Here are two things that I believe in that may seem contradictory at first:
1 - When you're new to the art of BJJ your fastest progress will always come from working on technique.
2 - Extra conditioning outside of class is very important, especially if you compete.
Let me illustrate how there's really no contradiction here...
One of the guys I train with is an ex-football player. Not surprisingly he is very large and very strong. He has won many grappling tournaments and submitted UFC fighters in MMA competition. He is also a very technical brown belt, and the key to his success is that he uses almost no strength when he rolls. It's kind of weird actually - here's this big guy covered in muscle who could probably overpower 90% of my techniques, and he's rolling around using less strength than I am. Because he doesn't use his strength in sparring he has to rely on technique to get him out of trouble and to launch his own attacks. That means that all his techniques have to be correct, his I's dotted and his T's crossed. When this guy competes, on the other hand, he unleashes his strength and combine it with his super-sharp technique. The combination of strength and technique has cut lots of opponents down to size.
If you're not big and strong then you have no choice - you have to become technical. I ALSO encourage you to do bodyweight exercises, lift weights, swing kettlebells or do whatever kind of exercise you want to do.
Just keep things in perspective - to get better fast at BJJ your emphasis should be BJJ technique, not adding another 50 lbs onto your bench press.
If you already ARE big and strong then you should first work on your technique, and only bring in your attribute-based game later. If you always rely on strength and power to dominate your opponent and get out of bad situations then you're doing yourself a disservice. You'll actually slow down your progress.
The best competitors and practitioners use a combination of precise technique AND strength, endurance and explosiveness to dominate their opponents. Train those things separately at first, or you may never reach your full potential.
Sincerely
Stephan Kesting
