Ever wonder what an intro bjj class is like?

juji gatame said:
Breakfalls and Osoto Gari!!! IMO training how to fall properly is one of the most important aspects of grappling.

Emerson Souza you say? Never heard of him but he seems like a great instructor, very easy to understand what he's trying to teach. Great vids.
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Thank you. Emerson is great. He's a 3rd degree Carlos Gracie Jr(Gracie Barra) Black belt. He's very patient, and always answers my annoying questions, haha. He's actually won the worlds a few times at blue and purple belt, I believe. I'm trying to get him to post some of his competition videos. He's a wealth of knowledge when it comes to BJJ with over 25 years of experience. The man knows his shit!
 
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Amiro said:
my club has basics classes not beginners classes.

i like them, its not just white belts that go, the higher belts go too to practise the basics. as a beginner they are extra good for me.
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That's pretty much what this class is... a basics class. Guerilla Radio, who is a purple belt and I(I'm a blue belt) both go to this class as well as the competitors class. For us, it's a great way to drill techniques. Plus, It's a great way for beginners to start and get a taste and idea of what they're doing before they're thrown to the dogs.
 
Yea our school really doesn't have much of a beginner program and they pretty much get thrown to the wolves. Most of the guys there are 210 and up as well so lighter new guys tend to get weeded out fairly quickly.
 
^ Are your class sizes relatively small so you guys can't fit in a beginner's class?

GB schools have a Fundamentals 16 week long (repeating) class. There are several of the same classes a week on different days. So if you miss a Monday for example, you can go Wednesday to catch up on the techniques you missed. Shortly after I joined, our school started having the first class shown 1v1 by a BB level instructor where the instructor pulls the student off to the sides and shows the basics of breakfalls and various different beginner moves. I wish I could pay attention to watch she does but usually I'm doing my own thing (class).

When I first started, it was somewhere else and I just got thrown into the wolves and smashed by blue belts and above. The higher belts were not really showing me anything while sparring. It could have just been those individuals though. I definitely appreciate the beginners class and can relate it to Wrestling as you don't have your Frosh/Soph team practice with your Varsity team (unless an individual was really good he would go to JV or Varsity).
 
nice vid.

my first class was taught by Andre Galvao as a guest instructor. he showed some crazy heel hook from the back that takes a decent amount of agility to pull off. bc i had no clue what i was doing, i didn't get it til like a year later.
 
Would anybody be interested in Emerson doing technique videos?
 
Simco said:
I think most people on here know what it is.

My school doesn't do intro classes. We have beginner and advanced classes but there isn't like a "start" to everyone's learning. You just step in wherever we are at the moment. I'm under the impression this is pretty normal.
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Yea, i just started at Toronto BJJ last week and thats pretty much how it went. 1st day i was pulled to the side and taught shrimps, front rolls, backrolls and umpa mount escape but from then on, i pretty much do and learn what the rest of the class (white to blue) is learning.


Being the most out of shape guy in the class isnt that bad, low expectations :p my goal is to get in shape by jan 2011, i gotta lose about 15-20 pounds of most gut, we'll see.

So far its the "warmup" that is killing me, ive had to puke 2x, i think ppl are waiting for me to give up, they will be waiting a long time.


oh, and i got omaplata'd my 2nd day rolling by a good blue belt, good thing i have no ego. In shape 2011 here i come!!!
 
SonOfZion said:
Yea, i just started at Toronto BJJ last week and thats pretty much how it went. 1st day i was pulled to the side and taught shrimps, front rolls, backrolls and umpa mount escape but from then on, i pretty much do and learn what the rest of the class (white to blue) is learning.


Being the most out of shape guy in the class isnt that bad, low expectations :p my goal is to get in shape by jan 2011, i gotta lose about 15-20 pounds of most gut, we'll see.

