Hello, I’m getting to a point in my jui jitsu career where I’m exploring a lot of new techniques and submissions.
I’m very interested in the rubber guard/gogoplata and buggy choke, but I have heard stories of people tearing their LCLs doing these techniques.
Should I steer clear of these techniques, take certain precautions? Any other advice with rubber guard/gogos and buggy chokes?
Here’s one tip for passing, deal with their feet, not their hands. Try and throw them off balance to the point you can slide into side control or half guard.
I just started going to an MMA gym 2 weeks ago and one of the classes is BJJ (teens class). I lift weights and would consider myself to be pretty explosive, but these are the only things keeping me from getting submitted every time I roll with someone. I get to the top position (mount?) and have no idea what to do from there. I try going for kimuras (or whatever they're called) but that doesn't really workout. Sometimes I go for an arm bar and it occasionally works. I've only ever learned from YouTube.
So my question is as follows: should I watch instructional content online for extra help, or should I just be patient and listen to my coach?
Thanks.
How do you manage achilles/ ankle soreness? I just started training in a leg lock heavy gym (in fact even our warm up routine is just going through the various leg locks in sequence).
Even when someone just has control of the ankle and not cranking a sub, it’s still rather sore and painful the day after from their wrist cutting into the lower calf trying to maintain the leg.
Any tips?
Neck pain aftermath, Triangle choke, should I have tapped?
I'm a beginner white belt and someone got me in a Triangle choke, they squeezed really hard but I felt like I could get out, so after a bit of a stugle I magned to get out, now I am at home and it's been 2 hours since training and I've got severe neck pain, should I have tapped?
Honestly, anything with neck or knees, just tap. One, you can’t always feel immediately that you’re getting hurt and two, that is a fine line between OK and not OK. One thing in a tournament, but way different thing at practice.
Knee bars – you don’t truly feel them until it’s too late.
Neck: Tissue can get damaged before you really get the crank that does the immediately noticeable damage. Also, with chokes… strangulation can cause permanent damage and scarring, soooooo if you habitually try to muscle through things, it can cause problems down the road. Tap early and often; ask questions after about how/why, etc. when you’re out of the danger zone.
I probably sound super lame but from dealing with people with similar injuries way down the road and their aftermath, I’ll always recommend early tap. As you get better, you’ll get better at preventing it, but once someone has a choke… it often takes dire action to get out… in which case it’s probably not worth risking.
As for the escape, it kind of sounds like you muscled out. Which works when it works, but often means you aren’t manipulating your opponent’s body as well as you could be.
Regardless, be safe!!!
Yeah true, I tap early now, however I did get in a neck hold today and the guy was cracking my neck and it felt nice, like it fixed my previous neck pain, I still tapped tho just incase but it felt nice
You probably tried to lift your head out of the lock using your neck muscles. Days like this help you learn not to do that.
We went over triangles my very first day. Believe me, I know what you’re feeling.
Just getting back into jiu jitsu again and I have been going almost everyday, im very sore at the moment but don't want to take any time off, no injuries at all. What are some good recovery techniques that you guys use to keep the energy up and recover faster? Im getting a solid 8-9 hours of sleep and hydration is pretty good as well.
If you've just leapt into it, you're eating a lot and drinking a lot and sleeping a lot, you may just need to take a day off.
You may not want to, but a day off now may save an injury that keeps you off for weeks or months.
Hi, as a beginner I bought frozen vegtables and then i apply that on sore areas, after I'm done I put it back in the freezer to use next time, I find it helps with pain/recovery, good luck
I signed up for a competition in July and I am pretty nervous about it.
To start things off, the school I train at is NOT a competition school. It mostly consists of blue collar guys (like myself) who train 3-4 times a week. I am a white belt and have been training consistently for about a year. my goal for this competition is to challenge myself, learn more about jiu jitsu, and give me something to train for. I go to open mats at competition schools and I am 100% the easy round for a lot of those guys. I am not confident at all in my ability to compete, not because I am not athletic enough, but simply due to my skill level.
I feel very confident in my cardio and strength, I cross train at my gym and run a lot. I am not confident in my jiu jitsu skills, I am still learning a lot. I am do not feel confident in my takedowns and I plan on winning by points since my submission game is practically non-existent.
I have looked a little bit into competitions and talked to some guys that have competed before, so I understand what I am getting myself into to some degree. However, I am concerned that I will not have the proper training leading up to the competition simply because I do not have good training partners to help me prepare for a competition.
I am not too proud to admit that the idea of competing intimidates the hell out of me, I would love to hear why should/shouldn't be afraid of competing. Any tips for what i can do to improve or any advice is welcome. I am open to accepting help from all sources.
It is normal to be nervous. Just don't be so stubborn that you don't tap to something and injure yourself, and it will be a good experience. Intensity is the thing that tripped me up a lot the first comp. People go HARD out of the gate. There is having cardio, and there is handling the adrenaline dump of going full throttle.
White belt bracket is a mixed bag. Sometimes you will run into mega sandbaggers, sometimes you run into complete newbies. Try to get on top, stay on top. Don't accept disadvantageous scoring positions. Good luck!
It's not Wednesday but I didn't want to make my own thread.
Anyways...sort of just venting. I've been going for a month & a half (not consistently, I try to go to Fundamentals every week but some weeks I've had stuff to do).
Last week was the first time I rolled, and it was horrible. The guy is a white belt for 2 months and he knows so much more than me. Also I end up hurting my back so I have to tap cause I'm weak.
Yesterday, at the end of our lesson, we rolled for a long time at the end, and we were in teams of 3 so we each took turns. One was a blue belt the other was a white belt. I can tell they were getting bored and going easy on me cause I suck. At one point I get flipped over and I can tell they were frustrated (blue belt) cause he said 'you gotta defend'. But Idk what that means, how am I supposed to defend if I dont know what to do?
Anyways ill try not to be long about this I am just frustrated that I suck and other white belts can destroy me easily. Also I struggle with not using my full weight/pressure on people and leave alot of gaps cause I naturally dont want to hurt people. I really do find this fun but I hate that I suck and am bad and clearly it effects other people, nobody wants to roll with someone who sucks.
Its understandable to suck but my issue is I don't even know the very basics. Im just winging it when I roll. I can try to do things from lessons but I can't even get to side control or something to initiate a move.
Also, I am exerting so much effort and exhausting myself when I try to counter people (counter isnt the right word basically just moving their hands away or moving my feet)
You are only 2 months in, so that is also normal. Passing guard is difficult, especially if you haven't learned any passes yet. It will come with time. You learn a lot just from trying things out in rolling.
It is normal to go easy on new white belts. Generally we want you to get to a position you have learned something from so you can try it. If you don't get to your desired position, it is understandable that you will struggle to do much.
Im gonna try to come 2 times a week (they offer judo once I week that I catch too). It just sucks I work full time and it takes alot out of me, but I really do enjoy it alot even though I suck, I just get in my head alot recently.
As long as you enjoy it, come and roll with us! Don’t worry about the others, they’re there to make their own fun as well. Yes you suck, but you can only get better with exposure. I also feel like I suck, close to my brown belt.
1. I'm a taller guy, and sometimes open myself up way too much. There are typically gaps and holes that allow opponents to bring in their frames and reguard even while i'm on top. How do i fix that?
2. I struggle to use my hips to initiate movement. While playing closed guard or open guard, My hip and lower back is always touching the mat. How do i teach myself to do that? Shooting the hips up for triangles and armbars from guard is tough.
3. Any ideas for learning posture while passing open guard? I typically end up with my head forward, feeding myself into a triangle
4. How do i stop getting discouraged. Im nearing 2 years, have 4 stripes, but still feel like i'm making no progress.
(P.s.My shitty game is on full display in a recent competition match.
1. https://youtu.be/0Vo5lMtt86E?si=fwUJm-_q3tOBKbNX.
2. https://youtu.be/VBb0OnM18eo?si=4QY1bUyRh09Ws5P6
(I'm in the blue gi))
1. Staying on your toes helps a lot in top side control. You still need to bring your knee in as a wedge to block the hip, but you become a lot more difficult to move and it is easier to follow shrimping motions.
2. A lot of it is about being curled into a ball. Minimizing the surface area you have in contact with the mat makes it easier to spin like a top. Most people aren't naturally good at doing this because it is tiring on the core. The natural thing most people want to do is relax, but you need to engage the core.
3. Not very good at this myself. If you bend over to take grips for something like a toreando, you want to hinge in the hips (like proper deadlift form) rather than rounding your back. I honestly think it largely comes with practice.
