Do You Learn Jiu-Jitsu by Watching? Because I Do!

And I will share my experience.

First, I’m not used to learning jiu-jitsu by watching techniques at home. When I need to improve a specific technique, I’ll watch, but it’s not a habit.

I do, however, watch a lot of jiu-jitsu fights and try to incorporate certain moves into my game—if they fit my style.

But today, something interesting happened that made me reflect.

Jiu-jitsu is my job—not as a competitor, but as a media professional.

I work full-time at Atos BJJ On Demand, and I also work for the UFC, primarily on the grappling side. I have my own YouTube channel and my business, and I occasionally take on gigs with jiu-jitsu athletes.

For context, I’ve struggled with severe lower back pain my whole life, but right now, I’m going through a particularly tough flare-up. The main culprit? My jiu-jitsu style. I love playing Single Leg X, transitioning into the Matrix Guard, and sweeping with the Waiter… I feel comfortable getting stacked and relying on entanglements all the time. If you train jiu-jitsu, you know exactly what I mean.

This is my friend Elisabeth Liera and me — yes, I feel comfortable like this...

I’m definitely someone who prefers playing on the bottom, but when I became a Brown Belt, I made it a point to work on my passing skills. After all, it’s unacceptable for an “almost Black Belt” to feel uncomfortable on top.

Well, now I’m a Black Belt, and yes, I feel comfortable playing on top—but it’s still not my comfort zone.

“Ok, what’s the connection between your jiu-jitsu style and your work?”

Today, I was reflecting on how my gigs—recording athletes—have actually helped me develop my top game.

I worked with Lucas Pinheiro for over two years. He’s now retired from competition, but his résumé speaks for itself: Black Belt Gi and No-Gi World Champion, Pan Champion, Brazilian National Champion, European Champion—the list goes on.

Despite being a lighter athlete (competing in the Roosterweight and Light-Featherweight divisions), his top pressure is unreal—like Ultra-Heavyweight level pressure. Over the years, as I filmed and edited countless techniques with him, I didn’t realize that I was also studying and absorbing concepts I hadn’t been using in my own training.

Now, I know that one of my favorite details for passing guard was something I had unconsciously learned just by recording him.

Arm Bar by Lucas Pinheiro.

Another athlete I worked with was Gustavo Batista. A three-time World Champion, he’s known for systematically breaking down his opponents with his pressure-passing style. He’s patient, calm, and incredibly precise.

Once I realized I was learning just by recording him, I started asking questions and incorporating some of his details into my own game. Now, I can confidently say my pressure has improved—especially because I learned how to position my legs when I’m on top. His leg positioning is insanely precise, and that made all the difference.

Fun fact: even though I was the one filming most of his videos at Atos HQ, I still have a ton of his Instagram posts saved on my profile 😅

Today, on my way to training, I was thinking about my back pain and how to train without worsening it. The only solution? Try to play like Batista—avoiding bottom positions as much as possible and staying on top the entire time.

So, that’s exactly what I did. Of course, I’m not even 10% of Batista, and I definitely don’t have 5% of his pressure, but recording him helped me improve my game in ways I didn’t expect.

Some of my movements today were a mix of what I learned from Pinheiro and Batista. Those small details made a huge difference, and now I’m challenging myself to adapt my game in a way that doesn’t aggravate my back pain.

Changing your style after so many years is tough, but I know it’ll be worth it. How could I be a good Black Belt without a plan B? 🙂