Choose whose matches to study
Start with athletes close to your size who play the kind of game you play or want to build. A technique that relies on a heavyweight’s reach or weight often needs changes before it works for a lightweight.
Match the format as well. Gi and no-gi use different grips, so a sleeve and collar guard from a gi match has no direct equivalent in no-gi. Rulesets also shape what athletes do. In a points match, an athlete who is ahead may hold position until time runs out instead of going for the finish, so check the score before you judge that choice. Rules on heel hooks and reaping differ by organization, by gi or no-gi division and by belt level, so a leg lock entry that is legal in the match you study may be illegal in the event you enter.
Mix elite matches with matches from your own belt level and the one above it. Elite matches show the cleanest version of a technique, but the timing and conditioning behind it took years to build. Matches closer to your level show what works against opponents who defend the way your training partners do.
Follow one athlete instead of the whole match
From the second viewing on, study one athlete. In a match between a guard player and a passer, follow the guard player if you play guard and the passer if you want to pass that guard. Watching both pulls your eyes to whoever is attacking and to the score, so you miss the grip fighting and weight shifts that come before each attack.
Following one athlete also shows you what they do between attacks: how they hold their posture while the opponent fights for grips, where they keep their elbows when they defend, and how they restart an exchange that has stalled. You can practice these habits in every round.
Watch the match several times, with one job each time
One viewing cannot cover grips, footwork, timing and strategy at once, so the steps below split the work across three viewings and a written check. In a long match, save the second and third viewings for the exchanges you marked on the first.
The whole match at full speed
Watch from the handshake to the result without pausing. At real speed you see the pace and how long each position lasted.
Write down
- The result and how it was decided
- The time of each exchange that changed position or score
- Which athlete's game is closer to yours
Grips and entries
Slow the video to half speed and pause on every new grip your athlete takes. Watch the hands first, then go back for the feet and hips.
Write down
- Which hand took each grip and what it controlled
- Grips they broke or denied, and how
- The movement that took them from the grip into the technique
Setups and what made them work
Rewind a few seconds before each technique that worked and look for the cause. Keep following your athlete, but also watch the opponent's reaction to each threat, since the setup works through it.
Write down
- The threat, grip or off-balance that set it up
- Where the opponent's weight was at the moment of the entry
- Failed attempts, and what they lacked compared with the ones that worked
One sequence on paper
Close the video and write one sequence from memory, then check it against the footage. Anything you left out or got wrong needs another look.
Write down
- The sequence in order, from the first grip to the sweep, pass or submission
- The opponent's best defense and how the athlete got past it
- Details you could not see, as questions for your instructor
Turn your notes into a drilling plan
Take one sequence from your notes into your next drilling session. Several new sequences at once leave too few repetitions for each.
Drill it in three stages. First, run it with no resistance until the grips and the entry feel smooth. Second, have your partner give you the reaction the setup depends on, so you learn to recognize it by feel. Third, have your partner use the defense you noted from the match, and drill the athlete’s answer to it.
Expect to adjust the sequence, but show it to your instructor before you leave out a step. A step that looks minor on video can be the one that makes the technique work.
Test it in positional sparring
Positional sparring tests the sequence under resistance without the rest of a roll. Start in the position where your sequence begins, with the grips you noted. You win the round by completing the sequence or reaching the position it leads to, and your partner wins by escaping or reversing the position. Then reset.
Begin with a smaller or less experienced partner, and move to partners at your level once the sequence works against light resistance. Count how often you get the entry and how often you complete the sequence to see whether the setup or the steps after the entry need more drilling.
Film a few of these rounds and compare your grips and timing with the athlete’s. Our guide to the BJJ roll review covers what a black belt looks for in footage of your own rolls. Once the sequence works in positional rounds, try it in open rolling, where you also have to reach the starting position yourself.