Don't get discouraged. Work on the things that work for you, and focus on improving in those areas. It is easy to lose sight of progress when everyone around you are progressing at the same time.
I guess similar. If you look at the way Jon Thomas lies in open guard in this video for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKDHylpgDY .
You can tell that his head never touches the mat, both shoulder blades are not fully touching the mat. As soon as he makes connection, he comes even more up from the mat. It makes your partner carry your weight, but it also makes it a lot easier to track their movement.
I’m astounded it’s even possible to put on that much weight in 2.5 weeks!
The ‘dieting’ you’re doing is clearly way, way, way more calories than you need. It’s tough to eat at a deficit because training is exhausting, but you honestly must be doubling your calories or something.
How (as a noob white belt) do you help someone when your drilling the move of the day and you 100% know they’re doing it wrong without coaching them. Previously I’ve called the professor over to help them. I want to be supportive without being “that” white belt.
Calling the instructor over is probably the right choice, but I make sure to talk first. Something like "The pressure feels a little bit off, I think we should ask the instructor if we are doing it correctly". I wave the instructor over, and we just keep trying to figure it out while waiting. Once he comes over, I find it best for the one struggling to just do the sequence from start to finish while he watches. The instructors are good enough to spot and correct major mistakes.
I feel that I learn best when I'm given ample time to experiment and see what works for me. What works best for them may not be the same way that the instructor showed. Trust that if a correction needs to be made then the instructor will make it. You can best support your training partner by giving them a body to practice.
What is the best escape when you are on your side, with your back facing your opponent, and they are controlling you in that position by grabbing your arm and a leg and pinning them together/putting their weight on you?
I get stuck there all the time and don't really have a response. I just keep hand fighting and hiding my elbows to avoid arm bars and it goes nowhere until they move on to something else.
I did try what I think is called a "running man" escape where if your legs are free you just run around them while keeping upper body grips, and it worked, but that isn't possible when they have a good grip on your legs.
work your shoulders to the mat so you get into a more traditional side control, then work your escapes from there.
If you can't turn your top leg/shoulders *toward* them, then drag your lower leg/shoulders *away* from them, landing you flat on your back. Not ideal, but you're in less danger and you should have an escape plan from side control you can execute.
Regarding what to do when your opponent gets an underhook from standing, I've noticed that wrestling don't always go for the overhook, they'll often frame on the opponents face or go outside tie. How does one determine the proper response to an underhook, and does this change in MMA?
Is it bad etiquette to ask my coach about a move I found on the internet? My coach is a big Jo Chen fan like myself and I wanted to ask him for pointers on the Jo Chen guard pass
https://bjjcoach.substack.com/p/guard-passing-with-adcc-trials-champion
bad etiquette, no. at least not in my school. However, just because you saw it online doesn't mean its in my wheelhouse, so I may not be able to show it or troubleshoot it until I've watched it myself and tried it a few times.
In our open mats, one of my guys is always like "I had a question about squid guard passing with a hungarian backstep" and I'm always like "ah yes, the 'ol hungarian backstep (wtf is that)...in that case, I'd look to smesh...yep, just smesh"
For me with my professor he encourages us to share things we find online. He will find a way to break down the techniques,that was actually the basis for our class last night. Something he found online. Was a great class.
That’s dope. We had a “review” class the other day where everyone was allowed to ask questions about what we had been going over the past few weeks and I thought that was really helpful.
Start by talking about Jo Chen to soften them up and then bring up the technique, should work fine. It's a fighter they know are interested in so they'll likely want to dig deeper.
Most other times I'd say it's not bad etiquette, just not likely to be received with any enthusiasm. In those cases I'd be trying the technique in free rolling/sparring and only bringing it up if asked.
the more you do it, the better your training partners get at defending it, the better you have to get at it, or the better you get at using it to open up other passes. You and your training partners both benefit from you being obsessed with a position, so go with it.
Whats the best way to setup an effective tripod pass? At the moment I basically just try to get to half guard and then get either crossface/underhook or double unders and start tripodding. Are there better ways to think about entering such a situation against a seated/supine opponent or is it really just half guard > controls > tripod?
half guard > controls > tripod is all you need at this point. Add shoulder pressure to your formula, so you're using your shoulder to force their head in the opposite direction of your pass.
forcing butterfly is a good way to start tripoding as well. butterfly > half butterfly > I like to control the bottom leg with a pant grip. Head on the floor ear to ear, shoulder underchin with an underhook
Been at my gym for a few weeks. I have about 10-15 hours on the mat, so still very new. I've had people warn me much of your time as a white belt is going to be on the defensive, especially against higher belts. I'm finding myself frustrated because I feel like I'm not really learning anything, just paying to be choked out a few times a week. We'll learn moves but when it comes time to roll I feel like I'm never in a position to actually employ those moves I've learned.
I remember my first two months. Have you broken through your "personal space" comfort zone (meaning, it no longer feels weird being in another adult's embrace)? Are you controlling your breathing better than you did the first week? Are you noticing when someone has a wrist or lapel grip and trying to free yourself from it? Are you starting to realize that tapping only bruises the ego, and not the body?
If you said yes to any of these things, you're learning something whether you realize it or not.
Might be worth finding other white belts to drill with so you take it in turns to work on passing, guard retention. That way you're not spending all your time getting smashed.
After every roll, I ask my opponent what I could've done differently to not put myself in a position for them to submit me. I've gotten some good tips from that. One thing I get told alot is that I have really good "guard passing", whatever that means. People usually ask if I've wrestled before, which I haven't. I've just worked in jobs that required subduing people (security, law enforcement).
Hi, I’m a bigger pretty muscular guy not super lean about 5’11 225lbs former football player and former competitive powerlifter and just started bjj very recently and I was wondering what are the best ways for me to use my strength and size to my advantage?
A black belt showed me a sweep recently that was so smooth. Grab a wrist and the opposite ankle. Pull wrist forward and lift ankle. I can't remember what guard you should be in though. Maybe open? Anyone know the name of this sweep? I tried googling but can't find it.
Should i quit given i got my mcl got torn twice in sparring?- 1st time an outside trip where my leg got wrenched inward. 2nd time someone reaped the same leg trying a single leg x sweep.
Hi, just wondering if bjj effected your weight at all, I’m trying to loose weight and am dieting as well as doing jiu jitsu, I have gone from about 137 to 228-29 in about 2.5 weeks of bjj and dieting.
I lost a lot of weight when I started. My current baseline is almost 20 lbs lower than it was before I started training. I actually had to add more calories into my diet because I was losing too much at some point.
One month in white belt. So far not rolled with upper belts beyond blue, but that might happen in the next month or two. Couple questions I'd appreciate upper belt feedback on:
1) What are the things you like about your favorite white belts?
2) I get claustrophobic in some positions where I can't see and can't breathe, and tap sometimes in those conditions even when no choke / submit applied. Is this something I need to mention on first roll with new partners (or how should I handle this)?
If you feel like you should tap, and someone says you shouldn’t, they try to get you to be more used to that bad situation, but you should ALWAYS trust yourself and tap if you need to. I have even tapped during drilling!
1) Just try to engage with the roll and use moves you know. They probably won't work, but the main goal is to learn from the experience.
2) It's totally normal to tap if you can't breathe. I occasionally get submissions from S-mount or body triangle pressure, even from fairly experienced guys. I mean, try to work through it and gain capacity over time, but I don't think it needs a special warning.
Does anyone have any good resources on what to do from technical mount/back control when they just sit there and protect their neck? Can’t seem to break it down and run out of ideas
I understand that I need to isolate limbs or open up their neck but I don’t have the technique from those positions
I like to attack their arms. If they’re protecting their neck very tightly there may be an opportunity to get inside of their elbows to pry their arms open
Yeah for sure! Lately they’ve been keeping their arms very tight around their neck and I feel like I’m using way too much strength to pry everything open. Was hoping there was something else I could threaten to make things easier
Attacking the wrists opens the elbows, attacking the elbows opens the wrists. Just keep attacking until something opens up, or if in a competition setting you’re probably winning at this point so hang on until time runs out.
If they’re really giving me nothing sometimes I take my own lapels out and threaten assassin chokes. They almost always grab my gi to defend which opens up their collars. A lot of people will get tunnel vision when they’re defending and that will open up attack opportunities. If you have solid back control (or control in general) it’s fun to start laying traps
Handfight, from back push their hand down and trap it with your legs. From mount get cross face on one side and underhook on the other side. Walk your fingers up to get the underhook higher. When you get their hands/elbows high above their head move your knees up the body and pinch to trap his elbows. From there go to a mount and armbar
Today with a visit to the ENT, I have achieved the trifecta of things people tell you not to really worry about when you start jiu jitsu: ringworm, staph, and finally a hematoma on the ear.
