10 Ways to Escape a Plateau in Jiu-Jitsu

So you’re training has been going great. You’ve developed a style and a good rhythm while you’re rolling. You’ve been nailing your favorite submission a lot, and haven’t been getting tapped out too much. But then it hits you – your jiu-jitsu doesn’t seem to be growing. Yeah, all that stuff is great, but you realize you’re doing the same thing over and over again, every time you roll. Essentially, your game has stopped evolving. A lot of people refer to this as “hitting a plateau.” It’s perfectly normal. Training has it’s ups and downs, just like anything else, and there are also periods in between where it seems as if your learning curve has diminished.

One of the ways this happens is when you decide to develop a style. Let’s say you decide to have a guard game. Well, every time you roll, you’re going to pull guard, and work from there. You’re also going to try the same two or three submissions from there. Before you know it, you’ve got an incredible guard, and you can hit armbars, triangles, and omoplatas from the guard on almost anyone. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, and that’s a great way to train. The best way to get good at something in jiu-jitsu, is to just do it over and over again, keep trying it, until it works.

What happens is, once we develop wha we were working on, such as our guard, we then tell ourselves, “I have a guard game.” What this means is, we convince ourselves that we have a certain style of jiu-jitsu. Even after we have a really good guard, if we continue to work solely on our guard, the other areas of our game will suffer. Having a certain style is great for competition, you obviously want to do whatever it is you’re best at, but you also want to be well rounded. Don’t get hung up training the same things over and over again, for too long a period. Eventually, your training partners can anticipate your every move. This is how plateaus begin. Our jiu-jitsu stops evolving because we don’t let it. We focus on developing a style, and we don’t let all aspects of our jiu-jitsu grow. Here’s a list of ten ways to escape a jiu-jitsu plateau:

1) If you’ve been working on a certain position or submission for a few months, switch things up. Start working on something new.

2) Choose one of your favorite submissions, then ask a training partner, an instructor, or even look on youtube for some variations. There are tons of ways to do any submission, and I doubt you know them all. This is a good way to mix things up.

3) Pick a submission that you have trouble escaping from, grab a partner, and drill two or three different escapes from that submission.

4) Pick the position that you struggle the most in, and every time you roll, start in that position. Yes, every time.

5) Think of a submission that you’ve never used before, then try and use it at least once every time you train.

6) Find a new way to pass the guard. Guard passing is easily one of the most important things in all of jiu-jitsu, and something most people struggle with. Because of that, we all have one or two “go to” passes. Pick a new pass, and only use that one until you have it mastered. Having new tools to pass the guard is one of the best ways to catapult your training.

7) Chain Drills. A lot of people have never even done one of these. There are tons of chain drills you can find online, and they’re a great way to practice transitions, set ups, reversals, timing… basically they’re a one stop shop. Chain drills are easily the most versatile drills, and are a great way to kick start your training. If you’ve done these before, try out some new ones, or do them more often.

8) Drill the basics. Yep, no matter what belt you are. Chances are, if you’re struggling in your training, your basics can use a little work. Oh yes, working on your elbow knee escapes never end.

9) When you learn a new move, actually try and implement it while you’re rolling. Yes, it’s probably not going to work, but perseverance is key. Keep trying it during live training until it works consistently.

10) Eat healthier, drink more water, and get more sleep. Yes, I know, but this had to be on the list. Sometimes, being in a plateau with your training is because of a bad diet, dehydration, or a lack of sleep. A lot of times, it’s because of over-training, but I know how much jiu-jitsokas hate taking time off from training, which means the only other option is to sleep more, eat better, and drink tons of water. Maybe your training isn’t in a plateau, your body is.

The best way to get out of a plateau is to mix things up with your training.

Oss! See you on the mat.