How to Get Ahead of 99% of Grapplers

Read Time: 9 mins

Read the online version here (recommended)

To get ahead of 99% of grapplers, you only need to put in 15% more effort.

Getting ahead has never been easier because the bar is so low.

'Just showing up' to training is not enough to get ahead (it's the minimum to participate).

When I first started training, I was obsessed with getting better. I was training 10-12 times per week (destroying my body in the process).

This approach is ineffective and certainly not sustainable.

I needed more direction.

I needed more focus.

I needed a clear, actionable plan.

I recently spoke with a talented Australian grappler who's already successful at the international level.

He believes that succeeding in professional grappling is easier than ever and will only get more difficult.

Even if you're not aiming to be a pro grappler, there's a lot to learn from this insight.

If you want to get ahead of 99% of grapplers and surpass your training partners, it's easier than you think because 99% of people are not doing the work.

The Systematic Approach To Jiujitsu Mastery

Improving as fast as possible without destroying your body and abandoning all your commitments requires efficiency.

There are two primary pillars to tackle. The technical side of jiujitsu and the physical mastery of your body.

Don't be brainwashed by jiujitsu traditionalists. You need both technical and physical ability to get ahead.

The Technical: 

• Study jiujitsu
• Game plan
• Technical discipline

The Physical: 

• Training frequency
• Strength training
• Recovery tactics

The Technical

Study Jiujitsu

In the article '4-Ways to Get Better at BJJ (off the mats)' I introduced my approach to studying jiujitsu; here's a quick summary:

Method One: Take Notes

This simple notetaking system will take you at most 5 minutes to complete:

1. Write out the techniques shown in class.
2. Include a maximum of 3-4 main details and use brevity.
3. Write a quick self-assessment of your rolls (what you did well, where you got stuck).
4. Briefly read back what you wrote down.
5. Optional* Ask your coach about details you forget during your next class.

Method Two: Study Match Footage & Instructionals

Don't be a technique collector; apply what you learn in instructionals.

How to systematically study jiujitsu instructionals:

1. Watch the instructional until you learn something new (a maximum of 15 mins).
2. Write down the technique and implement it in your training.
3. Rewatch the section if you get stuck.
4. Move on to more of the instructional once you've successfully implemented the technique.

You may be thinking to yourself...

"What?! But this will take me months to get through one instructional!" 

Yep.

That's the point.

Would you rather slowly and systematically master the content of 1 instructional over 3-6 months, or spend hours per week watching everything you can and still be shit at jiujitsu?

Game Plan

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Approach your jiujitsu with intent.

Each time you step onto the mats, you should know the areas, techniques or positions you will focus on.

That's not to say you should be drilling your own techniques, regardless of what the coach is teaching.

It means approaching each roll as an opportunity to practise what you've been studying or what area you're focusing on.

When I was at the beginning of my blue belt, my coach pulled me aside and told me that my top game was great, but my guard sucked. And if I wanted to progress, I had to fix it.

This conversation was a turning point for my jiujitsu, and for more than 2 years after that, I played guard. That's not to say I didn't take a sweeping opportunity when it presented itself or come on top and pass when required. Still, my game plan and area of focus was a guard (specifically half-guard).

Spending 3-6 months of targeted focus on a specific area of your game will fast-track your development.

Even just thinking about your focus area will open up more opportunities on the mats.

For example, spend time focusing on armbars. You'll start seeing armbars everywhere in positions you never thought possible. And here's the exciting part, those opportunities were always there. 

This is the power of focused attention.

How to choose your focus area:

1. Ask your coach: They should know your game better than anyone.
2. Study your favourite grappler's game: Ideally, pick someone with a similar body type (I studied Isaque Bahiense when I was a white belt under my coach's recommendation).
3. Pursue techniques or areas you find interesting: Jiujitsu is a hobby at the end of the day. Look for techniques or positions you enjoy and take a deep dive.
4. Fill the holes in your game: Keep getting passed? Fix your guard. Struggle with stand-up? Focus on your wrestling. If you can't find holes in your game, go and compete.
5. Copy the best guys in your gym: Look at the most successful, technically proficient purple/brown/black belts you train with and mimic parts of their game. This is particularly effective as you'll be able to ask them how they overcome roadblocks or issues you'll inevitably face (I personally did this at white belt and learned my pressure passing system from a talented brown belt).
6. Get a private lesson: Privates can be a fantastic way to sit down with an expert and get targeted 1-on-1 help to gameplan a path forward. I have helped several white/blue belts plan their next 6-12 months of focused training.