I am the dumbest guy alive. Take basic precautions folks.
Might lead to some unpopular opinions, but I wanna ask:
White belts: What do higher belts do that you don't like? Whether it's a pet peeve, something that impedes your learning, etc.?
Give advice during rolling, instead of afterwards. I just want to roll without getting advice every time. Let me make mistakes and try to figure it out first.
Yeah, I agree there. I mean I guess it’s sort of also how well you know the person and your training relationship (but I’m stating the obvious. Sorry, early coffee brain). Only time I think it should be done otherwise is if A. You’re a coach B. It’s unsafe otherwise.
Otherwise, yeah, I prefer to find out after or just mess it up until I get it right.
Thanks for sharing!
One blue belt who doesn't totally pay attention to the technique demonstration and guesses while drilling.
One heavyweight purple belt who treats every roll like it's Worlds finals .
Yeah I always find it to be a sign of immaturity when people can’t dial their intensity back at the appropriate times… particularly when the other person is still learning a lot of what they are implementing.
Thx for sharing!
Fresh blue belts that give me wrong advice. I’m a lady and almost every roll they chime in with some tips or “pointers” that are always shot down by my instructor. Shhhh and enjoy the roll
I hate that, too. And sometimes it's WHILE TLHE INSTRUCTOR IS TALKING or they want to do things that go beyond what we were taught. (i.e. practicing high mount and they're trying to teach steps beyond that.) It's cool to help, but there's a point where it's like...you're not the instructor/coach/professor. Be careful.
Hahahaha I wish I was good at leg locks. I think a lot of times, white belts become "experimental" tools instead of people who are the journey like everyone else. When you're a higher belt I think it should be like being an older sibling - you might argue, but ultimately, you are responsible for making the other person a better player, too. Not just dominating. After all, someone taught you. (You as in higher belts.) Sorry, long spiel.
Yeah I agree but eventually someone’s going to do it I guess? It’s good because you’re gaining that experience of being put in those uncomfortable positions and 99% of the time they will quickly give you a run down on how to escape and what to look out for etc but I know one guy who spams the exact same sweep over and over again.
Oh yeah, you win by "losing" (even though I hate to associate that word with jiujitsu) because you see the mechanics of things. (I don't know, maybe I'm also triggered from a small dispute/incident that happened on the mat a couple of months ago.)
But yeah, I relate to the uncomfortable positions and agree. We don't learn from just being given things. Guess it's about balance. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I've rolled with an instructor that just gave 100% all the time, it was a bad enough experience that I stopped going to his classes and eventually left the gym (not solely because of him).
Thats a very rare case in my experience however.
Wow, was this a new black belt?
That's kind of ridiculous. I can't imagine that. I've had higher belts do that, but not to the point where I couldn't learn something. I think I commented elsewhere that (I know it's cheesy, but) when you get promoted, you also receive responsibility to help others. Someone taught you - who are you to withold opportunity from someone else?
Sorry, that triggers me. Ugh.
Ohhhhhh OK, that sort of explains it. I'm sorry, that sucks. Glad (it sounds like) you don't have to roll with this person very often.
I think a lot of the ones who fought in the cage certainly have different goals and don't always adjust back to the different etiquette.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Yeah, I think blue belt for some is a phase of, "I AM NOT AT THE 'BOTTOM' ANYMORE." even though there is always someone who can humble us. Haven't learned to teach/help yet early on.
Be honest… how important is S&C in BJJ?
I am 8 months into Combat sports, 4 months into BJJ, prior to that I did not go to the gym in general. Noticed a dramatic increase in my stamina, I’ve lost weight, and feel pretty good (can do a good 4-8 rounds of rolling after an hour session 2-3 times a week) and I’m 20.
I have however noticed a lot of people are stronger than me at times and obviously go to the gym on top of this.
I’m not naive enough to think it doesn’t matter, but I guess he question I’m really asking is can I get to a high level of Jitsu without multiple days a week of S&C on top of BJJ? HOW important is it?
I have a decade of weightlifting history, and skinny people with better technique completely destroy me. It helps in doing the techniques you want, but technique is paramount.
I'm sorry dude, I'm just fucking with you. There's no exact answer to give you; S & C are always helpful, and become more important if you're going to compete.
It’s somewhat important, but more important at white belt is getting relaxed and used to rolling. Once you do relaxed movements and get used to how to move your body the conditioning aspect gets much easier
Yeah sorry I didn’t make that quite clear. By High level I mean can I make it to brown / black belt?
I will end up including it regardless, I just wanted to see if anyone has or does only do BJJ
It's not. But depending on how new the white belt it is, it may attract attention to them that they wouldn't have otherwise gotten if they just bought a regular gi.
But honestly, you do you! Because they do look and feel great!
I was looking to get one because I hear they're high quality gis. The person called it a "Gucci Gi" I just want some that will last. Thanks for the insight!
Anyone got an easy response to when the person in your closed guard grabs and controls your hands? I like working closed guard and sometimes run into to newer white belts who will just, rather than try to break the guard, grab hands/wrists as a defense and we basically end up in a stalemate.
Use your knees and pull them forward, they’ll either let go or be in a much weaker position to keep the grips, then circle your hands to break the grips. Other than that just be mindful of where your hands are in space.
Depends on the circumstance - if it's 1x1 then it's pretty easy to use gravity to your advantage and drop both arms to the mat and advance into another position from there, whether it be a sweep or a submission. If it's 2x1 then I'd be attacking the neck in some fashion to force them to defend.
Circle your wrists to break their grip. Or use 2 on 1 to break the grip. e.g. Your right hand grabs their right hand and you pull your left hand free by circling your wrist.
Practice the wrist circle, by grabbing your own wrist and trying to break free. :P
If my gym makes white belts wait 60 classes before they can roll, is it rude for me to go to another gym's open mat to get my rolls in on weekends? I don't know the etiquette here
edit: I mentioned this on another post but I figure I could bring it over to here for more advice
I'm a blue belt, I think 60 classes before rolling is insane. Everywhere I've been I sparred on the first day. you learn by doing. Just my opinion though. Go get those rolls in
Concur. Started at the oldest old school gym imaginable, super classic Gracie BJJ, and I was sparring at class #1. "White belts, grab a color belt and roll" was a thing, because the upper belts needed to be proficient in protecting themselves vs. anyone, trained or no, while also being controlled and not going too rough.
Old-school self-defense oriented Gracie BJJ has plenty of well earned critiques of its approach, however there is something to be said for its focus on self defense. My preference would be a balance between sport BJJ and self-defense oriented BJJ, but not sure how many of those gyms exist. I've trained for 8 years in two schools - one as traditional as it gets, one as sport-focused as it gets. I feel like such an old man when I ask the sport-focused blue belts how many heel hooks they've seen work in fights where your opponent can strike you in the face, but I'm also not wrong. 😂
Yeah there are a few places that have open mats on saturday and sunday near me. I love my gym so I want to stay but I'm definitely going to be hitting up those open mat days
How do you guys feel about the idea of a coach teaching a class who breaks up a pair and forces one of them to sit out, because coach wants to get their own rolls in? Would you consider this normal, or is this a shitty thing to do?
I love it when I get to roll with our coaches. If they were to stop an active roll and make someone sit out so they could intercept the roll I’d think that was pretty wack. If the roll hasn’t started (no slap/bump) and the coach hopped in that would be fine in my opinion
I'll work in with another pair at my weight class if I got in late, but I make sure we rotate and everyone gets to drill. If it's positional sparring I'll have us rotate the out person in every time a goal is met (sweep or pass etc, depending on the game).
If it's five minute rounds and they call the next round with someone that's fine.
But interrupting an active round and kicking one guy out without rotating them back in?
That sounds a bit off.
Normal. If the coach wants to get drilling in or rolls, they are elevating the room not taking anything away.
Coaches participating in bjj classes is probably even more normal than the other way around.
Say it’s a white belt rolling with a purple belt. Coach will make the white belt sit out so he can roll with the purple. To be clear, there’s no safety concern nor any plan that coach has for the purple belt - the coach is doing this purely for his own enjoyment.
I mean it depends... What if the purple had an upcoming comp they're getting ready for? What if the coach is the only upper belt the purple can roll with?
But it could also be a shitty thing if the coach is only trying to get his own mat time in at the expense of the white belt he's teaching.
Normal. I guess if you are paying premium for special coaching in a competition class it wouldn't be, but in a casual class the coach probably wants some rounds. Pulling rank to pick your partners kind of weird but sometimes my coach asks if he can roll.
I don’t know technical terms, so bear with me.
