Everyone within the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community knows that privates are a great way to learn and improve incredibly quickly. Simply put, a private lesson is exactly that; you get what you pay for an have an hour of time with a teacher who will talk through and show various moves and techniques.
Here, you can literally pick any subject and learn from people – whether it’s a local purple belt or a black belt world champion. The pay off? Privates cost money and can cost as little as $20 for an hour, up to over $1000 in some cases. The question is, are private lessons worth it as a white belt?
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Why you shouldn’t have privates as a white belt
If you’re literally a couple of weeks or one or two months into starting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – arguably privates won’t do much in terms of learning. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to take them but it means they may not be very effective in teaching you moves and techniques.
The reason behind this way of thinking is that when you start BJJ, your mind is still taking in concepts and trying to unravel how stuff works on a conceptual basis. For example, if you show a seasoned black belt how to attack an obscure armbar, they’ll probably be able to learn it far quicker than a white belt. Even if neither has seen this unusual move or entry before, it’s still going to click a lot quicker for the black belt.
This is because at this point, the black belt will have a BJJ brain that understands not just how to do moves, but why and when to do certain moves. There’s a big difference in this and it basically means you’re thinking fluidly rather than statically. Some argue that this change in thinking begins at purple belt which is when you start to see things differently and get more creative.
The issue is that at a couple of weeks of months in, your BJJ brain is still seriously underdeveloped. You could spend hundreds of dollars learning the basics of half guard. Nonetheless, you may not truly understand it as your brain is still new and trying to piece things together. This differs from a more experienced white belt. In our next example we’ll look at a white belt of one year who takes private lessons.
Why you should have privates as a white belt
The counterargument will look at a different example, of a white belt who has trained regularly for one year. At this point, whilst their BJJ brain is still new, it’s not brand new and there is a difference. Using the same example, imagine teaching them several lessons on how to play bottom half guard. This information can naturally be processed easier compared to a newer white belt. Therefore, they can get more out of private lessons as a result.
At the same time, these private lessons won’t turn you into a colored belt, but overall they will improve your game and add understanding. Ultimately, that’s what private lessons are all about and should be seen as a good way to supplement your training.
This means from the perspective of a relatively experienced white belt, that private lessons can be very useful and help improve your learning. Another reason for doing them at this point compared to an earlier stage is because you will be able to pinpoint your problems clearly.
As a newbie, your game will be awash with holes and you’ll struggle at many aspects. However, as a more experienced practitioner, you will have more intricacies to aim at. The result of this is that you can specifically target things to learn and understand, as opposed to a blanket approach that still leaves lots of questions as you’re still so new.
BJJ Privates aren’t as useful as regular lessons
As mentioned earlier, privates are a good way to progress and are great if you can afford them. However, they should mostly be seen as a supplement more than a substitute for regular training. Sometimes, you will see newcomers do lots of privates without attending many classes, or they do so without sparring. The issue with this is although they’ll still learn – it’s simply not the same as proper classes.
The reason for this is that with regular people, you’ll be tested in a variety of ways. Sparring against stronger, bigger opponents will truly test your physical and mental skills and you’ll be exposed to everyone’s different styles and game plans. By being taught privates, you’re effectively training with one person who isn’t testing you like a resisting opponent.
That’s not to say that private lessons are worthless either. Nonetheless, they should not represent the bulk of your training as they’re simply less realistic compared to group classes. Having said this, if you can do both then you’re on to a winner.
Conclusion
Private lessons aren’t for everyone. Whilst they can fill in holes in your game and can improve you, they’re not a magic bullet either. As well, you should only do them if you have burning questions that require specific answers. Lastly, it should be noted that if you do fit them in around regular training and use them wisely, then private classes are still a fantastic way to improve your BJJ and can give you an edge against similarly skilled opponents.
