I advise putting the responsibility of your success in BJJ on yourself. If it is something that you truly want to be good at, the first evaluation should be whether you are doing enough. This is more crucial for competitors, but the principles apply to casual practitioners as well.
Go to Class
Do the Work
Know the rules
Study
Ask Questions
Become the Captain of the team effort for your success in Jiu-Jitsu, and I believe that you will see incredible results.

I think I was listening to John Danaher, who said one of the hardest transitions for people when beginning BJJ is moving from using their arms as a primary means of performing tasks to using their legs. It makes a lot of sense, as most situations in life require your feet on the ground, leaving only your arms to do things. In Jiu-Jitsu however, your legs become an asset for distance management and control. As legs are longer, stronger, and further away from your face, they are an efficient first line of defense from a supine position. When you combine these qualities of your legs with gripping techniques, holding guard becomes easier.

I want to talk about the two attitudes that have allowed me to get where I am in life.
The Attitude to Persist
The Attitude That I Can
I am here, because I didn’t stop until I did what I believed could do. I shouldn’t be a professional athlete. I started BJJ as a tubby, arthritic freshman in high school, most people in and out of the gym expected me to quit. I didn’t though, and through persistence came opportunities. I set a goals of being a BJJ black belt by 30 and moving out of my hometown. I did those things, but for the one opportunity I got, I applied for at least fifty others. I believed that the right opportunity would present itself as long as I kept trying. In Jiu-Jitsu, you need these qualities, because it’s discouraging. You just need to believe you can, and keep putting in the work until you do. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

Understanding anatomy is a big part of grappling. A concept that I’ve been running into a lot, is submission efficiency. I saw Gordon Ryan say that he makes a concerted effort to focus on breaking mechanisms in joint locks. So when he goes to submit someone he has not only worked on getting to that position, but also making it so that his technique walks the path of least resistance to its original intended purpose. The most interesting part of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is that you can analyze all parts of your technique against resistance with real time feedback. Use this to your advantage, work so that you can execute a technique slowly with the correct anatomical control points and breaking mechanics, then should you need to speed the process up outside of training, all the pieces are in place.

What are you doing to align your life with your goals? That’s a question I ask myself frequently. How can I be better in the areas of my life that are important to me? This isn’t just about Jiu-Jitsu, but anything I want to accomplish. When I started BJJ, I knew I wanted to make it my life. If you talk to the people who knew me then, they would say that’s ridiculous. He’s pudgy and not at all naturally gifted. What I was though, is determined. I knew that I wanted to be better at BJJ, so I studied. I bought books, magazines, videos, whatever I could get my hands on that could open up my grappling knowledge. Then I began working on how I eat, it’s still very much a struggle, but I’ve found a way that is effective and makes me feel good. What are you doing to be better each day in your chosen field? How much time, research, energy, resources are you investing in what you want for yourself? Think about it. Persistence, discipline, and sacrifice have led me to a comfortable life doing what I love, are you working towards the same?

My BJJ origin is very drill heavy. As a 15 year old fat kid I hated it, but the longer I did Jiu-Jitsu, the more I understood it. Drilling not only builds proper technique and mindfulness, but also muscular endurance. What I have noticed is that people who aren’t used to drilling wilt faster. By practicing the movements repeatedly at a quick pace, the muscles needed for effective grappling become stronger. With the resurgence of no time limit submission only competition, I feel the muscular endurance and efficiency that come with drills is important.
“If you think, you’re late. If you’re late, you use strength. If you use strength, you get tired. If you get tired, you die.” -Saulo Ribeiro

Something I’ve been working with in my game is continuous movement, chaining attacks together, and flowing between positions. I set a pace goal for myself before going into a roll, as well as attacks, submissions or positions I want to work on. This is something that can benefit Jiu-Jitsu practitioners of all levels. Not only will flowing improve cardio, but it will also allow you to see the plethora of opportunities you may miss in a traditional roll. Ask training partners to try rolling with constant movement and no taps a few times a week and I believe you’ll see interesting changes.

In learning new things the goal is to commit it to your memory. Just like your mind, your body has memory. One of the best ways to teach your body is repetition. I have heard that after doing something 10,000 it is finally ingrained in your system. That means that when practicing techniques, the more you do them with proper technique, the easier those skills will be to execute in a live situation. By consistently practicing the correct body mechanics of a technique repeatedly, you harmonize the connection between your brain and your body. Through this connection you shift from thinking about executing to thinking and executing simultaneously.