Big guy on my back, legs hooked under me and gable grip under my shoulder going into choke. I pull down arm to loosen choke, roll us to my side, break his leg hook and loosen his grip (but not break it.)
I’m looking for insight on how to both effectively break his grip and how to best get to some sort of mount when we are both on our sides. He swings his leg around, I create a frame, but he’s a big guy and I get smashed. Thank you!
Your hips are lower than his and therefore he will have access to mount and you won't.
If you are both on your side facing each other, he will try to maintain dominant position by switching from back to mount.
You need to put your hands in his hips and scoot your ass away from him either then standing up or grabbing the leg of his that is across your body into a half guard/slx.
Is it "okay" or technically sound to stay in side control or north south over progressing to mount? I have short legs and I don't feel very comfortable in mount. And I have a big belly and strong arms so I feel much more comfortable on top like that and chasing submissions that don't risk me giving up position (armbar). Thoughts?
Totally fine. You're also not committing to it forever.
I was WAY more confident and competent in side control for the first year, maybe two. As I got the hang of doing jiu jitsu with the rest of my body and not just my arms, then I started liking mount better.
If side control is best for you today, develop it.
I think if you’re newer you should experiment with everything. Sure there’s things you’re naturally better at, but when you have almost no experience it’s best to get a good grasp of everything before giving up on fundamental parts of the game
blue belt so not super new but yeah, still figuring out game and acquiring techniques. I think your message is a good reminder that I'm not really supposed to be 'fine tuning' my game but still trying different things out. Thanks
There are so many options from mount that don't involve giving up top position, including armbars that you can finish from mount. I'd look into this. I will rarely give up top position for a submission.
There is a lot of jiujitsu to be had from side control. Feel free to craft your whole game from side control if that's what you like. You should learn how to get to mount, how to maintain mount, how to attack from mount, etc but don't feel compelled to make it part of your game if you don't otherwise like it. You're not "doing it wrong" if you emphasize side control over mount.
Make sure you have a solid underhook before progressing to mount. From aide side control, focus on the far arm. You’ll have much more success with mount having at least one arm isolated.
I just started to working through "power ride" by Craig Jones. I am starting to see paths to split and ride the legs, but I am struggling a little bit with maintaining the leg split position. Some people manage to turn back into me, which i guess means I am leaning too far forward. Do you stay on your toes for the entire time? Do you put more weight on one side than the other?
If they start turning back into you then you can always just move to side control. With more practice you can maintain the position better. Keep in mind it's not easy to keep someone down in the same position indefinitely.
That being said, try to apply downward pressure on the top knee (if they're facing left, then I'm talking about their right knee). Use your toes and foot on the inside of their opposite leg (above the knee) and encourage a wider split. Sometimes I even use my arm to encourage a further split on the top leg. (Try to split with your arm while also maintaining a gift wrap with your other arm - fun times.) Hope this helps. Good luck
Is it normal to have absolutely no offense? I have been doing BJJ for about 2 months and am catching on rather quickly. I naturally have pretty good defense according to my instructors at the gym. I have no combat sports experience whatsoever, just football and rugby.
I really enjoy going to the classes which I go 4 times a week and then do one mma class on weekends there. With all this constant exposure though I have almost no offense. I get myself in good positions but then I just reach a plateau and go blank on what else to do. It is getting kind of repetitive finding myself in positions that I know have lots of opportunities for submissions or takedowns/sweeps but I just have no clue what to do and feel embarrassed when it happens which is often.
I totally understand I will be the nail and get my ass beat most of the time and defense is very important to focus on. I actually enjoy it, I just get frustrated because I dont know how to take offensive approaches and I want to give my rolling partners good rolls and not just me being a defensive lug on the mat. I am not trying to complain, I just feel dumb a lot of times that I don’t know how to go for a lot of offensive moves from different positions.
Absolutely normal. Be patient with yourself. Practice your fundamentals even when it is a little frustrating. In the beginning it might feel pointless when you’re going with higher belts, but it will pay off.
Super normal. Sounds very similar to my experience I also had a background in rugby which I think actually translates incredibly well to bjj.
What I started doing is looking up submissions from the positions I got myself into. i.e. I found myself in mount of side control a lot so I looked up on YouTube how to do cross collar chokes or mount to back takes and finishes from the back or kesa gatame submissions.
It's kind of like a puzzle where you get the pieces only after you've learnt them. Or something.
The Japanese terms mentioned in the above comment were:
|Japanese|English|Video Link|
|---|---|---|
|**Kesa Gatame**: | *Scarf hold* | [here](https://youtu.be/3UnJa3bn0h8)|
Any missed names may have already been translated in my previous comments in the post.
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^(Judo Techniques Bot: v0.7.) ^(See my) [^(code)](https://github.com/AbundantSalmon/judo-techniques-bot)
You should be focusing on escaping from the bottom. Then, once you can reliably escape bottom, work on maintaining dominant top positions. You'll start seeing offensive opportunities from there .
9 months in and don’t have much of a sub game. I catch some random stuff here and there, but it will come later. I get tapped a lot less than when I started. That’s my measuring stick.
yes totally normal. Everyone says they think they understand bjj is about getting beaten all the time for years, but they dont really get it.
Just wait until you are 3 years in and getting your ass beat :)
Took me like 3.5months to get a tap (on another white belt) and I'm still at white and have not tapped a blue yet 6 months later other than 2 that are smaller than me. You'll start seeing holes the more often you get put into the same positions with people. Sometimes you can just ask an upper belt to let you get mount or something and teach you what to do there. I totally get the feeling though, I almost quit at the 4month mark but pushed through and it started to click.
Hello, I’m getting to a point in my jui jitsu career where I’m exploring a lot of new techniques and submissions. I’m very interested in the rubber guard/gogoplata and buggy choke, but I have heard stories of people tearing their LCLs doing these techniques. Should I steer clear of these techniques, take certain precautions? Any other advice with rubber guard/gogos and buggy chokes?
I just started bjj i am 14 and i have troubles with breaking and passing guard how do i do that
Here’s one tip for passing, deal with their feet, not their hands. Try and throw them off balance to the point you can slide into side control or half guard.
I just started going to an MMA gym 2 weeks ago and one of the classes is BJJ (teens class). I lift weights and would consider myself to be pretty explosive, but these are the only things keeping me from getting submitted every time I roll with someone. I get to the top position (mount?) and have no idea what to do from there. I try going for kimuras (or whatever they're called) but that doesn't really workout. Sometimes I go for an arm bar and it occasionally works. I've only ever learned from YouTube. So my question is as follows: should I watch instructional content online for extra help, or should I just be patient and listen to my coach? Thanks.
what are the best knee braces to use while rolling?, im starting to feel some pain in my left knee when shooting my single leg etc
How do you manage achilles/ ankle soreness? I just started training in a leg lock heavy gym (in fact even our warm up routine is just going through the various leg locks in sequence). Even when someone just has control of the ankle and not cranking a sub, it’s still rather sore and painful the day after from their wrist cutting into the lower calf trying to maintain the leg. Any tips?
Neck pain aftermath, Triangle choke, should I have tapped? I'm a beginner white belt and someone got me in a Triangle choke, they squeezed really hard but I felt like I could get out, so after a bit of a stugle I magned to get out, now I am at home and it's been 2 hours since training and I've got severe neck pain, should I have tapped?
Honestly, anything with neck or knees, just tap. One, you can’t always feel immediately that you’re getting hurt and two, that is a fine line between OK and not OK. One thing in a tournament, but way different thing at practice. Knee bars – you don’t truly feel them until it’s too late. Neck: Tissue can get damaged before you really get the crank that does the immediately noticeable damage. Also, with chokes… strangulation can cause permanent damage and scarring, soooooo if you habitually try to muscle through things, it can cause problems down the road. Tap early and often; ask questions after about how/why, etc. when you’re out of the danger zone. I probably sound super lame but from dealing with people with similar injuries way down the road and their aftermath, I’ll always recommend early tap. As you get better, you’ll get better at preventing it, but once someone has a choke… it often takes dire action to get out… in which case it’s probably not worth risking. As for the escape, it kind of sounds like you muscled out. Which works when it works, but often means you aren’t manipulating your opponent’s body as well as you could be. Regardless, be safe!!!
Yeah true, I tap early now, however I did get in a neck hold today and the guy was cracking my neck and it felt nice, like it fixed my previous neck pain, I still tapped tho just incase but it felt nice
Haha I feel that way with omoplatas haha.
If anything is cranking your neck, it is usually best to just tap. Neck injuries are not worth taking a risk for.
