Dealing with noobs

[pesadissimo]

At my school we have a 6:30 am class twice a week that I love going to. It's been small (from 4-6 guys), but a steady group of mostly upper blues and myself, and it's nice because you get a lot more individual attention than you would in the evening when there are 30+ people.

In recent weeks, there's been an influx of completely new guys which doubled the class size. So now, instead of being a relaxed vibe of experienced guys, it's a beginner class where techniques have to be repeated a bunch of times, where drilling partners have no clue, and where spazziness has become the order of the day.

What sucks for me is that these morning classes represent fully half of my weekly training, so it's not like I want to just stop going. Plus I can work on techniques that I may not be able to hit yet on other guys. How do you guys deal with complete novices so that you're still pushing yourselves, even though they have no idea how to defend even a hand in the collar?

 

[Newcastle]

At my school we have a 6:30 am class twice a week that I love going to. It's been small (from 4-6 guys), but a steady group of mostly upper blues and myself, and it's nice because you get a lot more individual attention than you would in the evening when there are 30+ people.

In recent weeks, there's been an influx of completely new guys which doubled the class size. So now, instead of being a relaxed vibe of experienced guys, it's a beginner class where techniques have to be repeated a bunch of times, where drilling partners have no clue, and where spazziness has become the order of the day.

What sucks for me is that these morning classes represent fully half of my weekly training, so it's not like I want to just stop going. Plus I can work on techniques that I may not be able to hit yet on other guys. How do you guys deal with complete novices so that you're still pushing yourselves, even though they have no idea how to defend even a hand in the collar?

Teaching fundamental BJJ to newbs can actually help you improve your own skills. Take it as an opportunity to grow from that standpoint. You already recognize the upside of being able to work different aspects of your game with newer guys. It's also a good opportunity to work defense by allowing them to get dominant positions. Dealing with newbs is just part of the deal. You were someone else's problem at one time too! :icon_lol:

 

[Fateless]

Dude, you were also a noob at some point treat them the way you wanted to be treated when you were a noob Plus, working on fundamentals even 1000 times will help even a black belt

 

[pesadissimo]

It's not the material we cover. It's that the whole flow of the class seems interrupted. You guys are right, though, in that teaching fundamentals makes me better.

 

[RhinoUP]

At my school we have a 6:30 am class twice a week that I love going to. It's been small (from 4-6 guys), but a steady group of mostly upper blues and myself, and it's nice because you get a lot more individual attention than you would in the evening when there are 30+ people.

In recent weeks, there's been an influx of completely new guys which doubled the class size. So now, instead of being a relaxed vibe of experienced guys, it's a beginner class where techniques have to be repeated a bunch of times, where drilling partners have no clue, and where spazziness has become the order of the day.

What sucks for me is that these morning classes represent fully half of my weekly training, so it's not like I want to just stop going. Plus I can work on techniques that I may not be able to hit yet on other guys. How do you guys deal with complete novices so that you're still pushing yourselves, even though they have no idea how to defend even a hand in the collar?

Help them become better training partners.

 

[pheonix5]

6:30am ?

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

6:30am ?

So that you can train and shower and still get to work on time.

Handicap yourself. Don't let yourself do certain things, or only let yourself do certain things. That makes it harder on you and allows you to focus on something you want to work on.

 

[ajwbjj87]

The worst part about "noobs" is they are the most likely to injure you

 

[KGB256]

At my school we have a 6:30 am class twice a week that I love going to. It's been small (from 4-6 guys), but a steady group of mostly upper blues and myself, and it's nice because you get a lot more individual attention than you would in the evening when there are 30+ people.

In recent weeks, there's been an influx of completely new guys which doubled the class size. So now, instead of being a relaxed vibe of experienced guys, it's a beginner class where techniques have to be repeated a bunch of times, where drilling partners have no clue, and where spazziness has become the order of the day.

What sucks for me is that these morning classes represent fully half of my weekly training, so it's not like I want to just stop going. Plus I can work on techniques that I may not be able to hit yet on other guys. How do you guys deal with complete novices so that you're still pushing yourselves, even though they have no idea how to defend even a hand in the collar?

You already said it. Work your new stuff, or things you don't do well. Work your A- and B-game stuff with the more experienced guys, and the C-level and below with the newbies. Handicap yourself, like limiting yourself to a specific submission, or targetting a specific limb.

