Eitquette when rolling
- Thread starter spreadthestoke
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I recently posted this "Letter to a New White Belt" on my blog and thought it might be helpful to the TS since he asked about etiquette:
Dear new white belt,
Welcome to the wonderful world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I hope you stay on your jiu jitsu journey for years, become truly good at Jiu Jitsu, make life long friends, and find a fun way to stay fit.
You may find that your first three to six months are the toughest period of your Jiu Jitsu journey. In order to reap the benefits of BJJ, however, you must make it past this initial stage. For this reason, I wanted to give you some advice on how to make it past your first six months:
Pay attention
Your instructor will likely show you a few basic techniques in each class. Pay close attention to these techniques because you need to learn them.
Drilling is better than training
While live sparring is important to learning a technique, drilling a technique with little or partial resistance is more important. You may use a bump-and-roll three times in a five minute training session, but drilling a bump and roll 30 times in five minutes is better for you.
Relax
When you do train - relax. Tensing up is a fight or flight reaction, and you can’t use technique effectively when in fight or flight mode. Many folks just starting BJJ need indicators that they are tense, and the best one is your ability to breath. If you’re feeling out of breath it’s likely because you’re tense.
Muscle is finite; BJJ is infinite
You will undoubtedly train with other white belts who are smaller and weaker than you, and you will be tempted to smash them with strength. But don’t. If you rely on technique - and only on technique with smaller people - you will be able to use technique against folks your own size as well.
Use what you’ve learned
Try to use the Technique of the Day (TOD) when you train. My greatest failing has been not trying the technique taught that day, and my Jiu Jitsu game is the worse for it.
Use only what you’ve learned
If it’s your first class and all you’ve learned is a bump and roll, than just use a bump and roll (and some reasonable amount of choke defense). Please, please, please don’t try to use some technique you’ve seen on YouTube or UFC PPVs if you haven’t been taught the technique at your gym. Once you’ve completed your first year and have a general sense of the basic techniques, then DVD and YouTube instructionals may be useful. Until then, however, stick to what you’ve been taught.
Prepare to be challenged:
Unless you were a hard core athlete in school, Jiu Jitsu will push your body harder and take it farther than you ever thought possible. This great sport will also challenge you mentally and emotionally. You will experience times of doubts, but life (and Jiu Jitsu) is about breaking past the doubt.
Tap
Everyone says this, but be prepared to tap early and often. I could have avoided many stupid injuries if I had been willing to tap, and I would be better at Jiu Jitsu today because I would have spent more time on the mat.
Avoid injuries
Every injury you avoid means additional weeks or months on the mat. So tap early, tap often. Stretch. Call it quits when you just can’t go any further. In other words: use common sense. See “Tap” above.
Be a good training partner
Practice good hygiene, trim your nails, don’t train while sick or with a skin infection. And, most importantly, don’t use illegal techniques (Yes, Virginia, slams, neck cranks, and many other techniques are illegal).
Avoid infections
Skin infections (especially ringworm and staph) will sideline you for weeks or even months. Shower after practice; wash your gi; wear flip flops when you walk off the mat and especially in the restroom or lockeroom. See “Be a good training partner” above.
Embarrassment is fickle
You won’t embarrass yourself by asking how to tie your belt; asking to see a technique again; being tapped by a woman; or asking a higher belt how she tapped you.
You will embarrass yourself if you walk in and say “I want to be a UFC Fighter”; show all the higher belts your cool new technique from Youtube; or talk incessantly during class.
If you make it through your first six months, then you could be the future of BJJ. I hope you have a long and successful Jiu Jitsu journey with only a few injuries. I hope you become truly righteous at Jiu Jitsu and go on to win national and international championships.
Dear new white belt,
Welcome to the wonderful world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I hope you stay on your jiu jitsu journey for years, become truly good at Jiu Jitsu, make life long friends, and find a fun way to stay fit.
You may find that your first three to six months are the toughest period of your Jiu Jitsu journey. In order to reap the benefits of BJJ, however, you must make it past this initial stage. For this reason, I wanted to give you some advice on how to make it past your first six months:
Pay attention
Your instructor will likely show you a few basic techniques in each class. Pay close attention to these techniques because you need to learn them.
