Sophie Cox Judo

BJJ and Judo classes in Hebden Bridge:
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✅ Learning through fun and hard work combined
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Double Olympian Sophie Cox starts her class this Wednesday at Judo Excellence Hebden. Age 14+

A recent article from BJJ Eastern Europe features John Danaher talking about why revisiting the basics can transform your jiu-jitsu.

And in my opinion, this is one of the biggest challenges for any coach.

Keeping students focused on the basics.

Because the moment people start watching high-level grappling, they get drawn into the flashy techniques. The modern game. The unorthodox moves.

And I get it. I like that stuff too.

But what most people don’t understand is that the athletes doing those techniques are able to do them because they already mastered the basics.

They’re not skipping steps. They’ve already gone through them.

It’s the same thing you see in striking.

You look at someone like Muhammad Ali or Anderson Silva dropping their hands and still performing at a high level.

That only works because their fundamentals are so sharp that they can afford to break the rules.

A beginner tries that, and it falls apart immediately.

Jiu-jitsu is no different.

A lot of beginners think that learning advanced techniques will put them ahead. But in reality, it usually slows them down.

Because they don’t have the foundation to support it.

When you look at someone like Gordon Ryan, you can see that evolution clearly.

Early on, he had a very dynamic, leg lock-heavy game.

But over time, his game became more about control, pressure, and positioning before the finish.

That’s fundamentals.

Weight distribution. Timing. Control.

All the things that aren’t flashy, but win matches.

And this applies to everyone.

If you’re a hobbyist, fundamentals give you longevity. You can take time off, come back, and rebuild your game faster.

If you’re a competitor, fundamentals are what decide close matches.

In my case, every time I come back from a break, I go back to the basics. I rebuild from there until everything starts clicking again.

That’s the real difference.

It’s not about knowing more.

It’s about doing the basics so well that everything else becomes easier.

What do you think — are fundamentals still the most important part of jiu-jitsu, or is the modern game taking over?