What to Expect During Your First Year of BJJ

Your first year of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will probably feel like a mix of excitement, confusion, small breakthroughs, and occasionally wondering if you are getting any better.

The first few months

At first, almost everything will feel unfamiliar. You are learning positions, terminology, rules, movements, and how to use your body in a completely new way.

You may feel like you are constantly getting submitted. That is normal.

Your main goal during this stage should be learning the basic positions and understanding what is happening during a round.

Around 3–6 months

Things usually start making more sense. You begin recognizing positions before your coach has to explain them, and you may start developing a few techniques that feel natural to you.

You will still make plenty of mistakes, but you will probably notice that brand-new students feel very different to roll with. That is one of the first signs that you are improving.

Around 6–12 months

You may begin forming your own game. Maybe you have a favorite guard, pass, escape, or submission.

This is also where progress can start feeling less obvious. Improvement does not always mean submitting more people. Sometimes it means surviving longer, escaping a position you used to get stuck in, or understanding why something went wrong.

Your first year is not about becoming great at Jiu-Jitsu. It is about building the foundation that everything else will come from.

Keep showing up.Your first year of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will probably feel like a mix of excitement, confusion, small breakthroughs, and occasionally wondering if you are getting any better.