How Long Does It Take to Become Proficient in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? (Key Factors!)

Are you interested in learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu? It’s a challenging but rewarding martial art that requires dedication and resilience. Becoming proficient in BJJ can take one to two years to avoid being easily overpowered.

Still, it’s a continuous process that evolves. Achieving a black belt, which is just the beginning for many practitioners, usually takes about ten years. But what if your goals are more specific, such as excelling in competitions, improving fitness, or mastering self-defense?

This article explores the timeframes and milestones you can expect to become proficient in BJJ according to your unique aspirations and goals. Let’s delve deep into the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and discover how long it might take you to reach your desired skill level!

How Long Does It Take to Get Good at Jiu-Jitsu?

Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is one of the most effective grappling martial arts you should learn. It is a fantastic discipline that places a strong emphasis on ground fighting.

Depending on how you define proficiency in the BJJ sport, achieving your goal of becoming good at Brazilian jiu-jitsu will take some time. For example, it will take:

• Six months to a year to break out of survival mode and avoid being smashed by everyone. You will have accumulated more techniques following this period to develop a game to defend yourself.
• Learning fundamental techniques and submissions takes one to two years or even more. As a result, you will use them to subjugate and dominate inexperienced practitioners.
• Competing in tournaments takes more than a year of jiu-jitsu training.
• The blue belt rank requires two years of consistent training.
• The purple belt takes three to five years to achieve.
• It takes five to six years to achieve the rank of brown belt.
• The black belt takes six to ten years of consistent training on average.
• Learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu for street fighting or self-defense takes a long time.

How to Get Better at Jiu-Jitsu Faster?

Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is one of the best grappling martial arts you should learn. It is a fantastic discipline that focuses heavily on ground fighting and submissions.

Yet, some people need help to get better at jiu-jitsu. Therefore, the following tips will help you improve your game faster.

Train at an Excellent Jiu-Jitsu Gym

So far, an excellent Brazilian jiu-jitsu school will influence your training progress. It is one of the most critical factors in starting a superb BJJ experience that will last a long time.

A fantastic academy will allow you to practice with excellent and top practitioners, which will aid in developing your jiu-jitsu.

Prioritize the Basics and Use Combinations

Concentrating on the fundamentals of Brazilian jiu-jitsu will help you quickly progress your game. Still, it’s even more important to know how those fundamentals work together.

Combining techniques can help you see connections between different movements and positions.

For example, you could begin standing, pass the guard, and proceed to the side control then what is your next move? And what if you get stuck while passing the guard? In that case, you should have several options for diversifying your game and finding solutions.

Moreover, when learning combinations, focus on understanding the flow of the technique rather than memorizing each movement. Instead of focusing on the mechanics of each part, think about the overall concept of the combo.

Be Teachable

Being teachable is essential to taking your jiu-jitsu to the next level. This necessitates being open to feedback and willing to try new things.

It also entails being humble enough to admit mistakes and willing to learn from them. Indeed, suppose you can master the skill of being coachable. In that case, you’ll be well on becoming a better jiu-jitsu practitioner.

Keep an open mind and an eagerness to try new things the next time you hit the mats. You never know how much you can learn; you might be surprised.

Attend Training Sessions Regularly

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is an accumulation of techniques, strategies, and so on that takes years of practice. Unfortunately, stopping or skipping training sessions or being inconsistent will harm your progress.

As a result, consistent training sessions are required to develop grappling skills. However, you must strike a balance and avoid overtraining, which can result in severe injuries and burnout.

Train Hard, But Pay Attention to Your Body

Jiu-jitsu training can be challenging, especially at first. However, listening to your body and taking breaks as needed is critical.

Take a break and rest if you are tired or sore. Also, if you are injured, do not try to withstand the pain; instead, seek medical attention and follow your doctor’s recommendations.

Pushing yourself during training is essential, but don’t overdo it. Remember, you want to be able to practice jiu-jitsu for a long time!

Be Humble and Quit Your Ego at the Door

For two reasons, this is a crucial beginner jiu-jitsu rule for white belts and other levels. First, it will allow you to progress quickly as a jiu-jitsu practitioner. Second, it will make the training process more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Ego can be a significant issue in any sport, especially in jiu-jitsu. This is due to people’s egos, leading them to believe they are better than they are. This can lead to arrogance and overestimating one’s abilities, which can be off-putting to training partners and instructors.

