Lachlan Giles has shared insight into how competitors should think about guard selection and specialization in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – explaining why narrowing your focus may be the fastest route to high-level performance.

The ADCC medalist reflected on the long road it took him to reach the sport’s elite, noting that his journey was shaped more by exploration than efficiency:

I’ve played a lot of different styles, which I think actually, I mean, it took me like 17 years of training to get that ADCC medal.

I think the fastest way to get good quick is actually to almost forget about most things and just narrow down on a particular style.

According to Giles, consistent repetition within a limited framework accelerates development dramatically:

I think in like five years you could train really hard and just say, I’m just going to do this type of guard, this general style of passing and this type of finish.
You could probably get yourself to a very high level quick.

For Giles, one of the biggest traps in BJJ is optionality:

One of the biggest problems in Jiu-Jitsu is there’s too many different things you can choose.

How many guards can you name? Like 30 different guards.
I think a lot of people try to learn the 30 different guards and they’re not good at any of them.

Instead, he recommends committing to a narrow, connected system that gives your game a clear structure:

It’s probably better to go, okay, I’m going to have a half guard system and I’ll just be the half guard guy for now.
Then I’ll have a style of passing I like and a way to finish the match.

As your game expands, Giles believes that any additions should support your core system rather than distract from it:

Ideally, you could work on something that complements that instead of something totally different.

When I’m getting ready for competition, I kind of narrow it down.
You’re either going to have to deal with my K guard, my choi bar, or a direct 50-50 entry.

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