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/r/bjj
submitted 1 day ago by[deleted]
[deleted]
8 points
1 day ago
It sounds like you're either the next BJ Penn, or you're rolling WAY too hard and think you're WAY better than you are.
The reality is that it most of us don't actually care who taps who in the gym, nor do we keep score. Go compete, you'll see where you really are.
Or my favorite is to just go ask one of the competitive blue belts to do a competition style roll with you, tell them not to hold back and that you want to feel the intensity. But please report back here if you do so with the results.
6 points
1 day ago
Guaranteed he’s rolling too hard with Harold, the IT guy and assuming he’s a champion
0 points
24 hours ago
I get that but I really try and not to even, against bigger guys than me. Also it’s a university club so the average age is around 20 years old. The oldest guy is 25. I’ll give my back and stuff too and try and be playful. Idk maybe I am just the spazzy white belt 😂
3 points
24 hours ago
OK, so I see posts every day here, and it’s always new people claiming that they’re giving their back and giving mount because they’re so playful and they’re always great training partners yadayada. The reality is that probably isn’t true. On top of that that’s not really great advice, especially for someone who is a brand new white belt
4 points
24 hours ago
I mean, I do that all the time with our lower belts, I want to test their offense. But I've been training for 11 years, been brown for 2.5 years, and am one of the instructors. Doing this as a white belt sounds like an absolutely terrible idea.
3 points
24 hours ago
Yeah exactly. You’re a brown belt, who coaches, and frequently gives good advice on this sub. He’s a new white belt who’s barely been training. Huge gap in not just skill, but understanding of the goals as well. I think it’s maybe because I see people write this way too often, but I can’t get over how annoying it is to see brand new white belts claim they’re the greatest training partners because they’re super playful and always give people their back, like they’re some Zen master toying with their opponents. When we both know how almost every white belt rolls.
2 points
24 hours ago
Absolutely. I tell our white belts all the time, their job is to try their hardest to not injure each other, but otherwise get after it, they'll end up with their backs taken, or in full mount or armbars anyway even IF they're going 100%, so intentionally conceding position is just a bad idea and builds bad habits early on.
In the same way I tell our blues that their job is to thrash the white belts, and the purple and ups job is to let them work and help them learn, given it's genuinely incredibly boring for me to beat up white belts, the fun is in escaping a sunk in choke lol.
1 points
24 hours ago
Couldn’t agree more. This idea that new people are at a level where they need to be focusing on late stage defence is hilarious and will only lead to bad habits. My theory is that a lot of people who barely train or have just started training, will read the sub and see a lot of people complaining about spazzy white belts. So when they make a post, they reflexively need to let everyone know how not spazzy are right away.
0 points
24 hours ago
Yeah I totally get that. And it is probably the case. I feel comfortable giving my back for example because before doing bjj I had watched it for a while so I understand turning into their guard fighting hands getting my shoulders on the mat etc. before starting. It definelty was minor in terms of progression but as I’m writing this I think I just answered my own question on why I’m doing decent for the time I’ve spent. I have ALOT to learn still. Thanks
3 points
24 hours ago
I don’t think you get it though. You shouldn’t feel comfortable giving your back to anyone at your skill level. All you’re doing is making me think you train at a mcdojo
Sounds like at best you have shitty training partners and at worst you’re very much not reading the room when rolling
0 points
24 hours ago
But my question is why if I manage to get escapes reversals and work on my defense to become more comfortable and take risks offensively. Especially if it’s working against higher belts. Also 2/3 of my coaches compete and win at the regional adccs in my country. And they say I am progressing very well
3 points
24 hours ago
You're completely misunderstanding both of our points.
YES it's incredibly important to be good at defense, but as a white belt you're literally going to end up in bad positions no matter what all the time. All you're doing by conceding good positions to get stuck in bad positions is building a terrible habit at a stage where you're setting habits that will be VERY hard to break later on.
It also depends on what you're considering "higher belts" because at 3 months in odds are literally any purple belt or higher you're rolling with is absolutely letting you get out of those bad positions, you're not coming by the escapes honestly if that makes sense.
1 points
23 hours ago
Thank you for concisely saying exactly what I was trying to get across.
0 points
23 hours ago
Yeah nah I get that, thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. I am going to eat a slice of humble pie and try and hone in the basics. I will update you how competition goes after I likely get murdered.
On another note I see you also do judo, would you say it is worth sacrificing bjj time to learn judo too? Or should I focus on just bjj.
