Hi Tim,

I am a beginner in BJJ and during sparring I have a hard time pulling off the techniques the class learns during sparring. As there is sometimes a vast amount of info covered in class I am not sure if i'm really absorbing everything being covered to the point of being able to apply it in sparring. I understand that it all takes time and hardwork, but I just wanted to ask if it would be more productive to just try to focus on a few techniques during sparring until i'm proficient enough to start mixing it up more?

Thanks,
Craig

I don't know about your school, but many times BJJ schools teach "too much" technique and not enough conceptual understanding of a tactic. When you learn one tactic, you can almost improvise technique.

Also, you should be doing isolated sparring...just the tactic you learn.

Nonetheless, position is everything.

Each practice I'd have one performance goal:

Escaping(moving my hips away from his)

Pinning

Passing the guard(back and forth between 2 different passes)

Taking the back

Escaping the rear mount

leglocks

Armlock

Escaping the armlock

takedowns

2 chokes

One goal a night!

And judge yourself based upon your performance goal and not whether you tapped or made someone tap.

this type of drilling doesn't happen enough! at least not in my judo training.
it's always a free for all, and hence only the experienced fighters have any clue what their up to, and the newbies are just getting mauled, with something of a deer-in-headlights effect.

You'll find sparring will be one of three basic 'types.'

When you roll with someone better than yourself, you'll be on defense, so pay attention to how you are getting caught, swept, etc. and work on your defensive movement. Ask questions.

When you roll with someone of your own ability, it will be a hard fight, but you'll have the opportunity to practice both offense and defense. Pay attention to the techniques you successfully apply, and also to the techniques your opponent successfully applies to you.

When you roll with someone below your level, you will not only have the opportunity to practice more offense, you can limit your techniques to those your opponent is familiar with and knows how to defend, so you can even the game out and improve your attacks.

I agree that more conceptual work, drilling the flow between positions, lots of repetitive technique practice and constant supervision would make an ideal class, but, in most schools, it's not going to be that way, at least not all of the time. In general, you'll learn a few techniques, you'll drill them for a short period of time, then you'll start sparring.

It's up to you to make the most of your class time, whatever the situation.

Thanks for all the advice.

Craig

I tend to train on my own for competition, and just use the classes more for sparring time.

I tend to pick :
1 throw
1 pin
1 reversal/sweep
one submission

and spend 75% of my time really really working those over and over again.
Every month or two I'll switch to new techniques, but always warm up/review with the previously drilled techniques.

Everyone worth a •••• in martial arts has said it before:
"i'm more worried about the guy that practiced one strike 1000 times, then the guy that practiced 1000 strikes once."

I like that, Jason!