Private classes! If you’ve been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a while (or even if you’re just beginning your BJJ journey), the thought of going for a private or two has certainly crossed your mind. But should you go? Will private classes really make your BJJ better, or is it just an overblown piece of advice?
A FEW WORDS ON MONEY & PRIVATE CLASSES
Perhaps the biggest obstacle in taking private classes is that they can be so expensive! Unless you have some good disposable income on your side, taking a private class that usually rests at around 100$ from a „regular“ black belt – and far, far more from black belts that are really successful at competition – probably isn’t something that you can comfortably afford.
If that’s the case, then you shouldn’t be worried about privates at all. Private classes are a bonus, an addition, to your regular BJJ classes. Your focus should always, extra money or not, rest on being a regular at group training.
That is to say, even if you do have the means for private classes, they still shouldn’t foreshadow your regular training sessions. To improve to the best of your ability, consider training with your teammates as a lunch that will keep your stomach full; and private sessions as a tasty desert, which makes the whole experience that much greater.
COACH CAN PINPOINT YOUR MISTAKES
With the money-issue taken out of the way, let’s consider why paying for private lessons really does pay off in BJJ. And, well, if you’re taking privates from your coach – the answer is obvious… They can pinpoint your mistakes and guide you towards faster progress.
Your coach has been watching you for some time, so they probably know quite a bit about the insufficiencies in your game. That is, they know where you’re making the most mistakes; so when you come to a private class, they’ll be able to point out what you need to improve in and how to do that – much more quickly than in a group class setting!
YOU CAN IMPROVE IN VERY SPECIFIC THINGS
Group classes are most commonly designed around general things; broad-term techniques and their setups. So, if you have an interest in a technique that isn’t covered in class (all too often), or if you want to improve in really specific things within a technique (that aren’t given much attention in class), then private classes are going to be of great help!
That is to say, this is a different approach than the one above. In the first advantage of the private classes, it’s your coach that’ll be the one to put an emphasis on how and where you’ll improve. But in this case, you can tell them what you want to work on.
This possibility of working on both the things that your coach wants you to work on, as well as on the things that you want to improve in, makes private classes into an ultimate vehicle for BJJ success.
GET BETTER – MUCH MORE BROADLY THAN JUST IN TECHNIQUE
The third major advantage that makes private classes pay off with ease is that you can ask the instructor questions that are much broader than just technique-oriented ones.
You can ask them for help in designing your BJJ style and match-specific tactics (of great help if you want to compete!), as well as questions about recovery, supplementary exercises, diet…
Remember: you’re not paying just for technique insights, but for the coach’s experience as well – which is much broader than yours. And altogether, that makes private classes an efficient and phenomenal additional tool for improvement!
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