So far its the "warmup" that is killing me, ive had to puke 2x, i think ppl are waiting for me to give up, they will be waiting a long time.


oh, and i got omaplata'd my 2nd day rolling by a good blue belt, good thing i have no ego. In shape 2011 here i come!!!
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Awesome, man.. congrats. It's going to take a while, and it's a struggle, but you'll get there. If it makes you feel any better, it took my fat ass a year to start getting through the warm ups without cheating or having to stop. I also lost like 50lbs in the process. I recommend doing stretching on the side too -- it's helped me exponentially. Oh, and if you have a bicycle, ride it! Doing 10 mile rides over the summer helped me a lot too, and it's easy on the knees!
 
johnkreese said:
Awesome, man.. congrats. It's going to take a while, and it's a struggle, but you'll get there. If it makes you feel any better, it took my fat ass a year to start getting through the warm ups without cheating or having to stop. I also lost like 50lbs in the process. I recommend doing stretching on the side too -- it's helped me exponentially. Oh, and if you have a bicycle, ride it! Doing 10 mile rides over the summer helped me a lot too, and it's easy on the knees!
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thx man, getting in shape is my true goal so im focusing on core exercises and riding my bike aswell (altho i puke after that too).

i wasnt sure what to expect the 1st day and pretty much everybody there was in great shape or a damn beast..... i was like great lol im just trying to improve my conditioning class to class and learn something new class to class.

I havent gone thru a full workout without "cheating" or flat out running out to puke, i have the mental strength to push thru my body is currently letting me down. My school has a decent atmosphere so im not really worried about it. If ppl dont understand perhaps my motives for being in class arent the same as theirs, i guess thats their problem.

I am the odd man out for most exercises, i guess ppl worried ill puke on them :p which i wouldnt, its not some sudden urge, its after i do some warmups, i feel it coming... lol.


anyways, thx 4 the kind words, glad to know im not the 1st fat man trying to change his life thru BJJ.
 
taking a couple of intro classes this week. great post. emerson souza was a lil far from me. heard he's an excellent teacher though.
 
I'll be starting at GB Miami with Daniel 'Montanha' in about a week! Thanks for posting this, really helps me with what to expect when I start.

Also, I'm another fat guy trying to get in shape and change his life through BJJ. Also in it for the competition though, as I miss it very much from my high school years. :)
 
Chrono Instinct said:
I'll be starting at GB Miami with Daniel 'Montanha' in about a week! Thanks for posting this, really helps me with what to expect when I start.

Also, I'm another fat guy trying to get in shape and change his life through BJJ. Also in it for the competition though, as I miss it very much from my high school years. :)
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Awesome. It's changed my life completely. If you stick with it, you're going to see results. It's going to be really tough in the beginning and like everyone else, you'll take your lumps. Keep training no matter what! Don't make excuses, and if you feel yourself get tired after work -- go the academy early(that's what I do). I'll stretch for an hour before class if I have to so I don't fall asleep on the couch when I get home from work. I lost my first all my weight with very little modification to my diet. Most of all, have fun!
 
johnkreese said:
Awesome. It's changed my life completely. If you stick with it, you're going to see results. It's going to be really tough in the beginning and like everyone else, you'll take your lumps. Keep training no matter what! Don't make excuses, and if you feel yourself get tired after work -- go the academy early(that's what I do). I'll stretch for an hour before class if I have to so I don't fall asleep on the couch when I get home from work. I lost my first all my weight with very little modification to my diet. Most of all, have fun!
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That's good advice. When I get home, and I start screwin a round, esp in winter time, it's often hard to get myself to go to the gym.
 
thx. going to scarola in new hyde park in a few hours and serra in huntington wed. so if any long island guys want to know how it went just post or pm me. something i always wanted to do since ufc 1.
 
The first class I ever took was sort of like that one. They pretty much put all the white belts in the same class and kind of just taught them the basics. There were a set amount of classes that needed to be mastered in order to get your blue belt and advance to the blue belt and up class. It doesn't mean that the guys in the white belt class weren't any good. In fact, many of them didn't want to go to blue belt because they didn't want to drive half way across the island to attend it.
 
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