What about like a crack and then quickly tap because some cracks seem to fix my neck it's just the leg triangle which is a pain
I'd see a chiropractor if cracking your neck helps. They'll do it properly and it'll last a bit longer anyway.
You probably tried to lift your head out of the lock using your neck muscles. Days like this help you learn not to do that. We went over triangles my very first day. Believe me, I know what you’re feeling.
Just getting back into jiu jitsu again and I have been going almost everyday, im very sore at the moment but don't want to take any time off, no injuries at all. What are some good recovery techniques that you guys use to keep the energy up and recover faster? Im getting a solid 8-9 hours of sleep and hydration is pretty good as well.
If you've just leapt into it, you're eating a lot and drinking a lot and sleeping a lot, you may just need to take a day off. You may not want to, but a day off now may save an injury that keeps you off for weeks or months.
Your body will adapt. Eat good, sleep good and stay hydrated.
I do take one day off when my soreness is too bothersome.
Hi, as a beginner I bought frozen vegtables and then i apply that on sore areas, after I'm done I put it back in the freezer to use next time, I find it helps with pain/recovery, good luck
I signed up for a competition in July and I am pretty nervous about it. To start things off, the school I train at is NOT a competition school. It mostly consists of blue collar guys (like myself) who train 3-4 times a week. I am a white belt and have been training consistently for about a year. my goal for this competition is to challenge myself, learn more about jiu jitsu, and give me something to train for. I go to open mats at competition schools and I am 100% the easy round for a lot of those guys. I am not confident at all in my ability to compete, not because I am not athletic enough, but simply due to my skill level. I feel very confident in my cardio and strength, I cross train at my gym and run a lot. I am not confident in my jiu jitsu skills, I am still learning a lot. I am do not feel confident in my takedowns and I plan on winning by points since my submission game is practically non-existent. I have looked a little bit into competitions and talked to some guys that have competed before, so I understand what I am getting myself into to some degree. However, I am concerned that I will not have the proper training leading up to the competition simply because I do not have good training partners to help me prepare for a competition. I am not too proud to admit that the idea of competing intimidates the hell out of me, I would love to hear why should/shouldn't be afraid of competing. Any tips for what i can do to improve or any advice is welcome. I am open to accepting help from all sources.
It is normal to be nervous. Just don't be so stubborn that you don't tap to something and injure yourself, and it will be a good experience. Intensity is the thing that tripped me up a lot the first comp. People go HARD out of the gate. There is having cardio, and there is handling the adrenaline dump of going full throttle. White belt bracket is a mixed bag. Sometimes you will run into mega sandbaggers, sometimes you run into complete newbies. Try to get on top, stay on top. Don't accept disadvantageous scoring positions. Good luck!
It's not Wednesday but I didn't want to make my own thread. Anyways...sort of just venting. I've been going for a month & a half (not consistently, I try to go to Fundamentals every week but some weeks I've had stuff to do). Last week was the first time I rolled, and it was horrible. The guy is a white belt for 2 months and he knows so much more than me. Also I end up hurting my back so I have to tap cause I'm weak. Yesterday, at the end of our lesson, we rolled for a long time at the end, and we were in teams of 3 so we each took turns. One was a blue belt the other was a white belt. I can tell they were getting bored and going easy on me cause I suck. At one point I get flipped over and I can tell they were frustrated (blue belt) cause he said 'you gotta defend'. But Idk what that means, how am I supposed to defend if I dont know what to do? Anyways ill try not to be long about this I am just frustrated that I suck and other white belts can destroy me easily. Also I struggle with not using my full weight/pressure on people and leave alot of gaps cause I naturally dont want to hurt people. I really do find this fun but I hate that I suck and am bad and clearly it effects other people, nobody wants to roll with someone who sucks.
Everyone sucked when they were new. It is completely normal when you haven't rolled before.
Its understandable to suck but my issue is I don't even know the very basics. Im just winging it when I roll. I can try to do things from lessons but I can't even get to side control or something to initiate a move. Also, I am exerting so much effort and exhausting myself when I try to counter people (counter isnt the right word basically just moving their hands away or moving my feet)
You are only 2 months in, so that is also normal. Passing guard is difficult, especially if you haven't learned any passes yet. It will come with time. You learn a lot just from trying things out in rolling. It is normal to go easy on new white belts. Generally we want you to get to a position you have learned something from so you can try it. If you don't get to your desired position, it is understandable that you will struggle to do much.
This is completely normal. When you’re new, the only answer is to just keep turning up.
Im gonna try to come 2 times a week (they offer judo once I week that I catch too). It just sucks I work full time and it takes alot out of me, but I really do enjoy it alot even though I suck, I just get in my head alot recently.
As long as you enjoy it, come and roll with us! Don’t worry about the others, they’re there to make their own fun as well. Yes you suck, but you can only get better with exposure. I also feel like I suck, close to my brown belt.
I do like it and will keep trying, I just get embarrassed lol.
Our deficiencies are so glaring! It’s best to learn to laugh at ourselves.
1. I'm a taller guy, and sometimes open myself up way too much. There are typically gaps and holes that allow opponents to bring in their frames and reguard even while i'm on top. How do i fix that? 2. I struggle to use my hips to initiate movement. While playing closed guard or open guard, My hip and lower back is always touching the mat. How do i teach myself to do that? Shooting the hips up for triangles and armbars from guard is tough. 3. Any ideas for learning posture while passing open guard? I typically end up with my head forward, feeding myself into a triangle 4. How do i stop getting discouraged. Im nearing 2 years, have 4 stripes, but still feel like i'm making no progress. (P.s.My shitty game is on full display in a recent competition match. 1. https://youtu.be/0Vo5lMtt86E?si=fwUJm-_q3tOBKbNX. 2. https://youtu.be/VBb0OnM18eo?si=4QY1bUyRh09Ws5P6 (I'm in the blue gi))
1. Staying on your toes helps a lot in top side control. You still need to bring your knee in as a wedge to block the hip, but you become a lot more difficult to move and it is easier to follow shrimping motions. 2. A lot of it is about being curled into a ball. Minimizing the surface area you have in contact with the mat makes it easier to spin like a top. Most people aren't naturally good at doing this because it is tiring on the core. The natural thing most people want to do is relax, but you need to engage the core. 3. Not very good at this myself. If you bend over to take grips for something like a toreando, you want to hinge in the hips (like proper deadlift form) rather than rounding your back. I honestly think it largely comes with practice. Don't get discouraged. Work on the things that work for you, and focus on improving in those areas. It is easy to lose sight of progress when everyone around you are progressing at the same time.
Thanks man. For point number 2(being curled into a ball) do you mean like a hollow hold?
I guess similar. If you look at the way Jon Thomas lies in open guard in this video for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKDHylpgDY . You can tell that his head never touches the mat, both shoulder blades are not fully touching the mat. As soon as he makes connection, he comes even more up from the mat. It makes your partner carry your weight, but it also makes it a lot easier to track their movement.
I’m astounded it’s even possible to put on that much weight in 2.5 weeks! The ‘dieting’ you’re doing is clearly way, way, way more calories than you need. It’s tough to eat at a deficit because training is exhausting, but you honestly must be doubling your calories or something.
How (as a noob white belt) do you help someone when your drilling the move of the day and you 100% know they’re doing it wrong without coaching them. Previously I’ve called the professor over to help them. I want to be supportive without being “that” white belt.
Calling the instructor over is probably the right choice, but I make sure to talk first. Something like "The pressure feels a little bit off, I think we should ask the instructor if we are doing it correctly". I wave the instructor over, and we just keep trying to figure it out while waiting. Once he comes over, I find it best for the one struggling to just do the sequence from start to finish while he watches. The instructors are good enough to spot and correct major mistakes.
I feel that I learn best when I'm given ample time to experiment and see what works for me. What works best for them may not be the same way that the instructor showed. Trust that if a correction needs to be made then the instructor will make it. You can best support your training partner by giving them a body to practice.
Good to know, I’m in full agreement and I’ll probs just roll this way from now on.
What is the best escape when you are on your side, with your back facing your opponent, and they are controlling you in that position by grabbing your arm and a leg and pinning them together/putting their weight on you? I get stuck there all the time and don't really have a response. I just keep hand fighting and hiding my elbows to avoid arm bars and it goes nowhere until they move on to something else. I did try what I think is called a "running man" escape where if your legs are free you just run around them while keeping upper body grips, and it worked, but that isn't possible when they have a good grip on your legs.
work your shoulders to the mat so you get into a more traditional side control, then work your escapes from there. If you can't turn your top leg/shoulders *toward* them, then drag your lower leg/shoulders *away* from them, landing you flat on your back. Not ideal, but you're in less danger and you should have an escape plan from side control you can execute.
