Supplementing Your Training via Books or Video

This is a topic I go back and forth with. Obviously NOTHING substitutes a real class with an instructor there to correct your technique. However if you are like me, you are always trying to find ways outside of class that will improve your game. The biggest sources out there for inspiration and knowledge are books and videos. There are probably around 100 or so bjj instructional books (probably more, but ones that you could randomly find at a bookstore). I own a number of them and I would say that a lot of the techniques from the ones I own are great solid techniques. Unfortunately, not all of the techniques are great. Generally the earlier bjj books were better because they focused on the basics, something for the beginner. Each one would have the same sweeps, guardpasses, submissions, etc... one book slightly differing from another. That's not a huge problem, but it is kind of annoying having overlap in technique, the problem lies in the "advanced" sections of these same books where some instructors flourish while others fail. Some of the advanced techniques I learned in books, I still use today, some of them I have never even been able to execute on a 1st day white belt that weighs 30 lbs less than me. There is a lot of garbage technique that can look fancy that some instructors put in books in order to sell more copies. Instead of showing something that is advanced, tried and true, a technique that somebody consistently hits at the highest level, they will show a very obscure sweep that more likely than not throws your opponent over your head so it seems really "cool."

Instructional videos give the illusion that techniques work. They show a technique from a number of different angles and even have variations included due to the way your opponent would defend against the particular technique. Like the books though, you can run into the same issues of learning some bogus techniques. There are guys out there putting out instructional videos on youtube that don't even hold a blue belt. It is absolutely ridiculous. Again, just because a big name grappler has an instructional video doesn't mean it is gold. I have seen some multiple world champions show a fancy technique that I have never seen them use in competition nor have I been able to emulate. So you definitely need to be careful.

What has helped my game immensely has been competition footage. I recently competed at the Mundials for the first time and did horribly. I did however get a chance to watch a lot of high level competition and learn what they are doing. You get to see what the top guys rely on against the toughest competition. My mind has opened up a lot from the experience. I really encourage my students to do a lot of mental training, but also to watch a lot of competition footage. While at a lower level, it may prove difficult to learn or emulate techniques that the top black belts are doing, but at least they can see what techniques are being used and can always ask how to perform those techniques.