Does anyone else feel like they are terrible at BJJ?

i used to feel like that. today i ahd my 3rd BJJ class, i thought i was hopeless. today i got my first submision on my friend that has been doign BJJ for about 3-4 months now. i got full mount too, but jsut done mroe layh and pray, i couldnt submit him ( but i kept my position. then i faced a guy in my weight class. he's been doing it for about 4-5 months and i got him in a gilatine and 3 kimuras. then i faced my toughest oppenant ( this guy came 3rd in his weight class in some tourtement), he got me in a gilatine once , but from then on, i fought my heart out, and treid to go for submission but more neutrilaized him. also what helped me against this guy i ahd about 25-30lbs advantage oiver him. then i face my weakest oppenant ( this guy started about 1 month b4 me). he was lighter but he also had no idea. he gave up his back several times quite easily, and let me pass guard into side control and then easilsy onto full mount. i got him in 2 rear naked chokes 1 gilatine and 2 kimuras.

i was extremely pleased today with my performance and grew in confidence. iam starting to see how my technique is compared to other new guys, today for the first time i realised i was actually doing really good ( the last 2 classes i was comparing myself to the best guys who ahve been there for 2 year and have excellent techniques).

WAtching MMA,a Mario Sperry instructional & getting some help of my friend (who hasnt had that much BJJ experience, but he has read books and grappled with his brother and some friends) i think are some major factors that have helped me.

to reply to you post directly, i would encourage you to wacth some BJJ instructional DVD's and practising them with a friend. also ask questions, where you feel you are going wrong (or where u see you grappling can be improved). if you sit there quitely and dont ask questions u'll eventually get it, but its going to take you a longer time .

i hope you stick to it and try your best + ask questions and try constantly to work on your cardio and strength.
 
Yeah.. but who cares. BJJ is fun.
 
Lovesong said:
I go 3 times a week, which is about average. I just had a partiularly bad night last night (very smug newer guy schooled me) and figured I'd post.

I'm glad other people are in the same boat. It seems people who are good a BJJ are very vocal, but the people who are horrible, yet do it anyways are very quiet.
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That's what I figured when I read your first post. Look, it happens. And let's be honest, at four months of grappling, you ARE a terrible grappler. You'll get better. I've been at this for a year and 2 months and I got tooled up one side of the gym and down the other by a lower belt last night. It happens. When it does, you take your medicine and go back to the next class and try to do better.

There's no shame in getting schooled. There's no shame in getting schooled by someone who hasn't been training as long or is at a lower belt level. The only shame is in quitting because you had a bad night. Go to the next class and try to improve. FWIW, it has never "clicked" for me in the sense that one day I just got better as a grappler, but CONCEPTS do just "click." You figure out a guard pass you've been trying, or that you are getting hung in triangles or armbars because your elbow is too tight, or whatever. You "get" posture, hip control, etc. But you don't just turn the corner and become BJ Penn when you sucked the last time out, and when I turn the corner a little, as often as not I get pushed back around it the next class.

Hang in there. Keep going to the next class. You will get better, and you will begin to enjoy it. Even when you get schooled. Because you're learning and getting better.
 
Im in the same boat...But Im kind of like the dog that never learns. I could suck for 15 years (and at the rate I am going I probably will), but I will keep going back for more. Someone said earlier that they had good technique with not much strength. Im the exact opposite. Strong and fairly quick, but Im horrible with technique and try to utilize my strength too much. But what the hell, its just fun as hell to train.
 
"Don't compare yourself to others.. compare yourself to yourself 6 months ago"
-Marco Alvan

I think the quote went something like that...


Just stick with it.
 
I know I'm terrible, but i'm a little less terrible than I was yesterday.And tomorrow I will try to be better than what I am today.
 
i swear, the more I grapple (judo or jiu jitsu) the worse I think I am at it :)


but in reality, I just figure out there is more to learn, thus I feel like i'm worse at it.
 
I often feel like I'm terrible at BJJ. Ordean says that you something until it is easy then find a way to make it hard. If I wasn't terrible at BJJ, I doubt I would need to train as much. I use my own suckiness to motivate me to practice harder.
 
WalkenWouldOwn said:
"Don't compare yourself to others.. compare yourself to yourself 6 months ago"
-Marco Alvan

I think the quote went something like that...


Just stick with it.
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Yeah. I'm definately better than when I started.

And quiting was never an option. Even If is stick with it and I'm the worst BJJ guy ever, it's better than being the guy who didn't even try.

I honestly think I just learn slow because there is so much information to process that I'm overwhelmed by all the possibilites and nuances. I'm a programmer by day, so my thinking is very process oriented and I like details. If details and/or steps of the process are left out I have trouble filling in the gaps.

I can do lots of stuff during drills, but when it's time to go live the process isn't the same because I can't break his posture/his weight is shifted differently/he won't let me get my grips, etc. and I can't do any techniques.

Anyways, I'm glad I'm not the only terrible grappler that continues to do it. And I'm not going to quit (wouldn't want my instructors to get rid of me that easy).
 
Frodo said:
I often feel like I'm terrible at BJJ. Ordean says that you something until it is easy then find a way to make it hard. If I wasn't terrible at BJJ, I doubt I would need to train as much. I use my own suckiness to motivate me to practice harder.
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I didn't say that but I do agree with it.
 
Dude, stick with it. I've been training since August and don't feel that I've really progressed. Last week I was grappling with my instructor and only got tapped once. He said afterwards that I'm getting better! I was on a cloud for the next day and a half. Friday was gi day; I grappled with a purple belt who said to go light because of a shoulder injury. He basically kept that arm behind his back as he proceeded to choke, triangle, and sweep the heck outta me. A year from now, we BOTH will look back and reflect on how much things have changed, and how much we've improved, yes?
 
i have been training for about 8 or 9 months and i still get tapped by the guys who started a few months before me but i am tapping them too just not as often. so i would just say stick with it and take the good with the bad but dont focus as much on the negative. just take everything as a learning experience.
 
"Don't compare yourself to others.. compare yourself to yourself 6 months ago"
-Marco Alvan
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thats just a little bitch quote..... i am sure his mom told him that one
 
Iam 125 lbs, so even when I was technically on the same level as my opponents, I would still get my ass kicked.

Don't care about winning for now, worry about learning.

Keep a training journal of techniques.
 
I don't know man. I just started my BJJ training.
I sort of understand where you're coming from but one thing is clear to me,
there are certain things that will take time to learn and others you will pick up on much quicker.

At times I find myself wondering the same thing you mention, but then we're taught a new technique and it's a breeze to me while others have a hard time with it.
What I find funny though is that I tend to have a hard time picking up the basics, but the more complex stuff I learn on the fly.

I guess it all depends on the individual, just don't let it get to your head bro....
 
Frodo said:
Oh. My bad. Do you know who did say it in S&P IIRC?
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I have seen it in Bubbles old log I think. Just checked and its not there anymore.
 
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