Just make sure that you're not just smashing for the sake of smashing. If a technique is working easily against the newbies, try it on the advanced guys more and the newbies less. If everything is working easily on the newbies, you should be helping them with fundamentals to make them more technical.

 

[rawpower]

The worst part about "noobs" is they are the most likely to injure you

This x1000.

I can't tell you how many elbows and knees to my face I take from having to roll with brand new 250lb dudes who think every roll is the final match at the mundials. The thing is, in a beginner class where you might only get 3 5-minute rounds, going all out is alright. But if you have to do 10 5-minute rounds, going all out will get you squashed half way through training.

 

[jujijimmy]

Most will quit, the rest will get better.

 

[TrainAllDay]

Most will quit, the rest will get better.

This this this this.

 

[RJ Green]

i've been training at the university judo club for seven years. we hit the reset button every semester. the first few weeks we'll have 80 or so people there breakfalling and spazzing their way through fit-ins, two months later if 15 people show up it's a big practice.

just be welcoming and share what you can. some people come in for a bro-down, shut them down with tact. some people are just too damn goofy for physical activity, keep encouraging them and don't have the expectation of progress you would for an athlete.

i don't like pulling guard, but it's basically all i get to do on the ground anymore. it's not fair for me to bum rush and sub someone. i've been working on sweeps a lot, and when i get bored with that i start under side mount or half guard and work from there.

you don't always have to win in practice. they might learn what not to do when you're whooping ass, but they're not going to learn the right way, either. especially with ladies, i'd just as soon give them the upper hand and pass on some good fundamentals.

standing, i just get them in the mentality that they have to banzai their way into the throw, that half-ass, incomplete throws are just going to get them tossed. i give most people 5 throw attempts before i hit one, unless they go aggro spaz bro mode, and even then i don't really try to whomp them unless they're blatantly trying to injure me.

it's also nice to try to work the weaker parts of your game. i'll let a big former wrestler get me in a good pin and see what i can do, or really try to work on the timing of my foot sweeps or the flashier hip tosses.

whatever you do, don't be the dude who just abuses the new kids. you want them to enjoy themselves, learn something, and come back. using someone smaller and less skilled than you as a grappling dummy makes you a bully.

unless they have a really shitty attitude. then show them who daddy is.

 

[Dirty Holt]

Why cant you just continue to train with the same guys you have been and just do your thing like normal, with a few extra new guys in the class? If it is because of the starting/stopping to teach and the level of the technique, then that is on your instructor. with 12 guys in a class, you good coach should be able to scale and escalate things so that both black belts and white belts get a quality practice, especially when blacks go with blacks and whites go with whites.

 

[Kozbot]

Have them run train on you...I mean roll with you one after another for cardio

 

[Allan san]

knee on belly

 

[lechien]

The way I see it is you should start your own high belt private training on different days. Now if you rely on a paid instructor to run a beginner class and a separate at 6.30 am, I don't think he would bother with so few students.

 

[Championstuff]

At my school we have a 6:30 am class twice a week that I love going to. It's been small (from 4-6 guys), but a steady group of mostly upper blues and myself, and it's nice because you get a lot more individual attention than you would in the evening when there are 30+ people.

In recent weeks, there's been an influx of completely new guys which doubled the class size. So now, instead of being a relaxed vibe of experienced guys, it's a beginner class where techniques have to be repeated a bunch of times, where drilling partners have no clue, and where spazziness has become the order of the day.

What sucks for me is that these morning classes represent fully half of my weekly training, so it's not like I want to just stop going. Plus I can work on techniques that I may not be able to hit yet on other guys. How do you guys deal with complete novices so that you're still pushing yourselves, even though they have no idea how to defend even a hand in the collar?

if you want elite classes, request privates or talk to your instructor about having elite classes, until then, jiu jitsu will continue being all inclusive. when you pay your gym dues, you pay for the use of all of the classes even if you don't go to them, so those noobs paid just as much as you to be there

another way to look at it is, you don't have to train with them, you GET to train with them. as a noob myself, i remember the guys that help me grow, and probably always will. you are going to be part of their progression.

 

[jujijimmy]

knee on belly

knee on neck!

 

[Dogstarman]

The worst part about "noobs" is they are the most likely to injure you

Especially the 250# powerlifter type that come in and think that they are in some kind of mma comp. I hate when those big guys just headlock you and hold on for dear life, while your on top. You just have to wait until their arms wear out then you just sub them. Or guys that go for subs while in your guard, lol.