When I started BJJ, it was strictly “Old School”. Closed guard, side control, cross lapel choke, rear naked choke, armbars, knee ride (knee on belly). Your standard Roger Gracie repertoire. Half-guard wasn’t even a thing. You didn’t need to decide what to learn, because it was a pretty limited standard set of techniques. No Berimbolo. No  worm guard. No Gracie University. No MG In Action.

This was about the time Google was incorporated as a company. It was six years until YouTube would exist, and eight years before Google would buy them. It’s a different story now. Search you tube today for “BJJ” and you get “About 1,030,000 results”.  Search Google for “BJJ Tutorials” and you get “About 397,000 results”.

So where to start learning? And where to start expanding your game?

If you are starting out, a fundamentals program is a must. You need solid basics. Check out Rodger Gracie winning world titles with the techniques taught in these classes.

What about if you are an old hand? You have the basics down, you can Berimbolo, you even know what worm guard is. How do you drink from the fire hose? The way I do it, is to focus. I find someone who has a style or a game that works with my game. I try to focus on a specific area and practice that. If they have a series of ten 40 minute tutorials, I’m more likely to watch one of the tutorials ten times, than watch all ten tutorials once. Then it’s practice and problem solving. Work through it, find the problems, where it doesn’t work, then review again. Repeat ad infinitum.