Not all effort is equal. 1 hour of 'just showing up' is not the same as 1 hour of intentional training.

Technical Discipline

Technical discipline is a concept that I learned from Jordan Preisinger (Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu on YouTube) when I trained with him at his gym in Canada when I was a blue belt.

He called me out after our rolls, saying that my techniques were great for my level, but I was lazy and lacked technical discipline.

He told me I knew how to keep my elbows tight and prevent my opponent from gaining control of the inside position. Still, I often conceded the underhooked because of fatigue, lack of focus, and the discipline to keep my elbows tight.

He was 100% correct.

I bet you have had a very similar experience to this...

Say you're in a bad position, like a flattened-out half-guard, and your opponent is making things incredibly uncomfortable for you with heavy cross-face pressure.

So, you concede the pass to relieve the pressure and discomfort. A little voice in your head is whispering to "just concede and settle into side control bottom". 

WHAM!

They pass your guard to side control, but the pressure is now far worse, and you regret everything.

This is a prime example of technical discipline, and 99% of grapplers don't have it.

I don't think it's mental fortitude or having that "dog in you" to not quit; it's more so having the presence of mind and focus on maintaining your technical discipline regardless of discomfort and fatigue.

Keep your elbows tight.

The Physical

Training Frequency

The average jiujitsu practitioner trains around 2.5 times per week.

If you consistently train 3x (only 15% more), you'll get ahead and rise above the average.

This may not seem like a groundbreaking, revolutionary piece of advice.

But when we introduce the laws of compound interest, you'll be shocked at the power of consistency over a long period.

Rather quickly, you'll reach the point where you begin to surpass training partners who started training well before you (which is incredibly satisfying).

If this feat seems impossible now, and you're reading this thinking it won't ever happen to you, I encourage a mental realignment.

In the words of my coach, Adam Childs, on an episode of the Beyond Jiu Jitsu Podcast:

"You can be a natural but no one is NOT getting their arse kicked when they first get into the sport... you have to be okay with the fact that you're going to suck." 

Embrace the suck. Train a minimum of 3 times per week.

Strength Training

Lifting weights for BJJ is no longer a "nice to have"; it's a prerequisite to getting ahead and, most importantly, staying injury-free.

Why did you start training in jiujitsu? Was it for fitness, or did you hear about its benefits on the Joe Rogan Experience or Jocko Willink's podcast, or did you simply want to take up a hobby and learn self-defence?

Regardless of the reason that brought you to jiujitsu, if you want to do well and stay safe on the mats, you have to lift weights.

More than 60% of grapplers will experience at least one 2-week absence from training due to injury in 3 years of grappling.

And if you've been training long enough, you would have seen your fair share of beginners never return after an injury.

The number one way to reduce your risk of injury on the mats is to do a jiujitsu-specific strength training program.

Lifting weights will cut your risk in half.

You don't need to train every day or sacrifice your grappling. Simply 2-3 strength sessions per week is all you need.

It can be challenging to know where to begin.

I've got you covered; click here to take my free program quiz to find the best training program to suit your goals for performance and, most importantly, to reduce your risk of injury.

Recovery Tactics

If strength training is the number 1 way to reduce your risk of injury, recovery is a close second.

There are 3 pillars to recovery for jiujitsu:

1. Sleep
2. Nutrition
3. Training Intensity

Sleep

Sleep is the most crucial aspect of recovery.

During sleep, our bodies do the majority of repairing and rebuilding from the physical stresses of training.

Growth hormone, vital for tissue repair and recovery, is primarily released during deep sleep.

Poor sleep can lead to decreased performance, increased risk of injuries, compromised immunity, and even negatively impact mood and mental health.

I recommend aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep opportunity per night.