So, the best thing you can do when you come to train is to leave your ego at the door. Being humble and open-minded will significantly enhance the learning experience.

Do a Lot of Sparring Rounds

Sparring is another critical factor that allows practitioners to progress faster. It will also assist you in improving your defensive and offensive strategies.

Many beginners face significant difficulties and fears when sparring with more advanced competitors.

That is perfectly acceptable! You have nothing to lose, but these situations help you improve your game and identify fatal flaws.

Participate in Jiu-Jitsu Tournaments

Competing is another excellent way to get better at jiu-jitsu faster. In addition, it is a great way to improve your grappling level since it reveals how well you understand the fundamentals, technique, and submissions.

Competitions will help you become a more disciplined and focused practitioner. Indeed, it helps develop your mental toughness, physical fitness, teamwork, leadership, and social skills.

Moreover, tournaments allow you to meet people from all walks of life and develop friendships. You’ll learn about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, and what you like and don’t like.

Most importantly, you’ll discover whether you have a solid technical foundation and whether you have what it takes to compete against others.

Attend BJJ Open Mats in Your Area

A BJJ open mat gathers grapplers of all colored belt levels and affiliations. It can be a great place to hone your grappling skills.

The advantages of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu open mat include enjoyable drilling techniques, stress-free sparring with people from your typical BJJ academy, learning new jiu-jitsu moves, preparing for tournaments, etc.

Train BJJ at Home Whenever Possible

Training jiu-jitsu at home is essential for people who want to get better quickly or need easy access to a jiu-jitsu gym. Yet, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a partner-based martial art, so practicing it at home may take a lot of work.

However, there are numerous ways to practice jiu-jitsu at home. For example, you can set up a primary strength and conditioning program, solo drills, and mobility movements at home.

Always Ask Questions

Asking questions allows us to understand ‌ourselves, our peers, and the world around us. Simply asking questions can help us grow personally, professionally, and socially. But it doesn’t stop there.

Ask a question when assisting a jiu-jitsu class and don’t understand something. For example, ask questions if you don’t know how to execute a successful pressure guard passing technique.

Practice visualization

Visualization is among the most powerful tools to help us focus our attention and prepare ourselves mentally for what lies ahead. It has improved memory recall, reduced stress levels, and increased concentration.

For example, suppose you practice clear visualization of a technique sequence. In that case, you will have no trouble performing it in real-time.

Keep a Training Journal

The best way to improve your game is to keep track of your progress. You don’t want to forget how far you’ve come or where you’re headed. A training journal is a great place to do just that.

Maintain a Positive Attitude

You will be challenged several times while training Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which may discourage you sometimes.

As a result, you must prepare by avoiding potentially fatal mistakes like bad injuries and failing to control your ego, among other things.

Be Realistic About Your Goals

Set realistic goals for yourself and your overall purpose during each training session.

For example, in some sessions, your goal may be to put yourself in lousy jiu-jitsu positions to improve your reaction and tactical defense. On other days, you should put your attacking combinations, such as your kimura attacking sequence, to the test.

The abovementioned session goals should be consistent with your overall goal, such as achieving the blue belt, competing in specific tournaments, etc.

Final Thoughts

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a highly effective grappling technique. It is a fantastic discipline that focuses on ground combat and is quite effective.

So, learning and improving your jiu-jitsu is a great thing to do for a long time. So, how long does it take to get good at BJJ?

A consistent practitioner will get good at performing some specific jiu-jitsu techniques within one to two years of training. On the other hand, getting better at BJJ is a never-ending process that you should constantly work on.

I hope you found this article helpful in understanding what it takes to become good at Brazilian jiu-jitsu. As a result, you’ll devise a strategy to improve your jiu-jitsu while setting realistic goals.

Recommended: Brazilian jiu-jitsu can change your life. This martial art has much to offer, from self-defense to enhanced confidence. Click here to learn about the various advantages of BJJ and how it can help you in many parts of your life.

Originally published at https://jiujitsu-news.com on January 4, 2024.