BJJ: Is natural talent required, or just practice?

BenWS said:
The mental game is the most important. Marcelo garcia will tell you himself that he wasn't a natural but he worked extremly hard to get where he is now.

Other examples i can think of people who arn't athletic at all and weren't good initially but are now top bjj players would be felipe costa.

Also look at the gracies, they are great bjj practioners. They arn't what i would call athletic freaks and they arn't all naturals.
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I think anyone who thinks genetics and talent have nothing to do with being an elite level athlete are fooling themselves. Hard work and technique will only get so far. However, it can get you to a pretty high level just maybe not the elite level. Black Belt? Easily. Abu Dhabi or Mundail champ? Maybe not. For most of us this isn't an issue anyway, so it is not worth worrying about.
 
From my perspective it really depends on your goals. The best in the world got to where they are because of talent AND hard work. You have to have both. I feel that talent in BJJ isnt necessarily physical. I've met some people who arent great athletes physically (strength and speed), but mentally seem to be able to grasp the sport.
 
unless you have some sort of limiting problem with your body or brain, you will be able to learn BJJ and get "good". It requires no strength, no extraordinary flexibility, just knowledge of techs and good fitness level, both which can be achieved by anyone who doesnt bare any retardations. if u feel ur behind or not getting it, then stop trying and do something about it, identify and fix ur sticking points thats the only way for you to get better.
 
Wow, I can't believe all the great replies just a couple hours later! Thanks!!!

Well I played some basketball and water polo in college, so I think I have some natural athletic talent. And I keep working hard and training as much as I can. I didn't want to go to Mundials or become a huge name or anything, I just want to do it as recreation but excel, as in move onto a blue belt, then hopefully one day purple, and just become proficient at it. But I never meant do it like a job or anything. You know, like people who play basketball just for fun but they still suck and nobody wants to play with them. I don't want to be that guy. =)

Thanks again for all the great advice!
 
I have seen some guys who are so un athletic but yet OK at BJJ.
 
I'm pretty sure it's hard work. I mean helio gracie wasn't a natural athelete, and probably not a natural at BJJ either.
 
Jinzumkei said:
I'm pretty sure it's hard work. I mean helio gracie wasn't a natural athelete, and probably not a natural at BJJ either.
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THe gracies were also the only ones who knew the rules of the game, every one else was just guessing. The whole BJJ doesn't take strength or athleticism is a crock. That isn't just my opinion, it was Carlson Gracie's as well (I will dig up the source). If you know BJJ and the other guy knows karate at that's it sure then techique matters but if the other guy can wrestle, is strong as a bull and tough he can make life very difficult for the skinny technical kid. See kimo v Royce.


Work your Jits, work your wrestling and work your S & C (and your striking for MMA or fighting) anything less will produce less then stellar results. And you can do all that and still lose to the guy who does that and has genetics on his side. Frankly, I can't believe this is even open for discusion. You need to work hard, that is a given, but at some point natural attributes are going to be the difference.

Edit: How can the founder og BJJ not be a natural of a style that was based on the way he fought?
 
Been taking jj about a year... I think the most important trait you can posses is free time... so you can spend it training.

I've played a lot of sports, I'm fast and strong and all that crap, but I get tooled by guys that look like my accountant ALL THE TIME because they have better technique.

I have progressed a lot faster since I realized that I have to actually practice the techniques when I am rolling... regardless if I get tapped a hundred times.

I try to do the techniques we learn in class, and a few others that I might think are cool or whatever, every time I roll until it is second nature. Turns out it is more fun that way too.
 
I'm afraid a lot of being good at BJJ has to do with natural talent, which I have none of. In fact, I was never good at anything athletic except for swimming and running, and I got D's in PE. I am still a whitebelt after 14 mos. BJJ, and I know I'm nowhere near blue yet. I think with practice, I might qualify for blue sometime in the distant future. I try not to get discouraged, I go to class as often as I can, and I try to pay attention and not forget what people teach me.
 
Well IMO I think it can go either way. Obviously practice will make one better in a sport... usually.

But for me, I have been told I'm naturally gifted in BJJ. I've only been training for 5 months and it all just flows for me.
 
Genetics has EVERYTHING to do with it
just as practice has EVERYTHING to do with it.
To be good you need both
Every person is unique, Some people will learn the basics quick, some will be slow then explode, some will always be slow, some will have bursts, some will just have one "click", too many factors, but dont ever believe genetics has nothing to do with it.
 
Maybe it turns out your more of a standup fighter. Try some quality* muay thai or kickboxing.

*hard to find
 
without a doubt natural tallent plays a part... it's a sport like any other, and it's proven that some peole just 'get' some activities!
 
As someone with a neck injury (long time ago...spine is fused) I can tell you that physical limitations will hinder your progress in jiu jitsu. That being said my biggest obstacle was my mental toughness. One instructor (not mine) told me not to bother even trying to compete in BJJ. Screw that! Truth was I believed that I wasn't able to "get it".

I'm not at all 'gifted'...and I was just thinking about this the other day. After 2.5 years of training (had some injuries and moved too) I'm probably at about the level of someone who has been training for 6 to 9 months. Some of that was not training as hard as I could. Some of it was injuries. A lot of it was fear and ego. Fear of getting injured, fear of getting tapped. I was also overweight and had terrible conditioning and balance when I started.

Then one day a couple of months ago things just started to click. I started getting more wins and submissions in classes. If nothing else I finally could hold my own during a roll. My defense got better along with the conditioning. I'm still light years from where I want to be but I'm getting there. Little by little I've been able to chip away at all of the most important aspects of the game for me. It feels like I'm just barely scratching the surface.

I know guys who have been training half the time and already have their blue belts. When I stopped caring about the cloth and the number of submissions...everything fell into place. For some of us (well me anyway) it takes as long as it takes. My instructor always told me to just keep showing up to class. I did. It's really that simple. Now the techniques and strategy make so much more sense.

And most importantly I can say I'm finally having more fun than I ever did before. Good luck and keep training!
 
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