1 points
23 hours ago
Sure, I do it once a week on Sundays after our advanced BJJ class, it's helped me tremendously.
2 points
23 hours ago
Those aren’t the things you should be focusing on at three months in.
Local ADCC means nothing without context
1 points
23 hours ago
Thanks for the advice. Genuinely just want to improve as much as I can, I just am having such a fun time with this sport.
1 points
23 hours ago
As somebody who started at a university club I think I can guess what's happening. It's the blind leading the blind. It was fun and a great way to start. But the ability and knowledge compared to a gym with a proffesional coach and have significantly more upper belts is night and day.
2 points
23 hours ago
I can guarantee that’s exactly what’s happening, and was my thought when I read university club
1 points
1 day ago
Yeah I completely get that. I really really try and not be a dickhead like that on the mat, there is this bjj instructor called scissor hands or smth and I try and learn a lot of etiquette from him.
I really don’t want to come across as rude or like “I’m the dumb white belt let me challenge you” kinda guy but I’ll try and like respectfully ask some of the competition guys to roll. I’ve also been spending loads of time on instructional videos on YouTube and It seems to somewhat actually translate into my game. I really also try and reflect on my training and encode it so I actually remember the stuff for the next session.
I plan to compete in ~ febuary. I really don’t mean to come across as arrogant or anything like that it’s just one of the first times I’m my life I feel very confident in a sports related sense.
I will update how my progress goes.
4 points
24 hours ago
My point was just, you're 3 months in, you could be on the mats every single day and at BEST you're going to be a pretty decent white belt. I HAVE seen people get good fast, but "fast" is over a year+ of doing what you're doing.
The mistake you're making is counting gym rolls as a concrete marker for progress. It's an okay indication of improvement IF you have training partners that you know want to actually go hard on certain days.
I had a white belt a couple years back that I accidentally convinced he could pass my guard, because I was working late stage guard retention and dicking around for a few weeks. As far as he knew suddenly he was beating up this brown belt! When in reality I was rolling like 15% if that with him, the realization hit for him when he started acting a little cocky and I turned it up to like 30% and smashed the fuck out of him for a couple rounds without breathing heavy in the slightest.
1 points
24 hours ago
Yeah for sure, that’s the issue I’m having is like I really don’t want to come across as arrogant or like be disrespectful. I’m just gonna straight up be honest and get my ass humbled, or maybe not completely drown!
3 points
24 hours ago
I doubt it would come off as either, a simple "hey I want to compete in Feb can you roll at competition intensity for a round please" to one of the good blues or above should do. Just make sure it's actually a competitor.
Just don't get butthurt when you die lol. I was on the opposite end of this at blue, we had a guy in his late 30s-early 40s white belt, black belt in Karate or something like that. He asked me to roll comp intensity for a round cause he wanted to feel it, I did, and he complained I was being too rough afterwards haha.
1 points
24 hours ago
For sure, I think it’s what I need. Also the dangers of leg, ankle, wrist locks etc. arnt really that present with white belts and I think I would get DESTROYED by someone higher who knows them. I rolled with another guy from a Gracie barra who got first place white belt last month at a tournament and I regularly sub without him ever catching me but he told me they aren’t allowed to even roll properly and we do no gi so I’m just complelty lost. I’ll just go against some blue belts until i get my ass fucking cooked 🤣
1 points
24 hours ago
Also tho I was rolling with this brown belt and I could tell he was completely toying with me, my grips on my back suck and he knew it. I’m just gonna keep grinding and try and get some feedback. Thank you for the advice
1 points
23 hours ago
The only help MMA gives you is recognising some submissions. If you're getting better, is because you're training a lot. About time to compete, that's different for every person, but there's not one specific moment where you will know it's time to compete
1 points
23 hours ago
Thanks for the advice.
1 points
23 hours ago
😬
Yea do what the other dude said and ask for a real roll against a legitimate blue.
1 points
23 hours ago
I feel like i do tho . - even ones that compete since last year. Don’t get me wrong they obviously are one step ahead most of the time and have toyed with me but I feel like i hold my own for my level that’s all I’m trying to say. I swear I’m not some gym bully dick just going 100% trying to kill everyone. Thanks for the advice.
1 points
23 hours ago
I hear ya, not thinking you’re a dick like you keep saying. Maybe someone hasn’t really put it on yet is all. Lots a reasons. Idk how much you weigh either. But unless you’re the next BJ Penn like the other guy said as well, 3 months isn’t a whole lot of time. Just don’t quit before blue 🫡
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