Best way to improve?

I was having this conversation with one of the blue belts at 10th planet montreal. We were talking about the best way for beginners to develop. Pretty much he really believed that the best way is to do slow controlled rolls with experienced guys like himself in order to understand what the hell they are doing to you when you get submitted instead of going 100% and you get submitted pretty quickly. This as opposed to full out rolling with another inexperienced person where neither of you have much technique and lots of energy is wasted. Obviously going to theory practice and learning all the basics will help too, but he also stressed the importance of sort of finding what works for you and then practicing on those specific moves over and over rather than just learning everything in general at the begging. so as an example starting to learn to pull guard and a solid butterfly sweep as opposed to maybe just learning everything in general right away. What do you guys think?

Repetition. You have to drill a technique thousands of times until it's a part of you. Until you get to the point where theres an opening for a particular movement and you attack that opening automatically, without thought. I feel like you benefit from rolling with people above your skill and below it in different ways. Against a better opponent you're constantly faced with combination's of techniques you're unfamiliar with and regularly being put in and having to work out of inferior positions. Against someone with lesser abilities you have the chance to work on specific attacks or sweeps that you would uncomfortable attempting with other guys. I think it's a much better idea to work on one technique until you get it rather than a handful of techniques you never get confident enough with to use.

Sounds like the blue belt gave you good advice. Rolling with a more experienced guy who is looking to "flow" is a great way for you to get familiar with positioning and leverage. A good partner will also allow you to work a little bit in order for him to have to react to what you are doing - it is a give & take. My instructor, John Botello (10th Planet Phx), gives me windows of opportunity as he is rolling. He wants to see what I will do, to see if I'll make the "right" choice. I think that is a great help for me to learn and we will laugh about the times where he gave me some opportunities and I squandered them. Happened today. LOL

Having a couple of newbies going full throttle trying to tap one another is pissing in the wind when it comes to learning. Get a good partner that has more experience and just "flow"...

drill controlling position...over and over and over again...being able to control your opponent (especially from top) is key. then add in one or two subs at a time and just work on that for a week straight...the next week add two more and so on and so on.

as my teacher say... if he isn't giving you deficits, you aren't learning anything.