Beginner questions

[GokuGundamGamer]

So I just started BJJ a couple of weeks ago and I have a few basic questions. Pretty much I got thrown into live rolling. The problem is that I really don't understand what I am supposed to achieve in certain positions. For example:

When somebody has me in sidemount, generally what type of hooks am I trying to get? I feel that everytime I get sidemounted, I have absolutely no defense.

Conversely, when I have somebody in sidemount is it better to have double underhooks or head and arm control when I try to go for knee on belly?

When you are in somebody's guard why is it ill advised to have your hands on the mat? Also, why do a lot of people grab both lapels, close the gi, and hold it with one hand?

Lastly, when you are doing an armlock from guard why is it important to not cross your feet once you have secured the head?

Thanks in advance guys. I know these are questions that should be asked in class, but at this point I'm a little timid about asking too many questions.

 

[BJJK1]

we can tell you what to do all day, but you really just need to roll and learn from rolling. you are going to feel helpless for a while because you are new.

don't be afraid to ask questions...that's why you pay good money to go to a school and to learn.

 

[Theodore]

I do no gi, so take it w/ a grain of salt. If you are on the bottom in side mount, just work on getting back to guard.

If you are a beginner, I wouldn't suggest going for knee on belly unless you have a real good base. Would be pretty easy to get out from underneath you.

Ask questions in class! If you feel bad asking questions, you are in the wrong gym!

 

[GokuGundamGamer]

The reason I have problems asking questions is the fact that I go to morning classes and a few times I've been the only whitebelt there.

During drills and rolling they pair me up with blues and even a purple once and each time it seems like I'm holding them back. I have no problem asking out instructor what to do, but there are a lot of students and I kind of get lost in the mix.

 

[Elliotedge]

My advice would be to learn one escape, and one submission from all standard positions.
-mount
-side control
-guard
-half guard
-north south
-back or turtle

Go on Youtube and search "mount escape" or arm bar from guard" etc.

This is going to give you a very small piece of the grappling puzzle, but it will give you something to build on, and reduce the ever-so-common "what the hell do I do from here?" situation.

Before I get flamed for suggesting you learn a bunch of submissions, let me say that position is what you should be focusing on. However, learning the submissions will give you a good idea of what kind of control you should be aiming for.

For example, by learning an armbar from guard, you will learn what kind of control you should be attempting to assert (breaking opponents posture, arm control, hip movement etc.)

I would start there, and build your knowledge base up.

But remember, you will be a FAR better grappler in the long run by focusing on positional control, body movement and escapes at this point.

 

[masteringtheRG]

So I just started BJJ a couple of weeks ago and I have a few basic questions. Pretty much I got thrown into live rolling. The problem is that I really don't understand what I am supposed to achieve in certain positions. For example:

When somebody has me in sidemount, generally what type of hooks am I trying to get? I feel that everytime I get sidemounted, I have absolutely no defense.

Conversely, when I have somebody in sidemount is it better to have double underhooks or head and arm control when I try to go for knee on belly?

When you are in somebody's guard why is it ill advised to have your hands on the mat? Also, why do a lot of people grab both lapels, close the gi, and hold it with one hand?

Lastly, when you are doing an armlock from guard why is it important to not cross your feet once you have secured the head?

Thanks in advance guys. I know these are questions that should be asked in class, but at this point I'm a little timid about asking too many questions.

sidecontrol is one of the hardest positions to reverse, you'll be looking to get to butterfly or halfguard with your legs or bridging to sweep him over.

it's better to have head & arm control while taking sidemount, this leaves your opponent with one less arm to defend your attack, you want to smash his arm and face down with your back also to keep him from getting up and this gets your legs out of the way for him to try and get back to guard

i dont do the gi thing so i cant answer that question

my guess is crossing your feet takes away from the leverage you need to apply the armbar even tighter, remember to drive UP with your hips

hope i helped some. try applying this the next time you roll

 

[JamesBJJ.**]

Yeah bro, Im fairly new myslef, after gettign my ass kicked continuosly I learned a basic escape from every position and drilled it like crazy.

Honestly, ask questions imo it shows teh instructor and your peers a eagerness to learn. Dont be shy, ask your teammates to show you things.


Oh and whatever you do dont tell the blue belts you have only been caught in one triangle LOL.

 

[Elliotedge]

The reason I have problems asking questions is the fact that I go to morning classes and a few times I've been the only whitebelt there.

During drills and rolling they pair me up with blues and even a purple once and each time it seems like I'm holding them back. I have no problem asking out instructor what to do, but there are a lot of students and I kind of get lost in the mix.

Man, this is the best thing you could EVER ask for. A gym full of higher belts? You will learn super quick, just don't be stubborn, don't use excessive strength, and watch their moves.

 

[alphamale]

When somebody has me in sidemount, generally what type of hooks am I trying to get? I feel that everytime I get sidemounted, I have absolutely no defense.


there are many types of escape, but as a general rule i try for doubl eunders as it stops them isolating your form arm, and also help you to turn in regain guard. double s unders also help you bridge explosively and either roll them or lift them high enough to replace guard.


Conversely, when I have somebody in sidemount is it better to have double underhooks or head and arm control when I try to go for knee on belly?

Personally i prefer head/arm here, as you can keep weight on their chin to stop them turning into you.


When you are in somebody's guard why is it ill advised to have your hands on the mat?

To top them getting deep over hooks, also it opens you up for omplata/gogoplata setups. most rubber guard is based on getting a hand on the mat. you should be posturing up, pushing on them instead of the ground to do it keeps their hips down and stops them from posturing themselves.

