on the next belt level as the only criteria. Keep drilling and rolling and enjoy the time spent with new friends.