Drilling is better than training
While live sparring is important to learning a technique, drilling a technique with little or partial resistance is more important. You may use a bump-and-roll three times in a five minute training session, but drilling a bump and roll 30 times in five minutes is better for you.
Relax
When you do train - relax. Tensing up is a fight or flight reaction, and you can’t use technique effectively when in fight or flight mode. Many folks just starting BJJ need indicators that they are tense, and the best one is your ability to breath. If you’re feeling out of breath it’s likely because you’re tense.
Muscle is finite; BJJ is infinite
You will undoubtedly train with other white belts who are smaller and weaker than you, and you will be tempted to smash them with strength. But don’t. If you rely on technique - and only on technique with smaller people - you will be able to use technique against folks your own size as well.
Use what you’ve learned
Try to use the Technique of the Day (TOD) when you train. My greatest failing has been not trying the technique taught that day, and my Jiu Jitsu game is the worse for it.
Use only what you’ve learned
If it’s your first class and all you’ve learned is a bump and roll, than just use a bump and roll (and some reasonable amount of choke defense). Please, please, please don’t try to use some technique you’ve seen on YouTube or UFC PPVs if you haven’t been taught the technique at your gym. Once you’ve completed your first year and have a general sense of the basic techniques, then DVD and YouTube instructionals may be useful. Until then, however, stick to what you’ve been taught.
Prepare to be challenged:
Unless you were a hard core athlete in school, Jiu Jitsu will push your body harder and take it farther than you ever thought possible. This great sport will also challenge you mentally and emotionally. You will experience times of doubts, but life (and Jiu Jitsu) is about breaking past the doubt.
Tap
Everyone says this, but be prepared to tap early and often. I could have avoided many stupid injuries if I had been willing to tap, and I would be better at Jiu Jitsu today because I would have spent more time on the mat.
Avoid injuries
Every injury you avoid means additional weeks or months on the mat. So tap early, tap often. Stretch. Call it quits when you just can’t go any further. In other words: use common sense. See “Tap” above.
Be a good training partner
Practice good hygiene, trim your nails, don’t train while sick or with a skin infection. And, most importantly, don’t use illegal techniques (Yes, Virginia, slams, neck cranks, and many other techniques are illegal).
Avoid infections
Skin infections (especially ringworm and staph) will sideline you for weeks or even months. Shower after practice; wash your gi; wear flip flops when you walk off the mat and especially in the restroom or lockeroom. See “Be a good training partner” above.
Embarrassment is fickle
You won’t embarrass yourself by asking how to tie your belt; asking to see a technique again; being tapped by a woman; or asking a higher belt how she tapped you.
You will embarrass yourself if you walk in and say “I want to be a UFC Fighter”; show all the higher belts your cool new technique from Youtube; or talk incessantly during class.
If you make it through your first six months, then you could be the future of BJJ. I hope you have a long and successful Jiu Jitsu journey with only a few injuries. I hope you become truly righteous at Jiu Jitsu and go on to win national and international championships.
lol roosterweight beat me to it, but here is something me and a few higher belts compiled as tips for new students... maybe this will help?
Navita, la Jiujitera: Brazilian Jiu jitsu and MMA in Indiana: Tips for New Students
Navita, la Jiujitera: Brazilian Jiu jitsu and MMA in Indiana: Tips for New Students
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things that would most likely get you injured:
1. slamming people
2. white belts doing leg locks to blue & higher
3. the " i saw this move on youtube, ari is the man!"
1. slamming people
2. white belts doing leg locks to blue & higher
3. the " i saw this move on youtube, ari is the man!"
A
Andy1983
Guest
IMO, a strong push tells me that my opponent does not want to engage with me, and has to shove me in order to create space. In a tournament its fine, but you are not fighting your teammates, its only training. So dont shove, engage the roll.
he's a white belt that has done 5 classes...just saying hi9m engaging in the roll is probably still intimidating. thank about you after 5 classes....