Also, why do a lot of people grab both lapels, close the gi, and hold it with one hand?

again to keep their hips/back on the ground, freeing your other hand to pin their hips and use an elbow you open the guard.

Lastly, when you are doing an armlock from guard why is it important to not cross your feet once you have secured the head?


your knees should be squeezed together and crossing feet opens them up. it also stops you from correctly chocking down on the head and back top avoid them posturing up or getting to their knees and escaping.

hope it helps.

 

[akharon]

Hey Goku,

Fellow noob here, been doing it a few weeks. I understand what you mean by feeling like the only one who doesn't know what to do, but if your gym is like mine, the guys will be more than happy to show you what you need to do, from the whites who are a little above your level through the top instructor.

I've found that many times when rolling with someone with much more experience than myself, I'll frequently just ask "what do I do now?" They'll explain, for instance, in sidemount, that you want to bridge and rotate a knee through, gaining half or full guard. I believe this is called shrimping (could be wrong, I'm not an expert). Don't worry about this, because let's be honest here, if you're rolling with a blue or higher, he's not worried about you tapping him. He's probably wanting you to get the basics down, look for those escapes, sweeps, etc.

Most of these guys are pretty cool, not trying to punish the new guy into submission, but actually help them get better.

 

[GokuGundamGamer]

alphamale and akharon, you have both been very helpful. much appreciated and as a treat check out my thread on the brazilian butt slap

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=755664

 

[BJJK1]

The reason I have problems asking questions is the fact that I go to morning classes and a few times I've been the only whitebelt there.

During drills and rolling they pair me up with blues and even a purple once and each time it seems like I'm holding them back. I have no problem asking out instructor what to do, but there are a lot of students and I kind of get lost in the mix.

hey, ask those purple and blues. if you have a good attitude, they will be more than willing to help you...at least they should. they've been there, they know what it feels like to be lost.

one of the things my instructor reminds me quite a bit lately, is to relax. don't panic if you lose a position or someone is going for a submission. reeeelaaaaaax.

 

[ozyabbas]

I think you are gonna overdose on answers to those questions. Remember that you should be working on positions and escapes at the moment. Worry about submissions later on. You need to drill these fundamentals again and again and again till they become second nature.

There are many different types of side controll, all have with different strengths and weaknesses. There are also different escapes to each of these different types of side controll.

So to in conclusion, work on basic escapes and positional controll at this point in time. There is also an answer to every situation. In my old club, when I would ask questions to higher belts, they would say there isn't any way out of x position, that its too late. When I went to my new club, the instructor and higher belts showed me the answer to my questions and I couldn't believe I didn't think of it myself.

 

[andrewbc]

from side mount- swim your arms through so they are underneath your opponents body or down by your hips then buck up and and out from underneath him, or bridge and push up, if that fails immediately shrimp and try to get half guard.

having both hands on the matt gives your opponent the opportunity to control your posture from over hooking your arms, or get wrist control. when in someones gaurd you want to avoid having your posture broken

im a no gi guy so i cant help you with the gi stuff

 

[akharon]

alphamale and akharon, you have both been very helpful. much appreciated and as a treat check out my thread on the brazilian butt slap

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=755664

Hey, not a problem...not too sure about your other thread though, I certainly don't speak for anyone else on this board, but unsolicited touching of chicks really isn't that cool, and if one of her guy friends was around, I'm sure he would have liked to show you his displeasure with what you (or whoever that guy was) did.

 

[whipyourasstyle]

The reason I have problems asking questions is the fact that I go to morning classes and a few times I've been the only whitebelt there.

During drills and rolling they pair me up with blues and even a purple once and each time it seems like I'm holding them back. I have no problem asking out instructor what to do, but there are a lot of students and I kind of get lost in the mix.

This sounds like a good place to learn. Newbies should NEVER be paired with other new guys. This only leads to injury as it is two people just spazzing out and mauling each other. Ask LOTS of questions. No one will hold it against you.

When your stuck under side control ASK your opponent "what the hell should I do now?" The higher belts know they can just run you over so they won't. The first six months is learning what NOT to do. Just try to figure out how it feels, when to move fast, when to move slow, when to rest a bit, learn the positions, learn to recognize positions as they happen.

And most importantly of all RELAX it takes YEARS to even begin to understand that you suck at grappling. They don't call it the purple "I thought I was good but realize I don't know shit" belt for nothing

 

[sir-elric]

Newbies should NEVER be paired with other new guys. T

depends on the newbies ! if is a newbie that understands that is a newbie and not a gracie its fine! actually from what i hv seen a felow newbie is the best partner to test something u learned.

as far our topic is concerned !ASK ASK AND ASK!
u can ask the instructor or someone with higher belt during rolling. when im in a possition that i dnt know what to do, im trying to figure out how to get the fuck out of there and since most of the times i can i ask afterwards what should i do next time a similar situation arises! i called it learning through rolling and i finding as much as helpful is the rest of teaching. In addition we play from positions a lot and thats is something helps a lot!

when im in side mount i shrimp!


and yes im a bloody newbie as well

 

[mmyers]

Im pretty new myself and having higher belts to train with is awsome. Having anyone who knows even a bit more than you is awsome because they have been there and they probably asked the same questions at one point so they have the right answer. Also I find pretty much anyone is more then willing to answer questions and I think its comes to that saying "Theres no stupid questions .... "

anyways I think after afew more weeks you will have a whole arsenal of escapes and tune up your armbar submissions.

 

[Big Eck]

You're going to have a ton of questions, just address them one at a time. You don't want to have information overload and not be able to remember anything by trying to learn too much. Work on one position at a time.

 

[Darksky]

Just do your drills and observe the more experienced guys for the first few months. It will all start to come together pretty quick.