BJJ Solo Drills: How to Train Jiu-Jitsu at Home Without a Partner

You can get better at BJJ without a partner by drilling movement, hip escapes, and guard work on your own or on a grappling dummy. Do the drills below for 15 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week, and you’ll move smoother on the mat in 4 weeks.

Missing class? Hurt your knee? No partner around? You can still get better. The best parts of jiu-jitsu are solo skills – how you move your hips, how you escape, how you stand up safe. You can train all of these at home.

Can you really get good at BJJ alone?

Yes – to a point. You can’t spar alone, but you can build the engine that makes sparring work: movement, balance, and muscle memory. A grappling dummy fills the last gap – it gives you real weight to drill escapes, sweeps, and submissions against.

12 BJJ solo drills (start here)

Movement drills (your warm-up)

  1. Shrimp / hip escape – slide your hips away. 2 x 10 each side.
  2. Bridge (upa) – drive your hips to the sky. 2 x 10.
  3. Technical stand-up – stand without turning your back. 2 x 8 each.
  4. Forward & back rolls – soft, round rolls. 2 x 6.

Guard & core drills

  1. Sit-outs – from all fours, kick a leg through. 2 x 8.
  2. Leg circles – open and close your guard in control. 2 x 12.
  3. Hip-up bridges – bridge, post, and turn. 2 x 10.

Drills with a grappling dummy (the game-changer)

  1. Guard retention – re-frame as the dummy “passes”. 3 min.
  2. Scissor & hip-bump sweeps – both sides. 2 x 10 each.
  3. Mount escapes – bridge and shrimp out. 2 x 8.
  4. Back take to mount – flow between positions. 2 x 6.
  5. Submission entries – slow armbar & triangle setups. 2 x 8 each.
The 5-Move Solo BJJ CircuitTHE 5-MOVE SOLO BJJ CIRCUITNo partner. No problem. 15 minutes, anywhere with floor space.1Shrimp (Hip Escape)Build the #1 escape — slide your hips out2 x 10 ea2Bridge (Upa)Throw weight off you — hips to the sky2 x 103Technical Stand-UpGet up safe without turning your back2 x 8 ea4Guard Retention (on a dummy)Re-frame & recover guard vs real weight3 min5Sweeps (on a dummy)Drill scissor & hip-bump sweeps2 x 10 ea↻ Repeat the circuit 3x · rest 60 sec between roundsSTYLSO · stylso.com

A simple 4-week solo BJJ plan

Week Focus Days Time
1 Movement only (drills 1-4) 4 10 min
2 Add guard drills (5-7) 4 12 min
3 Add dummy drills (8-10) 5 15 min
4 Full circuit (all 12) 5 15 min

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Going too fast. Slow, clean reps beat sloppy speed.
  • Skipping the hip escape. It’s the #1 move in BJJ. Never skip it.
  • No weight. Drilling on air only gets you so far; a dummy makes escapes real.

What gear helps?

Almost none – a soft floor and 15 minutes. To level up your escapes and sweeps, a STYLSO grappling dummy gives you real resistance to drill against. New to dummy work? See How to Use a Grappling Dummy. Train standing too? Wrestling Drills You Can Do Alone.

FAQ

Can you learn BJJ at home without a partner?

You can learn movement, escapes, and drilling at home, but you need a partner or class for live sparring. Solo drills build the skills that make sparring work.

How long should I do BJJ solo drills?

15 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week is enough to see progress in about 4 weeks.

Do I need a grappling dummy?

No, but it helps a lot. A dummy gives you real weight to drill escapes, sweeps, and submissions – things you can’t do on air.

What is the most important BJJ solo drill?

The shrimp (hip escape). It’s the foundation of almost every escape and guard recovery in jiu-jitsu.