BJJ whie belts always want to know how they can get better at Jiu Jitsu. They often go to the internet and ask numerous questions on how they can improve.
We’ve listened and we’re starting our series of articles to help out BJJ white belts. Our first article of the series, how do I improve as a BJJ white belt?
Below is everything you need to know for improving your Jiu Jitsu ability as a white belt. Everything from how often they should train and how they should train to improve their skill.
How do I improve as a BJJ white belt? The best way to improve as a BJJ white belt is to train consistently and stay on the mat. You also need to be a good student and training partner, so you can absorb more information and improve your game.
How often should you train as a BJJ white belt?
To improve as a BJJ white belt, you should train as often as possible. The only way to improve your Jiu Jitsu is to stay on the mat and train consistently.
You should try to aim to train at least three days a week and try to never miss a week of training. Consistency is the key to improving your Jiu Jitsu abilities
Training schedule
Let’s say that you’re trying to consistently hit three BJJ classes a week. The schedule to use is this one.
- Monday: Train
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Train
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Train
- Weekend: Optional rest or open mat training
When you’re new to BJJ training, your body may take some time to acclimate. The best way to get acclimated to the training and hit your three days a week is this one.
Tuesdays and Thursdays can be your rest days and also the weekend if you need it. Once you get acclimated to Jiu Jitsu training, you should increase your training and attend more classes.
What should I focus on in my training routine?
One thing that holds a lot of BJJ white belts back is that they don’t put thought into their training routine. Most of them just try to wing it and hope for the best.
The best BJJ white belts that stick around and improve their games stick to a good training routine. Here are some things you should consider if you want to get better at Jiu Jitsu quicker.
Warm Ups
If you’re serious about improving your Jiu Jitsu, you should always be on time and participate in warm ups. These warm ups at the beginning of class get your blood flowing and makes it less likely that you’ll get injured.
Not only should you do all of the warm ups with the class, but also do your own warm ups before class. Shoot to do around 5-10 minutes of stretching and yoga before class, so your body will already be loose before technique.
Drilling
Drilling is probably the most important thing that BJJ white belts should be focusing on. This is where BJJ white belts learn how to properly move and do basic techniques.
When you drill, everything you do should be methodical and systematic. Making sure that you have every detail of the movements just right. If you make drilling an important part of your training routine, your Jiu Jitsu will prosper.
Rolling
Along with drilling technique, a BJJ white belt will also need to frequently roll whenever they come to class. Now, many white belts think that every time they roll they should go at a competitive pace.
This isn’t the correct way to go about rolling and is likely to get you or a teammate injured. The main point of rolling is to learn and this is especially so for white belts.
In live training, you can find out what techniques feel like and how you should react. This is hands-on learning and it is invaluable for BJJ white belts to participate in.
Other tips for improving as a BJJ white belt
Keeping a consistent training schedule and good training routine are probably the most important ways to improve as a white belt. But there are other aspects that you’ll also have to focus on if you wish to improve your skills. Here are some other important tips for improving your skills as a BJJ white belt.
Be a good student
A good training routine and schedule is important, but it won’t mean anything if you aren’t a good student. Being a good student entails a lot of different things.
Some of the qualities of a good BJJ student include:
- Listening to your instructors
- Be teachable
- Train consistently
- Be on time
- Don’t argue
These are probably the five most important things you must remember to be a good BJJ student. If you remember these five tips, you will improve your Jiu Jitsu game at a faster rate.
Be a good teammate
Not only do you have to be a good student to improve your Jiu Jitsu skills, but also a good teammate. You have to be a good teammate in order to have training partners that want to train with you.
To be a good teammate, you must remember:
- Your teammates are your friends
- Don’t hurt your teammates
- Don’t resist during drilling
- Help them during drilling
- Be nice
You are only as good as your teammates that are around. Remember that they’re your friends and you all need to improve together in order to get better.
Open mat
Going to class is extremely important, but you can also learn a lot during open mat. If you’d like a further break down on open mat in BJJ, you can check out our article here.(insert link)
Attending open mat can be extremely beneficial to you and especially if you’re a white belt. This is where you can try new things and ask your instructors and more experienced teammates questions.
Pick their brains about how certain techniques work and they can show you how to execute them. They can be like your very own private lesson that can really improve your game
Competing
While competing isn’t as important for white belts as attending class, it can be beneficial to compete. Participating in competitions can really be a way to test and improve your skills.
We’ll do a more in depth guide for BJJ white belts later on, but here’s how they’re beneficial.
- Test your skills
- Go against other white belts
- Feel the pressure of competition
- Find out what you need to work on
- Progress faster
If you compete frequently it can show your instructor that you’re serious about improving your skills. They can also see your skills improve more clearly through competing consistently.
Listen to your body
Then aside from your consistency with your training and routine is that you should listen to your body. It’s something that many grapplers fail to learn and try to muscle through, which causes injuries.
If you’re hurt or not feeling better, listen to your body, and take time off. That way you won’t ever miss training for extended periods of time.
Implement a strategy and learn
The most important thing you can do as a BJJ white belt is to train consistently and develop a solid routine. When you do this along with the other tips we provided, your game will steadily improve.
We should also stress that you shouldn’t stress about being the best as a white belt, but to focus on learning. That way, you can develop your BJJ game and become a good grappler.