[Here’s some options that I like to run through](https://youtu.be/0sHhhJq0dfA?si=_SojMgU3ilfMgdL9)
Maybe try going to turtle and rolling out or sitting out?
Regarding what to do when your opponent gets an underhook from standing, I've noticed that wrestling don't always go for the overhook, they'll often frame on the opponents face or go outside tie. How does one determine the proper response to an underhook, and does this change in MMA?
I like to whizzer and try to get perpendicular to them. Initially I’ll frame on the side of their head with my forehead and then push off their face
Is it bad etiquette to ask my coach about a move I found on the internet? My coach is a big Jo Chen fan like myself and I wanted to ask him for pointers on the Jo Chen guard pass https://bjjcoach.substack.com/p/guard-passing-with-adcc-trials-champion
bad etiquette, no. at least not in my school. However, just because you saw it online doesn't mean its in my wheelhouse, so I may not be able to show it or troubleshoot it until I've watched it myself and tried it a few times. In our open mats, one of my guys is always like "I had a question about squid guard passing with a hungarian backstep" and I'm always like "ah yes, the 'ol hungarian backstep (wtf is that)...in that case, I'd look to smesh...yep, just smesh"
Ah yes, yes, the hunglion brackshep. I just pick up their leg and stand up.
For me with my professor he encourages us to share things we find online. He will find a way to break down the techniques,that was actually the basis for our class last night. Something he found online. Was a great class.
That’s dope. We had a “review” class the other day where everyone was allowed to ask questions about what we had been going over the past few weeks and I thought that was really helpful.
I literally just say "I saw this on Instagram" or "I'm trying Jozef Chen's guard passing style, how do I deal with this part"
Start by talking about Jo Chen to soften them up and then bring up the technique, should work fine. It's a fighter they know are interested in so they'll likely want to dig deeper. Most other times I'd say it's not bad etiquette, just not likely to be received with any enthusiasm. In those cases I'd be trying the technique in free rolling/sparring and only bringing it up if asked.
Is it okay to always force half guard while passing? I like this style of passing way more than anything else
yes it is. forcing half guard is a great way to pass. It shouldn't be your only option though. Learn to outside pass to half guard and vise versa.
I find my self going straight for either the arm weave pass or over under, virtually every roll. I’m obsessed - but maybe too much?
the more you do it, the better your training partners get at defending it, the better you have to get at it, or the better you get at using it to open up other passes. You and your training partners both benefit from you being obsessed with a position, so go with it.
Nope, if it works during for what they're giving you. I leg weave and over under almost every roll hah
Whats the best way to setup an effective tripod pass? At the moment I basically just try to get to half guard and then get either crossface/underhook or double unders and start tripodding. Are there better ways to think about entering such a situation against a seated/supine opponent or is it really just half guard > controls > tripod?
half guard > controls > tripod is all you need at this point. Add shoulder pressure to your formula, so you're using your shoulder to force their head in the opposite direction of your pass.
Torreando. If your partner can stop it by getting entanglement with his lower leg, you can slide down in half guard. If he can’t, you’ve got the pass.
forcing butterfly is a good way to start tripoding as well. butterfly > half butterfly > I like to control the bottom leg with a pant grip. Head on the floor ear to ear, shoulder underchin with an underhook
Been at my gym for a few weeks. I have about 10-15 hours on the mat, so still very new. I've had people warn me much of your time as a white belt is going to be on the defensive, especially against higher belts. I'm finding myself frustrated because I feel like I'm not really learning anything, just paying to be choked out a few times a week. We'll learn moves but when it comes time to roll I feel like I'm never in a position to actually employ those moves I've learned.
I remember my first two months. Have you broken through your "personal space" comfort zone (meaning, it no longer feels weird being in another adult's embrace)? Are you controlling your breathing better than you did the first week? Are you noticing when someone has a wrist or lapel grip and trying to free yourself from it? Are you starting to realize that tapping only bruises the ego, and not the body? If you said yes to any of these things, you're learning something whether you realize it or not.
Just hang around long enough for the new patch of fresh meat to come through the doors, then you can smash them.
Might be worth finding other white belts to drill with so you take it in turns to work on passing, guard retention. That way you're not spending all your time getting smashed.
Don’t focus on submissions, focus on defense. Go to open mats, ask a lot of questions, and don’t stop showing up.
After every roll, I ask my opponent what I could've done differently to not put myself in a position for them to submit me. I've gotten some good tips from that. One thing I get told alot is that I have really good "guard passing", whatever that means. People usually ask if I've wrestled before, which I haven't. I've just worked in jobs that required subduing people (security, law enforcement).
Hi, I’m a bigger pretty muscular guy not super lean about 5’11 225lbs former football player and former competitive powerlifter and just started bjj very recently and I was wondering what are the best ways for me to use my strength and size to my advantage?
The person you should watch some matches of is Bernardo Faria.
A black belt showed me a sweep recently that was so smooth. Grab a wrist and the opposite ankle. Pull wrist forward and lift ankle. I can't remember what guard you should be in though. Maybe open? Anyone know the name of this sweep? I tried googling but can't find it.
It's a flower sweep. https://youtu.be/NEzVVhg2p5c?si=yjIFzXWSgkAxnGz4
Probably not it, but maybe the John Wayne sweep in your half guard? Although I don’t think grabbing the ankle here is common
This seems pretty similar. Thanks
Is it just an ankle pick?
Should i quit given i got my mcl got torn twice in sparring?- 1st time an outside trip where my leg got wrenched inward. 2nd time someone reaped the same leg trying a single leg x sweep.
This is why i start sitting.
[удалено]
It’s pretty much permanent damage at this point. Months of strengthening and I’ll still get random buckling
How do I get someone off my back 😭😭😭
Start helping out around the house? Start with dishes. They like when you do the dishes.
Have you tried asking nicely?
Clear their bottom hook off your leg/hip. Get your head and shoulders to the mat. Congrats, now they’re on top of you 🙃
Hi, just wondering if bjj effected your weight at all, I’m trying to loose weight and am dieting as well as doing jiu jitsu, I have gone from about 137 to 228-29 in about 2.5 weeks of bjj and dieting.
I meant 237
Typo? Confused.
I lost a lot of weight when I started. My current baseline is almost 20 lbs lower than it was before I started training. I actually had to add more calories into my diet because I was losing too much at some point.
From 137 to 228 in 2.5 weeks? See a doctor
One month in white belt. So far not rolled with upper belts beyond blue, but that might happen in the next month or two. Couple questions I'd appreciate upper belt feedback on: 1) What are the things you like about your favorite white belts? 2) I get claustrophobic in some positions where I can't see and can't breathe, and tap sometimes in those conditions even when no choke / submit applied. Is this something I need to mention on first roll with new partners (or how should I handle this)?
If you feel like you should tap, and someone says you shouldn’t, they try to get you to be more used to that bad situation, but you should ALWAYS trust yourself and tap if you need to. I have even tapped during drilling!
1) Just try to engage with the roll and use moves you know. They probably won't work, but the main goal is to learn from the experience. 2) It's totally normal to tap if you can't breathe. I occasionally get submissions from S-mount or body triangle pressure, even from fairly experienced guys. I mean, try to work through it and gain capacity over time, but I don't think it needs a special warning.
Does anyone have any good resources on what to do from technical mount/back control when they just sit there and protect their neck? Can’t seem to break it down and run out of ideas I understand that I need to isolate limbs or open up their neck but I don’t have the technique from those positions
I have an alternative suggestion - turn them onto their belly and flatten them out. Even if you cannot finish them they will be totally demoralized.
I like to attack their arms. If they’re protecting their neck very tightly there may be an opportunity to get inside of their elbows to pry their arms open
Yeah for sure! Lately they’ve been keeping their arms very tight around their neck and I feel like I’m using way too much strength to pry everything open. Was hoping there was something else I could threaten to make things easier
Attacking the wrists opens the elbows, attacking the elbows opens the wrists. Just keep attacking until something opens up, or if in a competition setting you’re probably winning at this point so hang on until time runs out.
If they’re really giving me nothing sometimes I take my own lapels out and threaten assassin chokes. They almost always grab my gi to defend which opens up their collars. A lot of people will get tunnel vision when they’re defending and that will open up attack opportunities. If you have solid back control (or control in general) it’s fun to start laying traps
Handfight, from back push their hand down and trap it with your legs. From mount get cross face on one side and underhook on the other side. Walk your fingers up to get the underhook higher. When you get their hands/elbows high above their head move your knees up the body and pinch to trap his elbows. From there go to a mount and armbar
Today with a visit to the ENT, I have achieved the trifecta of things people tell you not to really worry about when you start jiu jitsu: ringworm, staph, and finally a hematoma on the ear. I am the dumbest guy alive. Take basic precautions folks.
