Training FAQ

Twenty plus questions people ask about training jiu-jitsu and using this studio, answered plainly.

22 questions. The answers refer to a coach or a clinician wherever an app should not be the one answering.

How often should I train?

Ask your coach, who has seen you move. What this app can say is that the four-week progressions schedule three or four solo sessions a week and that each one is under twenty minutes.

Can I learn jiu-jitsu from this app?

No. It rehearses movements you have already learned from a qualified instructor. There is no partner in it and no technique against a partner can be learned from a solo model.

Is the model showing correct technique?

It shows the movement it names, checked as geometry against a written mechanical spec. Whether the movement is the version your coach teaches is a question for your coach. No instructor has reviewed it.

Why are there no submissions?

A submission is defined by the other person's body. A lone figure cannot show one honestly, so this app does not try.

What is the difference between the hip escape and the reverse hip escape?

Direction. The hip escape moves the pelvis sideways over a posted hand; the reverse moves it along the mat toward the head with both feet pushing. Both are studies here.

Should my head touch the mat in a bridge?

The back of the head rests on the mat in this app's bridge and the crown of the head never takes weight. A neck bridge is a different exercise and it is not here.

Is the shoulder-stand rock an inversion?

It is the first shape of one: the hips over the upper back with the hands posted. It is not a granby. Learn rolling inversions with a coach.

How hard should I push in the conditioning studies?

Until the form changes, then stop the round. The prescriptions say how many rounds and how much rest; they do not say how tired to get, because that depends on you.

Can I do the breakfall on a carpet?

No. The breakfall study asks for a padded mat and a squat start. Learn the fall from a coach before adding any height.

What if a movement hurts?

Stop. A clinician is the person to ask about pain, and your coach is the person to ask about changing the movement. This app cannot assess you.

Do I need a gi for the solo studies?

No. The model trains in a top and shorts. The equipment page covers sizing if you want one for class.

Why does the study say solo drills are not partner techniques?

Because a reader could otherwise take the hip escape animation as a demonstration of escaping side control. It is a demonstration of moving the hips. What that answers depends on the person on top.

How do I use the phase buttons?

Each numbered button jumps the model to one authored position. The phases listed under Phases of this study jump to a beat and a position at once. The slider scrubs by hand.

What are the rings and lanes on the mat?

Marks measured from the study itself. A ring is a point that has to stay put, like a posted hand or a heel; a lane is the distance the hips travel.

Can I mirror the model?

Yes, with the Mirror orientation switch on the study page, or as a default in Settings. Both sides of every movement are worth rehearsing.

Where are my plans and notes stored?

In this browser, on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere. Export a backup from Settings if you want a copy or want to move it.

Does the timer work offline?

Yes, once the app has finished caching itself. The bells are synthesised on the device; spoken cues depend on the voices your browser provides.

What is a four-week progression?

A schedule of the starting plans, three or four sessions a week for four weeks, with a printable sheet. It is a schedule, not a promise about learning speed.

Why does the journal have a streak?

It counts days in a row with an entry. It measures what you wrote down, not how you trained, and there is nothing to earn.

Can I add my own studies?

Not in this edition. You can build any session from the thirty-six studies, save plans, and write custom sequences into a block through a backup file.

Is this app affiliated with a federation or an academy?

No. It is an independent companion with no affiliation, endorsement or credential behind it.

Who checks the animation?

A written spec of ranges is checked by tests against the shipped model every time it is built. That proves the animation shows the named movement. It does not prove the movement is correct jiu-jitsu; only a coach can.

For the method behind the studies, read how to use the studio.