Why You’re Not Progressing in BJJ (And How to Fix It)

You show up to class. You drill. You roll. You wash your gi. You repeat.

And yet, something’s off.

You're stuck. Plateaued. Watching others lap you on the mat while you still fumble through guard passes or get tapped by people you used to dominate. You wonder, “Am I just not good at this?”

I've been there. More than once, actually.

And if you’re nodding your head right now, let me say this clearly: It’s normal. You're not alone. And yes, you can break through it.

Hitting the BJJ Wall

Progress in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu isn’t linear. That’s not just a cliché-it’s a brutal reality. You might feel like a rockstar for a month, then crash into a wall so hard it makes you question why you even started.

There was a point, around blue belt for me, when I genuinely thought about quitting. I'd been training consistently, logging hours, watching instructionals, and still felt like everyone else was getting better while I was sinking. My confidence? Gone. My enjoyment? Barely hanging on.

That’s when I started digging deeper-not just into the techniques, but into why I was stuck. What I learned saved my journey. And maybe it’ll help you too.

1. You’re Showing Up, But Not With Intention

It’s easy to confuse attendance with progress. Just because you’re there doesn’t mean you’re learning. Trust me, I’ve coasted through weeks of classes just going through the motions. No journaling. No focused goals. No questions asked.

The fix?

Start showing up with purpose.

• Choose one thing to improve each week (e.g., framing from the bottom side control).
• Reflect after each session. What worked? What didn’t?
• Film your rolls. Watch them back-yes, even the cringey ones. Especially those.

A student in my gym went from feeling invisible to earning his purple belt in under two years, all because he trained deliberately, not just passively.

2. You’re Avoiding the Hard Rolls

Be honest-are you sticking to partners you can handle?

It’s comfortable, sure. But comfort zones are where progress goes to die in BJJ. If you’re only rolling with people you dominate, you’re not learning. You’re just reinforcing what you already know.

Yes, getting smashed sucks. It bruises the ego. But getting out of bad spots? Learning to survive pressure? That’s where the growth lives.

Real talk: Every black belt has been a white belt who got wrecked a thousand times and came back for more.

3. You’re Not Asking Questions

I see this all the time: white belts too shy to raise their hand, blue belts afraid of looking dumb, even purples pretending they’ve got it all figured out.

Let’s face it-we all need help. That little detail your coach adds when you ask could be the breakthrough you've needed for months.

Your instructor wants you to ask. That’s what they’re there for. Don’t waste that access.

4. You’re Comparing Yourself to Everyone Else

This one hits hard. We all do it.

You roll with someone who started after you, and now they’re tapping you left and right. You feel embarrassed. You wonder if you're just less talented.

But you don’t know their background. Maybe they wrestled. Maybe they train six days a week. Maybe their brain is just wired for this.

Progress in BJJ is wildly individual. Comparison steals your joy and your focus. Instead, ask yourself: Am I better than I was three months ago? That’s the only comparison that matters.

5. You’re Training Too Much… Or Too Little

Sounds contradictory, right? But it’s true.

Overtraining leads to burnout, injuries, and plateaus. You stop absorbing information, and your body stops cooperating.

Undertraining, on the other hand, gives you just enough exposure to get frustrated, but not enough time on the mat to make things click.

Try this:

• If you're training 6+ days/week and feel stuck: pull back. Give yourself 1–2 rest days and focus on recovery.
• If you're training less than 2x/week: commit to 3 consistent sessions for 6 weeks and watch what happens.

Quality beats quantity-but consistency beats everything.

6. You’ve Lost the Joy

It’s easy to forget that BJJ is supposed to be fun.

When you're in a rut, the mats start to feel heavy. You dread certain partners. You get frustrated with yourself. It becomes a grind-and not in a good way.

Take a breath.

Remember why you started. Was it fitness? Confidence? Community? Self-defense?

Try mixing things up:

• Train at a different class time.
• Try nogi if you’re a gi lifer (or vice versa).
• Flow roll with zero ego.
• Teach a newer student what you know. You’ll be surprised how much joy that brings.

BJJ is hard. But it’s also a gift. Don’t lose sight of that.

7. You’re Stuck at a Rank Mentally

This one’s subtle, but dangerous.

Maybe you got your blue belt and suddenly felt pressure to “live up to it.” So instead of experimenting, you started playing it safe. Or maybe you’re a purple who refuses to roll with white belts because it feels beneath you.

Rank is a snapshot of your progress-not a prison sentence.

Some of the best growth I’ve had came from rolling with lower belts and trying things I wasn’t good at… yet. Strip away the belt, and we're all just learning. Always.

So… How Do You Start Moving Forward Again?

Here's the truth: plateaus are part of the journey. Every serious BJJ practitioner hits them. What separates the ones who grow from the ones who fade out isn’t talent-it’s mindset.

Try this:

• Set one technical goal per week.
• Add 15 minutes of solo drilling before or after class.
• Ask more questions.
• Take rest days seriously.
• Write down what you learned after each session.
• Roll with everyone-not just your favorites.

Progress doesn’t come all at once. It sneaks in quietly. A pass you used to lose every time suddenly sticks. A sweep you've been trying for months finally works. And just like that, the wall starts to crack.

A Quick Word on Youth BJJ

If you're a parent reading this a coach-it’s worth mentioning that all of these struggles apply to younger athletes too. Many teens hit plateaus or get discouraged, especially when juggling school, social pressure, and training.

That’s why Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for youth should focus not just on technique, but on mindset, resilience, and celebrating small wins. Encouraging curiosity over comparison at that age builds a foundation that lasts for life-on and off the mats.

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Final Thoughts

Progress in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu isn’t always visible. Sometimes it hides in the way you breathe under pressure. In the move, you almost got. In how you show up on bad days and still try.

So if you feel like you’re not moving forward, pause. Reassess. Change something. But don’t quit.

Because you’re probably closer to a breakthrough than you think.

And that breakthrough? It might just change everything.