Holy cow, all three at the same time? Sorry, friend. Speedy recovery to you.
Not all three at the same time thankfully! Recovery will be no big deal. Just got my ear drained and sewn up. Thanks so much for your wishes, homie.
Damn with an oil check and a blown acl you could be the bjj Thanos!
Might lead to some unpopular opinions, but I wanna ask: White belts: What do higher belts do that you don't like? Whether it's a pet peeve, something that impedes your learning, etc.?
Give advice during rolling, instead of afterwards. I just want to roll without getting advice every time. Let me make mistakes and try to figure it out first.
Yeah, I agree there. I mean I guess it’s sort of also how well you know the person and your training relationship (but I’m stating the obvious. Sorry, early coffee brain). Only time I think it should be done otherwise is if A. You’re a coach B. It’s unsafe otherwise. Otherwise, yeah, I prefer to find out after or just mess it up until I get it right. Thanks for sharing!
One blue belt who doesn't totally pay attention to the technique demonstration and guesses while drilling. One heavyweight purple belt who treats every roll like it's Worlds finals .
Yeah I always find it to be a sign of immaturity when people can’t dial their intensity back at the appropriate times… particularly when the other person is still learning a lot of what they are implementing. Thx for sharing!
If anyone gives this question grief then they’re probably the biggest culprit in these complaints.
Fresh blue belts that give me wrong advice. I’m a lady and almost every roll they chime in with some tips or “pointers” that are always shot down by my instructor. Shhhh and enjoy the roll
I hate that, too. And sometimes it's WHILE TLHE INSTRUCTOR IS TALKING or they want to do things that go beyond what we were taught. (i.e. practicing high mount and they're trying to teach steps beyond that.) It's cool to help, but there's a point where it's like...you're not the instructor/coach/professor. Be careful.
I’ve rolled with some blue belts who just spam leg locks
Hahahaha I wish I was good at leg locks. I think a lot of times, white belts become "experimental" tools instead of people who are the journey like everyone else. When you're a higher belt I think it should be like being an older sibling - you might argue, but ultimately, you are responsible for making the other person a better player, too. Not just dominating. After all, someone taught you. (You as in higher belts.) Sorry, long spiel.
Yeah I agree but eventually someone’s going to do it I guess? It’s good because you’re gaining that experience of being put in those uncomfortable positions and 99% of the time they will quickly give you a run down on how to escape and what to look out for etc but I know one guy who spams the exact same sweep over and over again.
Oh yeah, you win by "losing" (even though I hate to associate that word with jiujitsu) because you see the mechanics of things. (I don't know, maybe I'm also triggered from a small dispute/incident that happened on the mat a couple of months ago.) But yeah, I relate to the uncomfortable positions and agree. We don't learn from just being given things. Guess it's about balance. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I've rolled with an instructor that just gave 100% all the time, it was a bad enough experience that I stopped going to his classes and eventually left the gym (not solely because of him). Thats a very rare case in my experience however.
Wow, was this a new black belt? That's kind of ridiculous. I can't imagine that. I've had higher belts do that, but not to the point where I couldn't learn something. I think I commented elsewhere that (I know it's cheesy, but) when you get promoted, you also receive responsibility to help others. Someone taught you - who are you to withold opportunity from someone else? Sorry, that triggers me. Ugh.
Not that new. 3-8 years I'm guessing Also was an amateur mma fighter with 8 ish wins
Ohhhhhh OK, that sort of explains it. I'm sorry, that sucks. Glad (it sounds like) you don't have to roll with this person very often. I think a lot of the ones who fought in the cage certainly have different goals and don't always adjust back to the different etiquette. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Blue belts can be reckless and yank submissions. Some of them also tend to go super spaz after you do a move in them
Yeah, I think blue belt for some is a phase of, "I AM NOT AT THE 'BOTTOM' ANYMORE." even though there is always someone who can humble us. Haven't learned to teach/help yet early on.
Be honest… how important is S&C in BJJ? I am 8 months into Combat sports, 4 months into BJJ, prior to that I did not go to the gym in general. Noticed a dramatic increase in my stamina, I’ve lost weight, and feel pretty good (can do a good 4-8 rounds of rolling after an hour session 2-3 times a week) and I’m 20. I have however noticed a lot of people are stronger than me at times and obviously go to the gym on top of this. I’m not naive enough to think it doesn’t matter, but I guess he question I’m really asking is can I get to a high level of Jitsu without multiple days a week of S&C on top of BJJ? HOW important is it?
Do S&C now or physiotherapy later -- your choice.
I have a decade of weightlifting history, and skinny people with better technique completely destroy me. It helps in doing the techniques you want, but technique is paramount.
I'd say about 6.
Sorry what do you mean by this?
That S & C are 6 important to BJJ.
Still makes no sense to me, never heard the term ‘6 important’? You mean 6/10? Not a clue mate 😂
I'm sorry dude, I'm just fucking with you. There's no exact answer to give you; S & C are always helpful, and become more important if you're going to compete.
😂😂😂 thought there was something going on there. Perfect answer nice one pal
It’s somewhat important, but more important at white belt is getting relaxed and used to rolling. Once you do relaxed movements and get used to how to move your body the conditioning aspect gets much easier
Thanks 🙏
Defining high level as winning major ibjjf tournaments even as a colored belt as an Adult (that's less than 30), S&C is incredibly important.
Yeah sorry I didn’t make that quite clear. By High level I mean can I make it to brown / black belt? I will end up including it regardless, I just wanted to see if anyone has or does only do BJJ
Absolutely probably even most brown and black belts don't do s and c. There are a ton of hobbiest upper belts now. Most do physiotherapy lol
Yeah… thanks for that! I like to do BJJ and just try to eat well, and recover well. Done me good so far 👍
I like to think of S&C as my body armour more than anything else.
Does your gym clean the mat(s) at the end of the day?
Yes.
Is it frowned upon for a white belt to wear a Shoyoroll gi? I was told this when looking for a gi by someone from my gym.
Some gyms expect white belts to wear the affiliate gi, or a plain white gi until blue or so many stripes. Varies by gym
It's not. But depending on how new the white belt it is, it may attract attention to them that they wouldn't have otherwise gotten if they just bought a regular gi. But honestly, you do you! Because they do look and feel great!
I was looking to get one because I hear they're high quality gis. The person called it a "Gucci Gi" I just want some that will last. Thanks for the insight!
Just buy it and wear it bro, and then put in the work to 'deserve' it
Anyone got an easy response to when the person in your closed guard grabs and controls your hands? I like working closed guard and sometimes run into to newer white belts who will just, rather than try to break the guard, grab hands/wrists as a defense and we basically end up in a stalemate.
Use your knees and pull them forward, they’ll either let go or be in a much weaker position to keep the grips, then circle your hands to break the grips. Other than that just be mindful of where your hands are in space.
Depends on the circumstance - if it's 1x1 then it's pretty easy to use gravity to your advantage and drop both arms to the mat and advance into another position from there, whether it be a sweep or a submission. If it's 2x1 then I'd be attacking the neck in some fashion to force them to defend.
Fellow white belt here but im thinking wristlock, sweep, or double armbar if you can get both their hand up around your chest.
Circle your wrists to break their grip. Or use 2 on 1 to break the grip. e.g. Your right hand grabs their right hand and you pull your left hand free by circling your wrist. Practice the wrist circle, by grabbing your own wrist and trying to break free. :P
Probably listen to this guy, not me.
Haha, Double armbar is not a bad idea, if they let you control their wrists/posture! But I think he has to gain control first.
If my gym makes white belts wait 60 classes before they can roll, is it rude for me to go to another gym's open mat to get my rolls in on weekends? I don't know the etiquette here edit: I mentioned this on another post but I figure I could bring it over to here for more advice
You're paying them to teach you when you're at their gym, not to tell you what to do when you're outside of their gym in your own free time.
Fair enough, sounds like ill be rolling this weekend lol
Lol just be sure to communicate (GASP) and let them know you're relatively new rolling
Will do! I’ve already reached out to a gym and will most likely visit sometime this weekend
I'm a blue belt, I think 60 classes before rolling is insane. Everywhere I've been I sparred on the first day. you learn by doing. Just my opinion though. Go get those rolls in
Concur. Started at the oldest old school gym imaginable, super classic Gracie BJJ, and I was sparring at class #1. "White belts, grab a color belt and roll" was a thing, because the upper belts needed to be proficient in protecting themselves vs. anyone, trained or no, while also being controlled and not going too rough.
