Just started going to a no gi grappling class at a local mma gym a few times a week. Instruction is a bit minimal as the class is mainly focused on live situations -- which I'm totally cool with. I mainly signed up for the exercise/experience of live wrestling anyways vs having intentions to compete or anything like that. I wrestled folkstyle for 4 years in high school but have absolutely zero jiu jitsu experience. For those here who train bjj regularly (know theres a few of you) what do you guys wish that you had focused more on as a beginner-- or what did you focus on as a beginner that you feel greatly helped you development?
Lavender Room
Login required to started new threads
Login required to post replies
Re: Jiu Jitsu Beginner Question [jschm13]
[ In reply to ]
Drilling.
Movement.
Positional control.
When training, stop trying to 'win'.
Drilling.
Did I mention drilling?
As a beginner you're going to be spending most of your time in bad positions. Don't worry too much about learning submissions (for now). Defense, escapes and holding a good position is your game for a while.
Also, for the love of allah, fucking tap when get caught.
Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.
- Chinese proverb
Movement.
Positional control.
When training, stop trying to 'win'.
Drilling.
Did I mention drilling?
As a beginner you're going to be spending most of your time in bad positions. Don't worry too much about learning submissions (for now). Defense, escapes and holding a good position is your game for a while.
Also, for the love of allah, fucking tap when get caught.
Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.
- Chinese proverb
Re: Jiu Jitsu Beginner Question [jschm13]
[ In reply to ]
Instruction is a bit minimal as the class is mainly focused on live situations -- which I'm totally cool with. I mainly signed up for the exercise/experience of live wrestling anyways vs having intentions to compete or anything like that.
Nothing wrong with that, necessarily, but if that's the case, you don't need to worry too much about advice on how to get better at Jiu Jitsu. You can suck at Jiu Jitsu and still get plenty of exercise. ;)
If you want to get better at Jiu Jitsu, I'd try to find a gym with good technical instruction, if that's an option.
Drill. Learn the techniques. Keep drilling.
When you're rolling, don't worry so much about "winning" or "losing" the round. Rolling at the gym should almost never be about winning or losing- it's about practicing the techniques you're trying to learn. Trust those techniques and try them out. You won't hit them right away and you'll find yourself in bad spots because of it, but that's fine. Keep trying them, and soon they'll start working.
Be technical in how you roll, and don't rely on brute strength/speed/physicality. Don't rely on the same go-to moves all the time, because that robs you of the opportunity to expand your game.
Tap early, tap often. If you're in a position to submit someone else, go freaking slow. Don't hurt your training partners.
Drill. Spend time on the mat.
That's about it. After awhile, you should start noticing some common themes among all the techniques you're learning- the importance of posture in almost all positions, for example. The sooner you start recognizing those principles, the faster you'll improve.
"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."
Nothing wrong with that, necessarily, but if that's the case, you don't need to worry too much about advice on how to get better at Jiu Jitsu. You can suck at Jiu Jitsu and still get plenty of exercise. ;)
If you want to get better at Jiu Jitsu, I'd try to find a gym with good technical instruction, if that's an option.
Drill. Learn the techniques. Keep drilling.
When you're rolling, don't worry so much about "winning" or "losing" the round. Rolling at the gym should almost never be about winning or losing- it's about practicing the techniques you're trying to learn. Trust those techniques and try them out. You won't hit them right away and you'll find yourself in bad spots because of it, but that's fine. Keep trying them, and soon they'll start working.
Be technical in how you roll, and don't rely on brute strength/speed/physicality. Don't rely on the same go-to moves all the time, because that robs you of the opportunity to expand your game.
Tap early, tap often. If you're in a position to submit someone else, go freaking slow. Don't hurt your training partners.
Drill. Spend time on the mat.
That's about it. After awhile, you should start noticing some common themes among all the techniques you're learning- the importance of posture in almost all positions, for example. The sooner you start recognizing those principles, the faster you'll improve.
"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."
Re: Jiu Jitsu Beginner Question [jschm13]
[ In reply to ]
I took a Jiu Jitsu class almost 40 years ago in college as an elective. It was one of the smartest things I ever did because it taught me how to fall safely. More than once I saved my ass because I instinctively did what my instructor taught me as I was falling. Dr. Ping, wherever you are, Thanks.
"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."
"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."
Re: Jiu Jitsu Beginner Question [jkca1]
[ In reply to ]
Re: Jiu Jitsu Beginner Question [jschm13]
[ In reply to ]
- Becoming comfortable from the guard and transitions from the guard.
- Hip flexibility
- Attend both Gi and No Gi sessions.
- Getting rid of wrestling pin defense and most pin attacks from your motor memory.
- Hip flexibility
- Attend both Gi and No Gi sessions.
- Getting rid of wrestling pin defense and most pin attacks from your motor memory.
Re: Jiu Jitsu Beginner Question [vitus979]
[ In reply to ]
Quote:
When you're rolling, don't worry so much about "winning" or "losing" the round. Rolling at the gym should almost never be about winning or losing- it's about practicing the techniques you're trying to learn. Trust those techniques and try them out. You won't hit them right away and you'll find yourself in bad spots because of it, but that's fine. Keep trying them, and soon they'll start working.I finally had enough and had to teach a couple guys this lesson last week.
I received a purple belt last November. At that time (and only a few people at my gym knew this) I had a useless tricep, lat and pec on my right side. Had bulging disc that cut off nerve signals to those muscles. I had been training with one good arm and one 10% arm for several months, so I basically getting my assed kicked. When I got my purple I knew there were some blues passed over that were a bit perplexed.
Fast forward to now and my arm/pec/lat is at 80-85% (I'm pretty sure that one of three parts of the tricep is gone forever).
Since getting purple (and suffering through the neck thing) I've been really concentrating on technique and changed a lot of my game to protect my neck. I'm been trying new things and also working on my "bad side" (passing to my right instead of left, for example). I also completely stopped giving a shot about getting tapped by anyone.
So these blues (who are getting promoted this weekend) were talking the other day and over heard something to the effect that it was about time because "Duffy" got his purple belt almost a year ago and "we fuck that dude up all the time". They didn't know I heard them.
Btw, I know when these guys roll with me they go hard on me.
So that day when I rolled with those dudes I went with my A game, almost full tilt and smashed them.
One dude commented "damn, dude, you been taking privates or something?"
I just told that I decided to "try to win rather than try to learn like I normally do".
I feel a little dickish for pulling that stunt but I just got sick of these guys always going hard with me every time we rolled. Subsequent rolls have more flowy and productive with them. I guess they "got it".
Anyway, this Saturday I'm gonna whip the shit out them with sweat soaked belt :).
Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.
- Chinese proverb
Re: Jiu Jitsu Beginner Question [jschm13]
[ In reply to ]
Thanks for all the advice guys!
Duffy wrote:
Unless you went to college in Brazil we aren't talking about the same jiu jitsu.You are so right. It was call jishukan ryu jujitsu. It's headquarters are in Japan. When I looked it up I found my old teacher is still teaching. I am going to drop him a line and say thanks.
"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."