How much do you feel private lessons help you improve?

[Libersolis****]

I am going to try and start taking 2 private lessons a month from my instructor. He definitely has encouraged me saying he can really help me tweak my game based on my strengths and weaknesses and body type. For those who have taken private lessons, what has your experience been?

 

[jasond]

I took a private from my old instructor right before my first comp after I had only a few months of training. It was helpful, but I was still so green the amount I got out of it was obviously limited. The focus of that private was covering some basic escapes.

I've been training for just over 2 years now and I recently did another private with an awesome Pedro Sauer purple belt that was much more helpful. He was able to clean up a lot of little things that I was doing wrong. The focus of this private was more specific to me and how I roll.

 

[Eric Renzo NH]

It really depends on your instructor in my opinion. But they can help A LOT. Try to focus the private on one area of your game. Guard passes, half guard sweeps, etc. If you try to fix your whole game in one private you'll be disappointed.

 

[Eric Renzo NH]

It really depends on your instructor in my opinion. But they can help A LOT. Try to focus the private on one area of your game. Guard passes, half guard sweeps, etc. If you try to fix your whole game in one private you'll be disappointed.

 

[STFUjiujitsu]

I take privates from a purple under Carlos Machado quite regularly. My game in the past 6 months has increased 4 fold. I went from barely being able to compete with my peers to competing with blues.

Renzo is right too, the way I do my privates is one of 2 ways.
1) I know that kasa-gatame (scarfhold) escapes suck, everytime a wrestler gets me there, I'm stuck there until he lets me out. So I ask him to show me 3 escapes and we work on that. I have difficult passing open guard etc. etc. etc.

2)We warm up with rolling and as we roll, He will do something or I will do something that just clicks and says hey....When I do that I do this, He replies that's fine but put your hand here and move your hips this way...Basically whatever it is I'm trying to do he will correct with precision detail.

Detail is what makes better grapplers better. Privates will give you the opportunity to perfect your details that you are missing becuase you don't have someone standing over your shoulder pointing it out to you. In a private you do.

It gets expensive but...worth every penny of improvement

 

[SMillard]

what are you guys paying for the private?

I know Marcelo Garcia charges $350 per and I can't imagine paying that twice a month along with my regular school fee.

 

[SMillard]

double

 

[Gordinho]

50 $ with a black belt.

 

[STFUjiujitsu]

I know it's $300/hour with Carlos Machado, $80 dollars an hour for a brown under Tim Credeur, and $50 bucks an hour for a purple under Carlos Machado. That's the only one's I know.

 

[Bucketbot]

They can be super helpful...

But it depends on both you and your instructor!

In regards to you, if you want to get the most out of your privates, make sure that you come with a gameplan. Pick a few things that you want to work on and drill/work the heck out of them. Go over a series for an arm bar attack, or a series for a side mount escape and work all the possibilities...

Try to say on one topic and learn all you can about it...i find that it helps you retain the info better than jumping from topic to topic with no real flow, but hey, that is just me

It can also work really well if you roll with your instructor, and before rolling ask him/her to focus on your game, areas that you feel esp weak, and once your instructor has identified these issues you can work on them together!

hope that helps

 

[showbizconnor]

Having private instruction is worth every penny if your really commited to improving your game.

When i first started to lean BJJ i only did private's due to maybe a confidence issue i had about starting out in the sport and i wanted to be able to hold my own against my fellow whites before i started class proper. ( i know it sounds kinnda dumb but i train jiu jitsu at an mma acadamy and wasn't sure what to expect)

when i did eventuly go to class for the first time ( after about a month in 9 privates in all) i felt comfortable and able to lean- although it did take me a while to relax when rolling.

i've continued with my private's (3 a week) as well as two class's per week and after 4 months i recived my Blue belt yesterday so i'm pretty stoked.

like another poster said its the little details that make all the difference in applying a technique correctly so to have an experianced BB analize your game regulary and make the appropriate corrections is invaluable.

 

[pride-jitsu]

I am going to try and start taking 2 private lessons a month from my instructor. He definitely has encouraged me saying he can really help me tweak my game based on my strengths and weaknesses and body type. For those who have taken private lessons, what has your experience been?

privates are great if your instructor is very detailed oriented. meaning, he will be able to focus on your movement only breaking down every last movement and placement. the details make the moves.
2nd. it depends on the instructor. it helps if there is no language barrier. I've done privates with Marcelo Garcia, Royce and a few other black belts and 1 red belt, and i still say the best privates was the few i did with Marc Laimon.
Also have a clear objective on what you want to work on.