As head instructor at EKBJJ – Eddie Kone Academy of Jiu Jitsu, based in East London, Walthamstow E17, there is one question I am always asked:
“How do I know I’m actually getting better at BJJ?”
It’s a question every student faces at some point. When you first step onto the mats, progress feels obvious. You nail your first escape, hold your first guard, or submit a training partner for the first time. The wins are clear, and the motivation comes easily. But after six months, a year, or longer, that rapid, visible growth slows down. You start having days where nothing works, you tap to newer students, and you leave the academy wondering: Am I improving at all, or just going through the motions?
The truth is: progress in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu rarely follows a straight line. It is often quiet, gradual, and shows up in ways you might not notice at first glance. Below, I will break down the real signs of growth not just the colour of your belt so you can track your journey with clarity.
1. You Stop “Collecting” Moves and Start Understanding Principles
The first major milestone in your BJJ journey is the shift from memorising techniques to understanding how they work.
As a beginner, your brain is a library of isolated moves: “This is how to do an armbar. This is how to do a triangle choke. This is how to escape side control.” You try to recall every step in sequence, and if your opponent does something slightly different, the whole sequence falls apart. It feels like trying to build something from parts without having the instruction manual.
When real progress kicks in, you begin to see the principles behind the techniques. You realise that every position and submission relies on four simple laws: balance, leverage, weight distribution, and timing.
At EKBJJ we teach principles before moves.
I tell my students: “Techniques come and go; trends change, but physics never changes.”
- Instead of forcing an armbar, you learn to break your opponent’s posture first.
- Instead of fighting their strength, you learn to move your angles so their own weight works against them.
- Instead of remembering 50 different sweeps, you understand the single concept of off-balancing someone and suddenly every sweep makes sense.
Sign you are improving: You can explain why a move works, not just how to do it.
2. Your Breathing and Energy Management Change Completely
One of the easiest ways to spot a newer student is to watch their breathing and energy levels. Beginners hold their breath when under pressure, tense every muscle in their body, and burn through all their energy in the first two minutes of sparring. They are fighting against their opponent, using raw strength to survive.
Progress shows up here as efficiency.
As you get better, you learn to relax under tension. You breathe steadily, even when someone heavier or stronger is pressing into you. You stop trying to “muscle” your way out of bad positions and instead use your structure and movement to redirect force.
I hear this all the time from our students here in East London: “Coach, I used to be exhausted after one round. Now I can do four or five rounds and still feel fresh.”
This is not because your cardiovascular fitness has doubled it is because you are wasting far less energy. You have learned the golden rule of BJJ: Move with the pressure, not against it.
Sign you are improving: You feel less tired after training, and you no longer panic when you are placed in a disadvantageous spot.
3. Defence Feels Easier, and Escapes Become Automatic
In the early days, being put under side control, mount, or in someone’s closed guard feels like being trapped in a vice. Your only thought is: Get out, get out, get out! You thrash, bridge wildly, and usually just end up more tired or give your opponent an opening to finish you.
A clear marker of growth is when survival stops being a struggle and starts being strategic.
Instead of panicking, you learn to frame your arms correctly, create space, and control the distance. You stop thinking “how do I escape?” and instead feel when to escape. You begin to realise: The goal is not to escape instantly, but to survive safely until the right moment arrives.
At EKBJJ, we say: Good defence buys you time; great defence creates attacks. When you can stay calm in bad positions, your opponent gets frustrated, uses more energy, and eventually makes a mistake which becomes your opportunity to reverse the situation.
Sign you are improving: You can stay in difficult positions for longer, you tap less often from being crushed, and you feel calmer when things get tight.
4. You Learn “Patience ” Instead of “Panic”
Patience is the hardest skill to teach in BJJ and it is one of the strongest signs of true progress.
New students want everything to happen right now. If they see a tiny opening, they lunge for it immediately, often rushing so much that they close the gap themselves and leave themselves exposed to a counter attack. They treat every sparring session like a sprint to score or submit.
As you advance, you develop timing and rhythm. You learn that BJJ is a game of inches and seconds. You no longer force the action; you invite your opponent to make a mistake. You learn to control the pace, keep the pressure steady, and wait for them to move in a direction that plays into your strategy.
I always remind our Walthamstow E17 students: “The best time to attack is when your opponent is already moving, not when they are stable and ready.” This shift from “action-first” to “observe, control, then act” changes everything about your game.
Sign you are improving: You stop forcing submissions and start setting traps. Your attacks have a much higher success rate because you only commit when the timing is perfect.
5. You Can “See” the Game Earlier
Have you ever watched a black belt roll? It looks effortless, almost like they know what their partner is going to do before they do it. That is not magic it is positional awareness, and it comes only with time and repetition.
When you first start, your focus is so narrow you only see what is directly touching you. As you improve, your vision widens. You become aware of your own posture, where your feet are placed, where your weight is sitting, and where your opponent’s limbs are at all times.
You start to recognise patterns: “If they grab my sleeve here, they usually want to pull me forward.” or “When they flatten me out, they are looking to switch to mount.” This ability to predict what comes next is called game recognition, and it grows slowly, round by round, class by class.
Here at EKBJJ, we drill positions repeatedly not just to build muscle memory, but to build this awareness. The more you see a situation, the more familiar it becomes, and the faster your brain reacts.
Sign you are improving: You can tell where a roll is going just by the initial grips and positioning, and you feel like you have more time to react to changes.
7. Progress Feels Slow, but Cumulative
Here is the hard truth about BJJ progress: It rarely feels like it is happening in the moment.
You will go through periods where it feels like nothing is changing — sometimes weeks, even months, of feeling “stuck”. This is called the plateau phase, and it is completely normal. What is actually happening is that your brain and body are consolidating everything you have learned. It is like building a wall: for a while, you just lay bricks, and you don’t see the height increase much. Then one day, you step back and realise you have built something strong.
Many students at our Walthamstow E17 academy tell me: “I felt like I wasn’t improving, then I rolled with someone I struggled against three months ago and it felt so much easier.” That is how BJJ works. Progress is stored in your muscles and your memory, and it reveals itself when you least expect it.
Final Thoughts from EKBJJ
So, if you are asking yourself “How do I know I’m getting better at BJJ?” stop looking only for wins or new moves. Look for the changes in how you breathe, how you defend, how you think, and how you react when things get difficult.
The belt colours are just milestones along the road, but the real growth happens inside your game and your mindset. If you are showing up consistently, listening to instruction, and applying what you learn, you are improving even if you can’t see it today.
If you are in East London, Walthamstow E17, or the surrounding areas and want to train in a structured, friendly environment where we focus on long-term progress, come and visit us at EKBJJ – Eddie Kone Academy of Jiu Jitsu. We are here to help you build your skills, confidence, and understanding of this amazing art.
About EKBJJ – Eddie Kone Academy of Jiu Jitsu Location: Walthamstow, East London, E17
Expert instruction for beginners to advanced students Focus on principles, safety, and long-term development Classes 6 days a week
Get in touch or book your first trial class via our website or social media pages.
