How to Keep Improving When You Mostly Train With Lower Belts
Progress in Jiu-Jitsu is not only about who you train with, but about how you train.
Feeling Stuck When Training With Lower Belts
Many people go through a period in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where they feel stuck. Very often, the reason is not injuries or lack of time, but the feeling that they are not training with enough people who are better than them. They feel like they are always rolling with lower belts and that their progress is slowing down. Some people even start thinking about changing teams because they believe they will automatically improve in a stronger room.
But this is only part of the truth.
Your Progress Is Largely in Your Own Hands
Your progress in Jiu-Jitsu does not only depend on your training environment. A big part of your progress depends on how you train, how you think during training, and what your goals are in every roll. You can put a very good athlete in an average room and he will still improve. And you can put an unmotivated athlete in the best room in the world and he will still not improve much.
A large part of your progress is in your own hands. Your discipline, your focus, your attitude during training, and the way you use every roll to learn something are extremely important. You cannot control who shows up to training or who you roll with, but you can control how you train and what you try to improve.
Use Lower Belts to Develop Your Game
When you train with lower belts, you should not see it as a problem, but as an opportunity to refine your game. Every training partner allows you to work on something different. With one person you work on guard retention, with another on passing, with another on submissions, and with another on transitions.
Even if passing the guard becomes too easy, you can still make the roll difficult and useful. You can decide to only pass with one specific pass. You can pass the guard, let your partner recover, and pass again. You can try to pass the same guard multiple times in one round to get many repetitions in a realistic situation. In this way, you turn an easy roll into a very technical and productive round.
You can also start in bad positions on purpose. Start in bottom side control, start with your back taken, or start in mount bottom. This forces you to work on escapes and defense. You can make every roll as easy or as hard as you want. The level of your training is not only decided by your partner, but also by the goals you set for yourself.
The Importance of a Good Training Environment
However, the training environment is still very important. Not necessarily because of the level, but because of the atmosphere. The most important thing in a team is a positive environment where people want to help each other improve, not push each other down. You need training partners who train hard but safely, who are competitive but respectful, and who want the whole team to grow together.
You Still Need Higher Belts
A positive environment will keep you motivated, will help you train consistently, and will allow you to take risks and try new things without fear. In the long term, this kind of environment is often more important than just having many champions in the room.
Many people think they need the perfect team to improve, but in reality, progress comes from a combination of both: a good environment and personal responsibility. The team gives you the place to grow, but you are the one who has to do the growing.
Many people think they need the perfect team to improve, but in reality, progress comes from a combination of both: a good environment and personal responsibility. The team gives you the place to grow, but you are the one who has to do the growing.
A good athlete finds a way to learn in every round.
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