How to Get Better at BJJ in Half an Hour

So, I may have told you a little white lie but you probably already knew that. Everybody wants the magic advice that’ll show you how to get better at bjj but in reality, every single movement takes hours of practice. It’s not like you’re going to master these techniques on your lunch break in work, but you can definitely cycle through watching them in between spreadsheets. These are a selection of three videos that I’ve managed to put into practice and had good success with in the past, let me know in the comments if they’ve worked for you!

Solo Drills

This is a very old video by Jason Scully but it’s well worth a watch. I’m sure you’ve all seen the majority of these in class or on the warmup mats at competitions. That being said, I think you’ll definitely see something new the first time you watch it. I found that a lot of Scully’s drills helped me get comfortable with some of the more basic movements in BJJ when I first started out. Even now, when I get to class 10-20 minutes early I’ll get a few reps of some of these in (sometimes). My personal favourites are compass drills, explosive hip/chest pops and hip-up triangles. If you’re a glutton for punishment, you can even get a nice little half hour morning routine together using some or all of these. I tried that a few times and it was a great way to wake up… but I still prefer sleep.

The Waiter Sweep

I might be a bit biased here because I spend at least 75% of my time in half-guard and it’s always been my favorite position. This sweep is a modern classic for a reason though, and it’s pretty easy to get to grips with. It’s got a few comfortable moments throughout for you to pause for a second while you’re still learning it. I prefer this video to the others available because Lucas Valle shows how to enter Deep Half first. It’s a sweep that doesn’t discriminate on size either so if you happen to be one of the dwarfs at your gym, you can still find good success with it.

Triangles From The Back

This is a pretty lengthy video from Alexander Neufang that’ll show you how to snatch a triangle from virtually everywhere. Everybody knows that locking up a triangle puts you in such a dominant position that you should finish the match. The big moneymaker for me comes at the 7:45 mark when Neufang goes through his setups for triangles from the back. Once you lock your legs up, it feels like playing a video game on easy mode. There’s so little your opponent can do to stop you from finishing the triangle or even using the trapped arm for an Armbar or Kimura to finish.

Alex Lindsey

Alex Lindsey is the managing editor here at Grappling Insider. Originally starting training in MMA in 2008, injuries and university slowed progress until he decided to put on a gi for the first time back in 2015.

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