In the final part of the BJJ Progress plan we wrap up with some actionable tactics to improve your game in the training room. We've covered a list of ways to ensure improvement in the year, from self-analysis to process improvement to intentional drilling and visualization.
You should have enough in your arsenal now to have your best year yet on the mats. Today, Amaya Harris, an ambitious purple belt competitor who is laser focused on success, shares some ideas on ways to add new techniques to your game in training.
She encourages you to revamp your style in the new year, because the best grapplers are always adding new tools and learning new things. When you have a set, rigid game, that's when you stop growing.
Now let's make 2022 our best year yet!
Tactical Training For Continued Success
- written by Amaya Harris, BJJ Competitor
With the new year upon us and the 2022 competition season approaching rapidly, it’s the best time to throw a wrench in your previous year’s style and adapt new moves for your arsenal. Whether that be wanting to explore more open guard attacks, or working more takedowns, now is the perfect time to start new and switch up your style.
But what’s the best way to do that? Well, this all starts in your daily sparring tactics, starting off with how you spar.
Let’s say your main goal right now is to work your escapes. You should be actively seeking to put yourself in a “bad position” every opportunity you can.
Maybe you’ve begun to notice that you’re not particularly the best at escaping side control. The best way to learn how to work out of that is to habitually allow yourself (in training) to get put in that spot as often as you can, and sticking to the escapes you’ve been drilling to get out of those tough spots.
If you’re always focusing on your strengths, or winning every roll, you’ll hinder your growth. Allowing yourself to work out of bad spots will always help you grow as a grappler; get comfortable with being uncomfortable, it’s the only way to make forward progress.
If you have specific goals in mind during training, keep those goals in mind as you spar. If you’re focused on passing the open guard, initiate the roll by allowing yourself to start from your feet rather than starting on your knees or already seated.
If you’re a competitor, try counting and keeping track of your points in your head as you advance during the roll. This can be helpful to make sure you remain cognizant of your score while in competition to keep you focused on your performance, rather than it be a distraction.
If you’re a beginner, remember, it’s always okay to ask for help. Your coaches, other upper belts, or even belts of the same rank are always great people to ask to flow roll.
If you’re not familiar with flow rolling, think of it as a slow exchange of technique between two practitioners rather than a more physically strenuous sparring session. You and your partner are flowing through a series of moves you both know, and are able to roll through them, keeping in mind that you aren’t ever going to actually submit one another.
Hopefully this helps you on your approach to sparring and leads to progress in 2022!
See the last part of the BJJ Progress Plan here.
