I'm a big proponent of Private Lessons but as others have already stated, YOU must have a plan. When I first started, I wanted to develop my fundamentals. My first private was to understand and organize my Guard Escapes. Several months later, next private was a focus on attacks from the Guard. As a White belt, once I had my opponent in my guard, I didn't wan't to move for fear of losing control.
In my opinion, 1 private lesson can be worth a week of classes. Of course, only if you drill what you've learned.
I've been able to immediately apply what I've learned because my lessons are focused.
Another option is taking a partner, about your size and skill level to the private lesson. You can split the cost and have someone in class with whom you can readily drill, without having to teach the technique from scratch.
Everyone learns differently and used correctly, Private lessons can really speed up your learning process.
P.S. Ensure the Instructor regularly uses the technique they're teaching. Example, you want to learn Worm Guard but the instructor has never used it, you won't get much from the lesson.
