There are a lot of people that read my posts that are fairly new to jiu-jitsu. They are in the early days of trying to figure this complex art out, and I can tell you from experience that doing so is a tough road. BJJ is very deep and chaotic, and truly only time served is what allows you to really grasp the essence.

The problem is, with the Covid19 situation, a number of academies are closing for a time and even for those who may remain open, and it may not be easy for people to get to them. At least two good friends of mine are subject to a lockdown by their employer should they do something like go to a large gathering of people, so training in a group is out of the cards for the next couple of weeks.

I thought I would take a moment to give some tips on getting through such a situation while still helping people start to understand jiu-jitsu.

The thing that truly separates BJJ from almost all other martial arts and self-defense oriented activities is that it is NOT dependent on techniques. Every other fighting system is all about the technique that will be so devastating and unstoppable. The typical and classic self-defense training paradigm is “he does this, you do that”. That is great if the plan all goes your way. Unfortunately in the real world almost nothing goes your way, ever. And if your fighting template is geared for the “I will pre-emptively hit him with a palm strike and then I will use my cycling hammerfists of death to finish him”, when that fails (which it will more often than not), and you are not prepared, that will be a bad day.

In jiu-jistu, because we know that our best intentions are generally countered by a resisting opponent who wants to win and has the freedom to do that in whatever manner he sees fit, there is never a set game plan. That is where most noobs have the hardest time. It is difficult to work a new move when you may not even get the chance to start it all due to the actions of our opponent. So then they get frustrated and think they are not getting better.

The way to get over this is to realize that jiu-jitsu is focused on the underlying framework, principles, physical body movements, and concepts that drive the art and the application. All techniques are, are a temporary way to physically express those principles in the moment, all based on the context and what exactly your opponent is doing – his pressure, his position, his base, his posture, what his limbs are doing, etc. – not on a pre-planned attack. The difference between a white belt and a black belt is not really in the number of techniques, or even how well the black belt physically does the technique, but rather in understanding what technique is appropriate in the moment, and is also just as ready to alter that based on he changes his opponent makes.

That is the reason why the majority of BJJ training has to be with a partner. So much of what you are going to do is based on those varied and unscripted actions by another that you cannot replicate that solo. Even a grappling dummy does not fill that gap in any meaningful way. So what are we left with?

Well, as I wrote above, one of the foundations of jiu-jitsu is the actual body movements. Not prescribed movements in the sense of “do this technique” but rather the actions your body has to do to accomplish techniques. Think for example of playing the guitar. You can play an almost infinite amount of songs with specific actions, but all the actions are going to be powered by your arm, hand, and finger movements at the core. Playing a line from “Stairway to Heaven” is done in essentially the same manner as a line from a jazz song. Similarly, in jiu-jitsu, a fundamental movement like a technical stand up can be just a stand up, or it can be a sweep, or it can be an escape from a bottom position, but the movement is the same. All the opponent provides is the context in which that movement needs to be applied.

So you can focus on the foundational physical actions, and most of them can be done solo. If you myelinate the neural pathways and make a given movement subconscious and automatic, when you need it, your brain is only processing the need and when to do it, and not wasting cognitive power on how to execute it. In this way, solo practice, especially as a lower belt, can be incredibly productive and helps build the foundation for when you do get to go against a partner. This is how we can get through the next few weeks without much diminishment of our jiu-jitsu.

I have done a number of videos illustrating some of these essential motions.

Also, a terrific resource, if you are lucky enough to have it available, is Andre Galvao’s book Drill to Win. Unfortunately, it has been out of print for a while now and is harder to come by. But if you do have access to it, he even gives you a partial training template to use the drills in it.

https://www.amazon.com/Drill-Win-Months-Brazillian-Jiu-Jitsu/dp/B0085S02K2

There are other video resources. Here is one I particularly think it s a good one:

If you do a search for “solo BJJ drills”, you will find a great deal of free info out there. In fact, just last night, I saw where John Danaher, one of the most innovative instructors around, filmed a video over the weekend and will be offering it for free very soon. So keep an eye out for that.

Also, feel free to ask me for other tips or advice. I am happy to help.