BJJ Game Plan Development — Building Your Personal System

How to develop a personal BJJ game plan — identifying your strengths, building a connected system, and adapting it for different opponents.

Contents

What Is a BJJ Game Plan?

A game plan is a connected system of techniques and positions that flows from your strongest attributes. It is not a list of techniques — it is a map of if-then relationships: if my guard pass is stopped, I switch to this; if my submission is defended, I transition to that.

Start with Your A-Game

Your A-game is the 2-3 techniques you hit with the highest percentage from any position. Build outward from these. If your A-game is the armbar from guard, build the setups that create armbar opportunities and the transitions that arise when the armbar is defended.

Identifying Your Strengths

Track which techniques you finish most in sparring — these are your A-game
Notice which positions you feel most comfortable in
Identify which entries you set up most naturally
Acknowledge your physical attributes: strong grip? Good hip flexibility? Long legs?

Building Your System

A complete system has: a takedown or guard-pull entry, a primary guard to play, a guard-passing preference, a top-control game, and 2-3 submission chains. Each component flows into the next when the primary option is blocked.

Adapting for Opponents

Against a stronger, slower opponent: use speed and movement. Against a quick, light opponent: use pressure and control. Against a guard player: prioritize your guard passing. Against a passer: prioritize your guard retention and sweeps.

🥋 Pro Tip: Write your game plan out as a flowchart. Boxes are positions; arrows are transitions. If you cannot draw the flow, you do not yet understand the connections. This exercise reveals gaps better than any drilling session.

Evolving the Plan

A game plan is not fixed. Review it quarterly. Add new weapons as you develop them. Remove entries that consistently fail against your training partners. Your game plan at white belt should look completely different by purple belt.

Weekly technique breakdowns, training tips, and competition analysis.

FAQ

How many techniques should be in a BJJ game plan?

Depth beats breadth. A game plan with 5 deeply developed techniques beats one with 20 superficially known ones. Build connections between fewer techniques rather than accumulating many.

When should I start developing a personal game plan?

Start conceptually at white belt by noting what works for you. Formalize it at blue belt. Refine it continuously from purple belt onward.

How do I handle opponents who counter my A-game?

Every A-game technique should have 2-3 follow-up options when defended. If opponents consistently stop your A-game, it reveals a gap in the follow-up chain, not a flaw in the primary technique.