A
Andy1983
Guest
Thats fair too, I always find the newer white belts like to just push away. I will try my best to pull half, or even bottom side control to get things moving. To let them be on top with a more dominant position. At times, they just push away to buy time, almost as if its better to shove me, and end up in my full guard instead of just trying to learn the art by letting the higher belts dictate the roll.
Also, I am referring more to higher belts with new whites. I have seen countless semi experienced whites (1-3 stripes) just rape a brand new guy. And that can be very intimidating, so I understand the unwillingness to engage. Thats why instructors should really watch who the newer guys roll with until they feel comfortable.
one of the first things i was told was about 'winning' or the lack of it during training.
the guy you are training with might be exhausted, injured, wanting to work a particular thing, etc. you never know. training is training, competitions are where you can win or lose.
if you tapped a more experienced guy good for you but dont let it get to your head.
im a crap white belt lol and sometimes if i have a quick chat with the guy im about to spar with and find out they are new i might try to let them work what they have just learnt or go lighter or give opportunities.
i sparred with one guy that looked strong before and the instructor told me in front of him hes NEW ok so i was like ok mate, ill just try and defend for now.
i asked him if he trained before and he said just what he saw on tv i was like lol cool
he took half guard and i just laid my legs flat and he took side and started working for an americana. i straighted my arm and squirmed around and he couldnt get it but i wasnt trying to escape, thinking about how people helped me out when i first started.
afterwards i told him i could see how hes picked up things from watching ufc or whatever, but theres the next steps that you will learn here, that youll never get from watching tv, and that after a while of training he would easily finish that. he seemed happy and i told him im not the guy to teach you because im a whitebelt myself, but if you ask a coloured belt or something im sure they'll be happy to show you about how to do the armlock when i straighten my arm out to defend the americana. he seemed like a nice guy and we got along.
a few lessons later he was there again and he was sparring with someone i was watching (i cant remember exactly what was going on) but the instructor pointed at him and said where did you train before? and he started talking about some combat sambo type training lol.
in my head i thought wow he told me he didnt have any training what a rat. especially as when i joined some people thought i was lying about not having any training. but i can see how different people might have a different approach on things. for me its just honesty, but some people would rather make out something else for whatever reason.
if i had known he had grappling experience, i would have probably tried a bit harder but at the end of the day me him or nobody else really gives a shit if he tapped me or not. it doesnt even mean anything in that way.
i think of my club as team mates. i dont feel as though im 'against' them. im working with them.
the guy you are training with might be exhausted, injured, wanting to work a particular thing, etc. you never know. training is training, competitions are where you can win or lose.
if you tapped a more experienced guy good for you but dont let it get to your head.
im a crap white belt lol and sometimes if i have a quick chat with the guy im about to spar with and find out they are new i might try to let them work what they have just learnt or go lighter or give opportunities.
i sparred with one guy that looked strong before and the instructor told me in front of him hes NEW ok so i was like ok mate, ill just try and defend for now.
i asked him if he trained before and he said just what he saw on tv i was like lol cool
he took half guard and i just laid my legs flat and he took side and started working for an americana. i straighted my arm and squirmed around and he couldnt get it but i wasnt trying to escape, thinking about how people helped me out when i first started.
afterwards i told him i could see how hes picked up things from watching ufc or whatever, but theres the next steps that you will learn here, that youll never get from watching tv, and that after a while of training he would easily finish that. he seemed happy and i told him im not the guy to teach you because im a whitebelt myself, but if you ask a coloured belt or something im sure they'll be happy to show you about how to do the armlock when i straighten my arm out to defend the americana. he seemed like a nice guy and we got along.
a few lessons later he was there again and he was sparring with someone i was watching (i cant remember exactly what was going on) but the instructor pointed at him and said where did you train before? and he started talking about some combat sambo type training lol.
in my head i thought wow he told me he didnt have any training what a rat. especially as when i joined some people thought i was lying about not having any training. but i can see how different people might have a different approach on things. for me its just honesty, but some people would rather make out something else for whatever reason.
if i had known he had grappling experience, i would have probably tried a bit harder but at the end of the day me him or nobody else really gives a shit if he tapped me or not. it doesnt even mean anything in that way.
i think of my club as team mates. i dont feel as though im 'against' them. im working with them.
