Am I truly getting better?

ProfessorQue

White Belt
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I'm fairly new to BJJ and at my gym there are a lot of high level blue belts, and purple belts. So when I am rolling, obviously I am getting tapped every time. I always ask questions as to how i got caught and the higher belts always show me what i did wrong and help me drill from that specific position.

While this may seem good for me, I feel like I'm only getting better at DEFENDING. I'm always in bad positions and find myself looking for ways out and I never get a chance to work on attacking. I feel like me working on the offensive side of jiu jitsu comes from me rolling with people that are the same level as me (correct me if i am wrong). A lot of the white belts in my class leave immediately following the normal 1 hour class. They dont stay afterwards to roll at all so I feel like im just getting my butt kicked... and getting tapped by blue and purple belts for 2 hours a day just doesnt seem to make me feel like I can accurately see "where I am" in terms of what i may actually know.

What do you guys think? Should i not even be worried about learning to attack? Am I leading myself on? Or am I ACTUALLY getting better and just don't realize it? Thanks guys!
 
Dont focus on submissions,learn how to sweep,scramble,escape and things like that. Its more important to learn movement before you go on submissions believe me.
 
no. everyone else is improving, but you certainly aren't.

of course you're improving, it's just that you're probably at a stage when improving doesn't mean anything when it comes to sparring, especially if the gym is filled with more experienced people. it will take time. it might take another new person to come along so you can smash them before you feel like you've actually learned something.

as long as you're training hard and paying attention, you are getting better.
 
No. You suck. Your the only one in Jiu jitsu, ever to get beat by more advanced students. Everyone on this board was dominating blue and purple belts before their first year in.

Come on man. You aren't going to do shit your first few years against upper belts. I've been training for years and there are higher level guys that just wreck me. Either quit or keep training.
 
I have been at it about 2 years and still mostly only focus on defending. I rarely submit anyone, but I have this weird thing where I only roll with savages that can wreck me. It feels weird when I smash new guys.
 
If a cloned version of you the day you started BJJ walked into the gym and challenged you to a match how would you fair? That's the answer to your question.
 
No. You suck. Your the only one in Jiu jitsu, ever to get beat by more advanced students. Everyone on this board was dominating blue and purple belts before their first year in.

Come on man. You aren't going to do shit your first few years against upper belts. I've been training for years and there are higher level guys that just wreck me. Either quit or keep training.

Hey smart guy. The thing is, I never complained about losing. I never said "I wanna win against higher belts and I'm discouraged that I'm not" I EXPECT to get tapped. My issue was with recognizing my progress and offensive skills if I am only exposed to higher belts.. not sure wtf you were reading lol.. but there's always that one guy.....
 
no. everyone else is improving, but you certainly aren't.

of course you're improving, it's just that you're probably at a stage when improving doesn't mean anything when it comes to sparring, especially if the gym is filled with more experienced people. it will take time. it might take another new person to come along so you can smash them before you feel like you've actually learned something.

as long as you're training hard and paying attention, you are getting better.

Thanks man! I wish we had more people around my skill level lol. It sucks being the low man on the totem pole but I'm taking it all in!
 
You're getting better. Probably. I mean, I don't know you.

But if you are improving your defense against position and submission, you are advancing. And growing.
 
You are getting better, but they are so far ahead of you that it will be hard to notice now. Wait till you get the chance to roll with someone brand new to Jiujitsu. That's when you'll see the huge improvements that you've made.
 
Your getting better, everyone does. Your no exception! The 'you now' could probably beat the you, on your 1st day of class. You clearly see your progression when you go against brand new white belts who have no jiu jitsu no training at all and have no athletic background.

It's very easy to get discouraged going against season blue belts and purple belts because they started training way earlier than you and plus, often times, they have a lifetime of playing other sports or training another martial art to help them get that good!
 
think back to the first day you walked into class and ask yourself do I know more today then when I started. the answer is obviously yes. I just got my blue belt and as a white I focused on defense,escapes,sweeps and tried to learn when I got caught which was often. no I am focusing on attacks. keep at it. this art is not a sprint.
 
I'm fairly new to BJJ and at my gym there are a lot of high level blue belts, and purple belts. So when I am rolling, obviously I am getting tapped every time. I always ask questions as to how i got caught and the higher belts always show me what i did wrong and help me drill from that specific position.

While this may seem good for me, I feel like I'm only getting better at DEFENDING. I'm always in bad positions and find myself looking for ways out and I never get a chance to work on attacking. I feel like me working on the offensive side of jiu jitsu comes from me rolling with people that are the same level as me (correct me if i am wrong). A lot of the white belts in my class leave immediately following the normal 1 hour class. They dont stay afterwards to roll at all so I feel like im just getting my butt kicked... and getting tapped by blue and purple belts for 2 hours a day just doesnt seem to make me feel like I can accurately see "where I am" in terms of what i may actually know.

What do you guys think? Should i not even be worried about learning to attack? Am I leading myself on? Or am I ACTUALLY getting better and just don't realize it? Thanks guys!

I'm in the same situation as you are and I concentrate a lot on small victories, for example when I know someones game a little I'm just gonna picture myself using one technique or counter and if I get it and in the end he smash me for the rest of the spar.

I also focus a lot against on the positions and I rarely go for submissions (I usually don't have the time!!!) and I get my game on point in the submission escapes.

At my school I can usually do stuff to small blue belts and most of the white belts even if they have a lot more experience than me.

For my offense I always have my Kickboxing/MMA classes where we go to the ground sometimes and where nobody but me have a clue of what's going on.
 
Im in the same situation and the problem (at my place anyway) is there arent any new guys joining behind me so I cant see how much I progressed. So I keep getting smashed by multi stripe whites, blues, purples, etc. We have a high number of advanced belts and more than once I can remember being the only white belt in the place. Constantly rolling with purples and browns on a regualr basis. So it can seem like Im going nowhere but I do get feedback from guys that say Im getting better. Sure we would all like to smash on guys but thats not the reason I personally take BJJ. I been taking BJJ 3 months and am 42.
 
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