Fixing Your Leaky Bucket: A Guide to Strengthening Your Jiu-Jitsu Game

 

It’s frustrating, isn’t it? You’re consistently getting passed by that knee cut, swept every time you hit the same guard, and unable to finish a submission when you’ve got the position. The grip fight always seems to slip away from you, and despite your best efforts, your partner doesn’t feel the pressure you’re trying to apply. On the other hand, there are aspects of your game where you shine—your choke-and-sweep combination to mount is solid, and your Kimura attacks are consistent and effective.

In the past, the common advice was to focus on your strengths, hoping that as you improve the techniques you excel at, the rest of your game would naturally get better. Unfortunately, I’ve found that this doesn’t always work. Sometimes, when you focus too heavily on what you’re already good at, you miss out on the opportunities to address the weaker areas that are holding you back.

It’s not that you’re hopeless in those areas—rather, it’s that you don’t always see the gaps or fully understand how to leverage the movements that could fix the situation. It’s like trying to fill a leaky bucket: No matter how much you add to it, the water keeps slipping out through the holes.

Instead of thinking about your game as a "leaky bucket" in a negative sense, think of it as a tool for growth. We all have areas where we’re leaking—techniques or details that, if left unchecked, will prevent us from reaching our full potential. The key to improvement is identifying where those leaks are and addressing them systematically.

Step 1: Identify the Leaks in Your Game

The first step is to pinpoint where your game is falling short. Is it a small gap in your guard retention? A crucial detail in your pressure passing? Maybe your submissions are just a little too loose, or you’re losing grip battles more often than you’d like. These little leaks—whether they’re due to poor timing, weak pressure, or missing fundamentals—are often what hold us back from becoming well-rounded grapplers.

Think of these leaks like holes in a bucket. Some are small and can be patched with minor adjustments, while others may be more significant and require deeper attention. Either way, the goal is to stop the water (or in this case, your technique) from leaking out.

Step 2: Pressure Test Your Techniques

Once you’ve identified your weak spots, it’s time to pressure test your techniques. Just like you would test a leaky bucket to see where the water is escaping, you need to apply pressure to your game to see where it’s breaking down. Go back to your weak areas and spar with the intention of isolating them. Put yourself in positions where these weaknesses are likely to show up, and take note of where you struggle the most.

It’s not always comfortable—sometimes, when you’re testing the integrity of your technique, you’re going to get "wet." You’ll make mistakes, feel frustrated, and sometimes lose position. But this is exactly how you’ll learn and grow.

Step 3: Make the Repairs

Once you’ve identified where things are leaking, you need to go to work fixing them. Whether it’s tightening up your grips, adjusting your pressure, or refining a specific movement, the key is to make deliberate adjustments and practice them consistently. Just like repairing a bucket, this process takes time. You may not patch up every hole in one session, but the more you focus on these repairs, the more solid your overall game will become.

Remember, no one’s game is perfect, and everyone has leaks in their bucket. The difference between those who stagnate and those who continue to grow is the willingness to seek out and fix those leaks, no matter how uncomfortable the process might be.

Step 4: Review and Reassess

Improvement in Jiu-Jitsu is an ongoing process. Every few months, take the time to reassess your vulnerabilities and check if any new leaks have developed. Keep pressure testing your game, and continue refining your techniques. Just like a bucket needs maintenance over time, your Jiu-Jitsu requires regular attention to keep it in top shape.

You’ll make mistakes, you’ll get frustrated, but that’s all part of the process. So prepare your towel, embrace the challenge, and start fixing those leaks. With every repair, your Jiu-Jitsu will become more efficient, and soon, the holes in your game will be just a memory.

Conclusion: Keep Going, Keep Growing

Your bucket may leak, but it can also be repaired. Every flaw in your technique is just an opportunity to grow stronger, more skilled, and more resilient. Embrace the process of discovery, take note of where you need to improve, and keep pushing forward. You’ve got the tools—you just need to use them to patch up those leaks and build a game that’s as solid as the foundation you’re working to create.

So, grab your towel, get to work, and watch your game evolve into something more complete, more confident, and more successful.