How to Make the Most of Private BJJ Lessons

Most private BJJ lessons last around an hour and begin with a conversation about what you want to work on. The rest of the session is tailored around that objective, with plenty of drilling, troubleshooting and one-to-one feedback from your coach. Many coaches will also finish with some light positional or flow sparring, giving you the opportunity to apply what you’ve just learned against realistic resistance. Before you book your first private BJJ lesson, here’s what you should know.

Tip 1

Know Exactly What You Want to Get Out of It

The biggest mistake people make is turning up without a clear objective. Saying you want to “improve your guard” or “learn leg locks” is simply too broad for a one-hour session. The more specific your goal, the more value you’ll get from your coach.

Instead, think about the problems you repeatedly encounter during sparring. Perhaps everyone passes your knee shield the same way. Maybe you can’t finish the armbar from mount, or you keep getting stuck in half guard. These are specific problems your coach can analyse, troubleshoot and build an entire session around.

A private lesson is also far more valuable when it’s used to refine something you’ve already started learning, rather than introducing an entirely new area of Jiu-Jitsu. If you’ve never attempted a berimbolo before, spend some time watching instructionals, drilling the movement and trying it during live training. Once you’ve reached the point where you understand the basics but can’t work out why it isn’t succeeding, that’s the perfect time to book a private. Instead of spending the hour teaching fundamental movements, your coach can focus on identifying your mistakes, making small adjustments and helping you solve the problems that are preventing it from working.

Tip 2

Tell the Coach Before the Session

This is a small detail, but it can completely change the quality of your private lesson.

If possible, let your coach know what you’d like to work on before the session rather than waiting until you step onto the mats.

That gives them time to think about your objectives, structure the lesson accordingly and prepare drills or techniques that are relevant to your goals. A little preparation beforehand often results in a far more productive session.

Tip 3

Choose the Right Coach

Not every black belt specialises in the same areas of Jiu-Jitsu.

If you’re trying to develop a modern leg lock game, it probably makes more sense to book with the coach known for leg locks than the coach who’s built his reputation on pressure passing. Likewise, if you’re preparing for a gi competition, you’ll usually get more value from someone who actively teaches and competes in the gi.

The best private lessons aren’t necessarily with the highest-ranked instructor. They’re with the coach whose game matches the part of your Jiu-Jitsu you’re trying to improve.

Tip 4

The private lesson isn’t what makes you better, it’s what you do afterwards.

A private lesson shows you what to work on, but repetition is what turns those details into something you can actually use during sparring. Without it, even the best lesson quickly fades and becomes another technique you remember seeing, but can’t quite remember how to do.

Whether that’s drilling after class, asking your training partners to start from the position you covered, or revisiting it in another private lesson, the real progress happens once the session is over.

Tip 5

Sometimes It’s Not Just About Getting Better

Not every private lesson needs to be about maximising every minute on the mats.

Sometimes you’re travelling and have the opportunity to train with someone you’ve followed for years. Maybe you’re visiting another country and want to experience a different style of Jiu-Jitsu, ask questions and spend an hour learning from someone whose game you’ve always admired.

Those sessions can be worth every penny, even if you never use a single technique in your own game. Sometimes booking a private with a 10th Planet black belt just to learn rubber guard, or spending an hour with a world champion whose style you’ll probably never adopt, is worth it simply for the experience.

To conclude, before booking a private BJJ lesson, think about what you actually want to get out of it. If your goal is to improve, do your homework before the session and put in the work afterwards. Turn up with a clear objective, give your coach something specific to solve, and continue drilling and refining those positions long after the lesson has finished. That’s where the real value of a private lesson comes from.

If your goal is simply to enjoy the experience, that’s perfectly valid too. Whether it’s learning rubber guard from a 10th Planet black belt or spending an hour with a world champion, not every private lesson needs to be about becoming the best grappler possible.

As long as you know what you want to get out of the session before stepping onto the mats, it’s much easier to decide whether a private lesson is worth it.