hey ima girl whos new to the bjj world. ive started training for about 2 weeks now and i am absolutely in loooove with bjj. i can proudly say im good at defending myself but i constantly feel stuck and always sayin to myself "k now what do i do?" when rolling. i feel like a rock just chillin there. advice??
Give it time. It'll take you a couple of months of consistent training to start feeling like you have ANY idea what's going on. Just stick with it and things will start to click. One of the awesome things about jiu-jitsu is that it offers a lifetime's worth of learning. I don't know anybody who was good at grappling when they first started. Moving with someone else on the ground is alien for most of us, and it's way too complicated to pick up quickly. Enjoy the ride. It's fantastic.
You never know how good you will be until you give something a try. You will be submitting people before you know it
give it time. My 2nd training week i think i felt like I never was going to improve. But one day everything will click and you will realize he I am actually fighting back.
Don't stop doing this. Keep calm, and carry on using what you know in these positions. You'll find a way back to guard, or to create space between the two of you. The calmer you are, the less you will expose yourself to a submission while you are in a bad spot. Give it a year, you'll come to understand. And I think people forget, white belt traditionally is simply about being able to survive. Not mount an offense, simply survive. Yes, you'll learn how to go on the attack during this time but really your entire white belt time should be spent getting used to the major moves, and different positions you may find yourself in.
As you keep training, the "now what do I do?" feeling will start happening less and less often. It won't go away entirely for a long time. After 2.5 years, I still occasionally find myself in positions where I am not very knowledgable and unsure of how to react. The best advice I can give is to train with consistency, and don't think you're limited to what you can do in class. My training partners regularly get together outside of class hours to do situational drills, strength & conditioning, private lessons, and just open grappling. At a minimum, make it a point not to miss class if at all possible. As to your defense, it's good to learn survival first. Just understand that if you simply try to lay in a static survival mode against anyone who knows what they're doing, it becomes a war of attrition that you will eventually lose. Make sure you're routinely doing some movements underneath to change the angles and make your partner adjust their pressure. Ask instructors about how to build a frame. Movement and framing will give you a relatively safe pathway to improve position. Just don't expect it to work instantly....it takes some "feel", which can only be obtained through lots of mat time.
In addition to what everyone else said don't be afraid to ask questions in class too if a particular position confuses you. Your instructor will be able to go over it in a lot more detail in person then we can over the Internet. Also train what you learn and don't be afraid of making mistakes, it's the best way to learn. If something doesn't work ask yourself "what did i wrong here?" instead of dismissing the technique as useless. It's the small details that make the biggest difference.
thanks everyone i appreciate the advice. i know i should just relax and allow time for me to start gettin good at bjj but im just sucha fast paced person like i wanna know everything as quickly as possible and become a black belt in less than 5 minutes haha but unfortunately thats never gonna happen. anyhoo, thanks again for all the advice
oh trust me i loooove rolling. im in an all girls class but they also allow me to go to the regular sessions that have guys but i feel like i dont have enough technique to be able to enter the guys sessions like i wanna be remotely good before i join other sessions or ill feel like im not good enough. also im kinda shy? lol
A two weeks, you know basically nothing. Just be a sponge, put in as much mat time as you can, and when sparring, work technique (don't spazz - usually not a problem for girls, but the most common beginner mistake overall).
They don't just mean "relax and be patient about progressing". They mean "physically relax while you are rolling". Most beginners are very tense when they first start grappling, which opens up holes in your defense as well as wastes energy. The more calm and relaxed you can be while grappling, the better.
How to get better at Jiu Jitsu: Drill and roll. Rinse and repeat. Seriously. Get a buddy, drill before and after class, stay late and roll, and get your mat time in. When I was a white belt my coaches finally got tired enough of it to give me a key haha. All the advice the guys gave you was great. But, I have to burst a little bit of a hope bubble. Guys get to the point where they can start beating lower level guys fairly quickly. As a girl, you'll train your ass off and wonder when the f*** that's going to start happening to you. Sad news is, it's not days. Or weeks. Or months. It's years, probably decades. Man strength is freaking real, and the less-natural-for-women combative movements of Jiu Jitsu sure don't help. You will, without a doubt, be "beaten" or tapped by guys who you are "better" than. And it doesn't stop when you get a purple/brown/black belt. Lower ranked guys will still tap you. As much as you know you should swallow your pride and appreciate the journey, you'll wonder "why can't I see the results like them if I'm putting in the effort?" I just want to say that because you WILL feel that way. And you'll think it's wrong to think that way, but it's simply that male training partners aren't in the same situation you are. But it's normal, and it's okay. I have quit Jiu Jitsu for life seven times (my coaches counted). Be picky with your training partners; a roll where an insecure dude holds you in the bottom of side control helps no one improve. And just stay as positive as possible and only compare yourself to you.
