Starting in jiu-jitsu can often be very confusing for beginners. The reason for this is that there are many techniques and areas of the sport that you should learn, and sometimes it can take time to prioritize what is important. How you develop your game depends on many factors, such as body type, age, personality, physical attributes, and more. Nonetheless, your goal in jiu-jitsu should be to have a well-rounded game and be competent in as many areas of the sport as possible. Here are some tips for creating a well-rounded game!

Start With Defense

The first crucial element of jiu-jitsu is your defense. No matter how many submissions you learn or how many cool techniques you can do, you will always get submitted if you cannot survive on the mat for some time. There are two components to your defense: escapes and guard retention. There are two kinds of escapes: escaping from bad positions and escaping from submissions. Having the ability to survive and not get pinned will drastically increase your confidence when rolling, and that will allow you to become more offensive and start winning in jiu-jitsu eventually. Once you can escape from bad positions, you should focus on your guard retention, which is the ability to retain your guard under pressure and start attacking from the bottom position.

Build a Well-Rounded Offense

Offense is undoubtedly the most interesting part of jiu-jitsu, and most practitioners are focused on creating a solid offense to win against their peers. When building a strong offense, your priority should be to have a well-rounded game. Therefore, you must be offensive from the bottom, top, or standing position. Being offensive from the bottom position means that you should have sweeps and submissions from the guard position and that you can always attack your opponent. After building good offense from your back, you should create an offensive top game that focuses on passing your opponent’s guard, pinning him, and eventually submitting him. Once these areas are covered, you should learn how to take your opponent down and attack with submissions from the standing position.

Pick Your Favorite Moves

Once you are competent in all these positions and have general knowledge of jiu-jitsu, you can pick your favorite moves and build your game around them. These moves will be your “game,” and you should work on mastering them and becoming the best possible. As there are many techniques in jiu-jitsu, you cannot be great at all of them. For example, not everyone can be a great leglocker, but you can always have general knowledge about leglocks that will help you defend them and attack when necessary. When you figure out which moves suit you the best, it will be much easier to become good and start winning matches. However, never forget to build a well-rounded game before specializing in certain areas of the sport.

My name is Milos; I am the head coach of Fort Jiu-Jitsu! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

Master the half guard system that Roger Gracie has developed to sweep, submit, and more with classic, efficient technique!

• Roger Gracie is one of the most respected and successful black belt competitors of all time, and dominated elite grapplers with precision technique.
• Sweep your way to top position with these moves that Roger has perfected over a lifetime of study, including Roger’s signature rolling sweep.