Train Like Jozef Chen: The Smart Way to Improve Faster in Jiu-Jitsu

Jozef Chen is one of the most exciting young talents in Jiu-Jitsu today. Many people wonder how he’s been able to improve so quickly. His approach to training is different from most competitors. Instead of just rolling hard every day, he follows a structured system that allows him to refine his game while still growing in new areas.

His training philosophy is built around three key ideas:

• Training for growth vs. performance
• Making smaller circles to refine techniques
• Investing in loss to accelerate improvement

These concepts come from The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin, a book that many top-level competitors use as a guide to skill development. But instead of just theory, Jozef applies these ideas in a way that makes his training incredibly effective.

Growth vs. Performance: Training With Intention

Most people approach every training session the same way. They either try to win every round or they go too light without a clear goal. Jozef, however, separates his training into different phases.

• Performance Training: This is when he sharpens his best techniques under pressure, focusing on execution.
• Growth Training: This is where he experiments, works on weaknesses, and tries new ideas without worrying about the result.

Many grapplers only train for performance. They rely on their A-game and avoid taking risks in the gym. This slows down improvement. The key is balancing both modes so that you can develop new skills while still keeping your sharpest techniques competition-ready.

One way to do this is by splitting your training into different intensities throughout the week. A good structure for someone training six days a week could be:

• 2 hard days – Focus on performance. Test your A-game in high-intensity rounds.
• 2 medium days – Work on your B-game. Let people get to their best positions and try to beat them from there.
• 2 easy days – Play with unusual positions, experiment, and explore new techniques.

This system allows you to develop a strong A-game while still rounding out your skills in all areas.

Making Smaller Circles: Refining the Details

Instead of constantly adding new techniques, Jozef focuses on refining what he already does well.

The idea of making smaller circles comes from Waitzkin’s book. It means taking a skill you already have and breaking it down into the smallest details. By improving the micro-adjustments—like grip placement, weight distribution, and timing—you make your technique much more effective without changing the overall movement.

For example, if you have a solid knee-cut pass, you don’t need a completely new passing system. Instead, you can refine:

• The exact moment you apply pressure
• The way you adjust your underhook
• How you shift your weight to prevent counters

By focusing on these details, your technique becomes sharper and more reliable without needing to learn something entirely new.

Investing in Loss: Using Training to Learn

Most people hate losing in the gym. They avoid putting themselves in bad spots because it feels like failure. Jozef does the opposite—he lets people get him in bad positions to force improvement.

This idea is called investing in loss. It means viewing mistakes as a necessary step toward improvement. If you only play to win in training, you’ll avoid risks and limit your growth. But if you’re willing to lose in the short term, you can fix weaknesses and become much harder to beat in competition.

One way to apply this is by letting your training partners get to their good positions. Let them get to their best attacks and work your way out. This forces you to develop real solutions for difficult scenarios instead of just avoiding them.

Over time, this approach makes you much more complete as a grappler.

Training Like Jozef Chen

Jozef’s training approach isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing better. Instead of just rolling hard every day, he structures his training to ensure steady improvement in all areas.

• Separate your training into performance and growth phases.
• Split your training intensity into hard, medium, and easy days for better balance.
• Focus on refining your best techniques instead of constantly chasing new ones.
• Invest in loss by allowing yourself to struggle in training.

If you want to improve faster, stop training without a plan. Train like Jozef Chen—with intention, structure, and a focus on long-term development.

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