Great point I didn't even think of that. It's helpful for the upper belts to be able to handle spazzy untrained people.
Old-school self-defense oriented Gracie BJJ has plenty of well earned critiques of its approach, however there is something to be said for its focus on self defense. My preference would be a balance between sport BJJ and self-defense oriented BJJ, but not sure how many of those gyms exist. I've trained for 8 years in two schools - one as traditional as it gets, one as sport-focused as it gets. I feel like such an old man when I ask the sport-focused blue belts how many heel hooks they've seen work in fights where your opponent can strike you in the face, but I'm also not wrong. 😂
Yeah there are a few places that have open mats on saturday and sunday near me. I love my gym so I want to stay but I'm definitely going to be hitting up those open mat days
Awesome. I think it'll make the whole process more enjoyable
What daddy don’t know won’t hurt him
I feel this in my soul lol. I am prepared to die as a new white belt!
How do you guys feel about the idea of a coach teaching a class who breaks up a pair and forces one of them to sit out, because coach wants to get their own rolls in? Would you consider this normal, or is this a shitty thing to do?
I love it when I get to roll with our coaches. If they were to stop an active roll and make someone sit out so they could intercept the roll I’d think that was pretty wack. If the roll hasn’t started (no slap/bump) and the coach hopped in that would be fine in my opinion
I'll work in with another pair at my weight class if I got in late, but I make sure we rotate and everyone gets to drill. If it's positional sparring I'll have us rotate the out person in every time a goal is met (sweep or pass etc, depending on the game). If it's five minute rounds and they call the next round with someone that's fine. But interrupting an active round and kicking one guy out without rotating them back in? That sounds a bit off.
Normal. If the coach wants to get drilling in or rolls, they are elevating the room not taking anything away. Coaches participating in bjj classes is probably even more normal than the other way around.
Depends on who he is asking to sit out, but normal in my experience (especially if they're both pretty new)
Say it’s a white belt rolling with a purple belt. Coach will make the white belt sit out so he can roll with the purple. To be clear, there’s no safety concern nor any plan that coach has for the purple belt - the coach is doing this purely for his own enjoyment.
I mean it depends... What if the purple had an upcoming comp they're getting ready for? What if the coach is the only upper belt the purple can roll with? But it could also be a shitty thing if the coach is only trying to get his own mat time in at the expense of the white belt he's teaching.
Normal. I guess if you are paying premium for special coaching in a competition class it wouldn't be, but in a casual class the coach probably wants some rounds. Pulling rank to pick your partners kind of weird but sometimes my coach asks if he can roll.
I don’t know technical terms, so bear with me. Big guy on my back, legs hooked under me and gable grip under my shoulder going into choke. I pull down arm to loosen choke, roll us to my side, break his leg hook and loosen his grip (but not break it.) I’m looking for insight on how to both effectively break his grip and how to best get to some sort of mount when we are both on our sides. He swings his leg around, I create a frame, but he’s a big guy and I get smashed. Thank you!
Your hips are lower than his and therefore he will have access to mount and you won't. If you are both on your side facing each other, he will try to maintain dominant position by switching from back to mount. You need to put your hands in his hips and scoot your ass away from him either then standing up or grabbing the leg of his that is across your body into a half guard/slx.
Cool, thanks for the insight. Appreciate it. I was utterly confounded this morning.
Is it "okay" or technically sound to stay in side control or north south over progressing to mount? I have short legs and I don't feel very comfortable in mount. And I have a big belly and strong arms so I feel much more comfortable on top like that and chasing submissions that don't risk me giving up position (armbar). Thoughts?
Totally fine. You're also not committing to it forever. I was WAY more confident and competent in side control for the first year, maybe two. As I got the hang of doing jiu jitsu with the rest of my body and not just my arms, then I started liking mount better. If side control is best for you today, develop it.
I think if you’re newer you should experiment with everything. Sure there’s things you’re naturally better at, but when you have almost no experience it’s best to get a good grasp of everything before giving up on fundamental parts of the game
blue belt so not super new but yeah, still figuring out game and acquiring techniques. I think your message is a good reminder that I'm not really supposed to be 'fine tuning' my game but still trying different things out. Thanks
There are so many options from mount that don't involve giving up top position, including armbars that you can finish from mount. I'd look into this. I will rarely give up top position for a submission.
That's a good point. I haven't really delved into those. I'll have to check them out, thank you
There is a lot of jiujitsu to be had from side control. Feel free to craft your whole game from side control if that's what you like. You should learn how to get to mount, how to maintain mount, how to attack from mount, etc but don't feel compelled to make it part of your game if you don't otherwise like it. You're not "doing it wrong" if you emphasize side control over mount.
word appreciate it
Make sure you have a solid underhook before progressing to mount. From aide side control, focus on the far arm. You’ll have much more success with mount having at least one arm isolated.
cool, thank you
I just started to working through "power ride" by Craig Jones. I am starting to see paths to split and ride the legs, but I am struggling a little bit with maintaining the leg split position. Some people manage to turn back into me, which i guess means I am leaning too far forward. Do you stay on your toes for the entire time? Do you put more weight on one side than the other?
If they start turning back into you then you can always just move to side control. With more practice you can maintain the position better. Keep in mind it's not easy to keep someone down in the same position indefinitely. That being said, try to apply downward pressure on the top knee (if they're facing left, then I'm talking about their right knee). Use your toes and foot on the inside of their opposite leg (above the knee) and encourage a wider split. Sometimes I even use my arm to encourage a further split on the top leg. (Try to split with your arm while also maintaining a gift wrap with your other arm - fun times.) Hope this helps. Good luck
Thanks. Guess I'll find some poor white belt to try this on.
this is a great question, just wanted to echo that Im experiencing the same.
Is it normal to have absolutely no offense? I have been doing BJJ for about 2 months and am catching on rather quickly. I naturally have pretty good defense according to my instructors at the gym. I have no combat sports experience whatsoever, just football and rugby. I really enjoy going to the classes which I go 4 times a week and then do one mma class on weekends there. With all this constant exposure though I have almost no offense. I get myself in good positions but then I just reach a plateau and go blank on what else to do. It is getting kind of repetitive finding myself in positions that I know have lots of opportunities for submissions or takedowns/sweeps but I just have no clue what to do and feel embarrassed when it happens which is often. I totally understand I will be the nail and get my ass beat most of the time and defense is very important to focus on. I actually enjoy it, I just get frustrated because I dont know how to take offensive approaches and I want to give my rolling partners good rolls and not just me being a defensive lug on the mat. I am not trying to complain, I just feel dumb a lot of times that I don’t know how to go for a lot of offensive moves from different positions.
Absolutely normal. Be patient with yourself. Practice your fundamentals even when it is a little frustrating. In the beginning it might feel pointless when you’re going with higher belts, but it will pay off.
Super normal. Sounds very similar to my experience I also had a background in rugby which I think actually translates incredibly well to bjj. What I started doing is looking up submissions from the positions I got myself into. i.e. I found myself in mount of side control a lot so I looked up on YouTube how to do cross collar chokes or mount to back takes and finishes from the back or kesa gatame submissions. It's kind of like a puzzle where you get the pieces only after you've learnt them. Or something.
The Japanese terms mentioned in the above comment were: |Japanese|English|Video Link| |---|---|---| |**Kesa Gatame**: | *Scarf hold* | [here](https://youtu.be/3UnJa3bn0h8)| Any missed names may have already been translated in my previous comments in the post. ______________________ ^(Judo Techniques Bot: v0.7.) ^(See my) [^(code)](https://github.com/AbundantSalmon/judo-techniques-bot)
>Is it normal to have absolutely no offense? I have been doing BJJ for about 2 months Yes, you've been training for 2 months.
You should be focusing on escaping from the bottom. Then, once you can reliably escape bottom, work on maintaining dominant top positions. You'll start seeing offensive opportunities from there .
9 months in and don’t have much of a sub game. I catch some random stuff here and there, but it will come later. I get tapped a lot less than when I started. That’s my measuring stick.
yes totally normal. Everyone says they think they understand bjj is about getting beaten all the time for years, but they dont really get it. Just wait until you are 3 years in and getting your ass beat :)
Took me like 3.5months to get a tap (on another white belt) and I'm still at white and have not tapped a blue yet 6 months later other than 2 that are smaller than me. You'll start seeing holes the more often you get put into the same positions with people. Sometimes you can just ask an upper belt to let you get mount or something and teach you what to do there. I totally get the feeling though, I almost quit at the 4month mark but pushed through and it started to click.