Focus on Perfecting Simple Moves
Whether you are a black belt world champion or have just begun your lessons, most students are eager to learn new concepts to keep making progress.
While that could have been the right approach when you were learning jiu-jitsu in personal training sessions, a self-taught home workout is no place to develop new skills or drills.
If you decide to learn new jiu-jitsu techniques all by yourself during this lockdown, you are likely to face the following consequences.
- The most significant risk is physically hurting yourself, which may end up badly in some cases if you are not careful with movement next to furniture.
- Learning new jiu-jitsu skills and perfecting the ones you have already learned takes time, practice, and patience. You certainly can’t do it without an experienced and professional trainer.
- Even with that sort of training, it can take years for most students to develop contextual intelligence and creativity to master the art of jiu-jitsu. As a result, you are most likely to end up learning an improper form. That, in turn, will affect your future training.
So, what can you do if not learn new jiu-jitsu techniques?
Simple!
You can start focusing on perfecting the ones that you are struggling with right now. There are several basic jiu-jitsu moves that you need to perfect to get the most out of your training.
a) Armbars
You can learn to perfect your armbar, which is a fundamental submission in this form of martial arts. The anatomical mismatch it creates makes armbar a lethal submission technique. You can easily exploit your opponent’s weakness with this basic jiu-jitsu move. However, you need a lot of practice to master this skill. So, why not do it while you are working out from home.
b) Pivot Movements
As mentioned earlier in the point on shrimping, hip movement is the bedrock of learning jiu-jitsu as self-defense. The best way to perfect your hip movement is to master the various pivot techniques.
c) Breathing and Relaxation
Another fundamental skill that you can improve in your home workout is staying relaxed while training. If you ever watched Rickson Gracie in Choke you’ll know how important breathing during training is.
If you feel exhausted or overworked during your training, you are likely to lose your form, or worse, get hurt. In other words, the ability to stay relaxed plays a critical role in determining your jiu-jitsu learning progress.
Focus on your breath and try to stay calm throughout your solo drills. Your breathing needs to be smooth and even while training. If you are gasping for air, you will tire yourself out before your training is over.
You also need to be patient if you are unable to master a skill quickly. The most crucial point is not to let your emotions get in the way of your training.