1. Make sure you have a legitimate instructor, preferably a black
belt in the art. You don’t want to learn the wrong techniques,
especially in the beginning, and risk building a poor foundation.
Learn it the right way, right from the start.

2. Fundamentals, Fundamentals, Fundamentals!! Cool, fancylooking
moves may be fun to train (and in some cases, they have
their place) but don’t put these ahead of your fundamentals.
Master the fundamentals first.

3. Always be the one in action making your opponent react. Keep
your opponent in a state of reaction to your moves . This will
put him in a defensive mode rather than an offensive mode.
Like many other sports, your best defense is a good offense.

4. Always have 3 types of training partners. A partner who is less
skilled than you, so that you can work your offense. A partner
who is much better than you, so you can work your defense.
Finally, one who is at the same skill level as you so you can work
both and have a competitive match.

5. When your instructor teaches a technique in class, keep repping
the move until he is ready to show the next one. You will be
surprised at how much more your muscle memory kicks in by
repping the moves just a few more times than you normally
would (And you’ll make your instructor happy.)

6. Attend class 3-6 times per week. Anything less than 3 classes
and your brain will not retain the techniques shown. If you can
make it to 6 classes per week, you will have no choice but to
rapidly improve.

7. When you get really good at a particular submission, DON’T USE
IT AS MUCH. Put it away in your tool box and begin to work on
other submissions that you don’t do as well. Repeat this process
for your whole Jiu Jitsu career. The same goes for sweeps and
escapes as well.

8. Always work on your Cardiovascular Conditioning. Most times,
you will see that the better conditioned athlete defeats the more
skilled athlete because of his ability to out work his opponent.
Improve your cardio by circuit training, running sprints, and
most importantly, lots of rolling. Try to complete five 5 minute
rounds of rolling each time you train, even if you’re tired.

9. Wear a cup. This simple step will give you more confidence with
submissions such as armbars, triangles, and guard passing
defense without the fear of hurting the family jewels. It also
makes your armbars tighter because your opponent’s elbow is on a higher platform.

10. Never stop learning. Become a student of the sport. Go to
seminars, buy DVD instructionals and books on Jiu Jitsu. If you
learn just one technique or detail that improves your game, then
it is well worth your investment (and you usually do.)

Hope this helps!!