Improving sleep is easier said than done, particularly when balancing work, family life, training and everything else.

I get it; sleep can be a massive struggle and somewhat of a luxury.

Similar to your training, you can significantly improve your recovery and performance by prioritising sleep and taking it seriously.

99% of grapplers are not prioritising their sleep.

Nutrition

Nutrition plays a crucial role in recovery.

After a training session, your muscles are depleted and damaged.

Eating the right food (and enough of it) helps replenish energy stores and repair muscle tissues, building them stronger.

I can't tell you everything you need to know about nutrition in a few short paragraphs, but I will try anyway.

The three primary macronutrients that make up your food are protein, carbohydrates and fats.

• Protein is essential for repairing and building muscle.
• Carbohydrates replenish glycogen stores (energy stores in your muscle)
• Fats (especially omega-3s) can reduce inflammation and are crucial for hormone production (including testosterone)

Here are some general guidelines:

• Most grapplers are undereating
• Approx. 50% of your calories should come from carbs
• Eat around 1g of protein per pound of body weight (or around 1.2-2g per kg)
• Your fats should be around 25-30% of total calories

Hydration is an essential and often overlooked part of nutrition for performance. Even mild dehydration can impair performance and recovery.

Outside of training, aim to drink at least 3 to 4 liters (or approximately one gallon) of fluids. That's the baseline.

During training follow this rehydration protocol:

1. Step 1: Weigh yourself before your training session.
2. Step 2: Weigh yourself again after your training session.
3. Step 3: Calculate the difference and multiply it by 125% (or 1.25).

Why 125%? Because that's the amount of fluid you've lost in sweat, which you need to replenish post-training (plus a little extra).

Here's an example:

If you weighed 85kg before training and 82.5kg after, that's a fluid loss of 2.5L. Multiply this by 1.25, and you'll need to replenish with 3.1 liters of fluid over the next 4 to 5 hours.

In Freedom Units, it's the same process with one extra step. If you weighed 180 lbs before training and 178 lbs after, multiply the difference (2lbs) by 1.25 to get 2.5 lbs.

To convert this to fluid ounces, multiply by 15.3. Therefore, you must replace around 38.5 ounces of fluid over the next 4 to 5 hours.

Click here to download a free jiujitsu hydration protocol.

Training Intensity Management

Training intensity refers to how often you're training and how hard you're training.

Suppose you push your body to the limit every session. In that case, you won't be making as much progress as you think and may even get worse.

You're also at an increased risk of injury (think back to my example of training 10-12+ per week as a day 1 white belt).

If your training frequency and intensity are too high, you'll be in a state of non-functioning overreaching. This means you're not recovering from your training, and you're not improving.

Here's the reality. Your grappling intensity will change weekly and is often out of your control.

So, you must follow a strength training program that accounts for your grappling to manage your training intensity holistically across the board.

This is where autoregulation comes into play. It's a tool that adjusts your training intensity based on your recovery and fatigue during any training session.

My favourite form of autoregulation is Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE).

RPE is a scale between 1-10, which determines how "difficult" each set should be; therefore, you can adjust the weight you're lifting according to your fatigue and recovery levels of a given session. However, you're still achieving the intent behind the training program.

This is more effective than a traditional powerlifting percentage-based training or bodybuilding periodisation method of weight selection.

Using the training frequency recommendations in this article and autoregulation will take you from a state of non-functioning overreaching to functioning overreaching and, ideally, super-compensation. 

It's Easier than You Think

Getting ahead of 99% of grapplers is far easier than you think.

Most people are not even doing the bare minimum.

You'll rapidly excel and achieve your potential by putting in just 15% more effort.

If I had to summarise everything we have covered in a simple, actionable list, this would be it:

• Train jiujitsu 3x per week (no excuses)
• Study jiujitsu technique 15-minutes per week
• Take notes after class
• Pick a focus area
• Lift weights 2-3x per week
• Sleep more
• Eat better
• Stay hydrated

If you want to accelerate this process, click here.

Get stronger, faster, and more powerful on the mats while reducing your risk of injury. Take my FREE Fitness Quiz here.

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