i did a copy/paste job on this a long time ago...so i could read this for motivation if i ever needed. sorry i forget where this all exactly came from.....
thread title : helping beginners set realistic goals:
Helping beginners set realistic goals
I originally wrote this for Aesopian BJJ | Facebook but thought it would be worth sharing here too.
I have been teaching a lot of white belts and beginners and I keep seeing people get discouraged because the goals they set for themselves aren't being met in a couple classes or even a couple months. They're ambitious ones like:
- Submit that purple belt.
- Not tap to anyone all night.
- Pull off this awesome submission.
Setting goals like those is normal but from my perspective as their instructor here is what I am really looking for:
Basic conditioning, improving balance and coordination, learning the names for things, persistence and regular attendance, paying attention to instruction, diligence in drilling, being willing to spar even if they think they'll "lose."
BJJ can be really rough when you're a beginner and going in with unrealistic goals sets you up to feel like you "failed" even when you didn't. When talking with beginners, I've had to help them see that rock bottom goals are just as good (better really) since they are realistic and are what a beginner is really trying to do. They are goals like this:
- Remembering a technique you learned in the past.
- Not having to sit out and rest during class.
- Finishing full rounds of sparring - no sitting out.
- Not getting swept as quickly.
- Not getting submitted so quickly.
- Seeing where you could do a technique you learned (whether or not you get it.)
- Learning a technique and using it in sparring the same night.
- Knowing the names of the positions and techniques.
- Escaping bad positions or at least preventing submissions.
- Being better at a move the second time you learn it.
- Not panicking too much.
- Not holding your breath.
- Not being too tense.
- Not burning out your grip by holding on too tight.
- Coming to 2-3 classes per weekly regularly.
- Having a really hard night and still training again the next day.
- Giving a higher belt some trouble (even if just holding him in your closed guard so he can't pass.)
How quickly a beginner gets past these and into more fun goals like "Develop my half guard" and "Hit triangles on everyone" depends on a lot of things (mat time, previous martial arts or wrestling experience, etc.) but when 9 out of 10 people quit BJJ in their first few weeks, it seems worth looking at things from this level.
Let me know what you guys think.
thread title: apprehension before classes.....
pacbjj:
I am always apprehensive before class. Once I get going I am fine and when the class ends I almost always come out feeling great. Once in a while I don't feel good after a class for example if I struggled with a move or didn't get as much out of it as I felt I should.
Just wondering if people have felt the same way when they first started out and how they dealt with it.
shinobi:
i get really bad anxiety about training. i've been training for 4 years and it never really goes away, but when I'm consistently on the mat it makes it much easier to handle so my advice would be to just grit your way through it until it you're so comfortable with your academy you don't think about it.
placa:
I used to get like this before Muay Thai. However, with BJJ, I am completely relaxed.
I think it is due to your training partners. Are you really friendly with them? As in, do you offer to go out to lunch/party with them? Are they more your friends or training partner?
At Muay Thai, the people, although very friendly, were more of training tools.
At my new BJJ school, everyone is my friend. I would invite them over anytime and have been offered to go out to lunch/bars with them.
slideyfoot:
In my experience, there are multiple reasons for apprehension.
First, BJJ is hard. Voluntarily heading to a place where you know you're going to get sat on, your limbs twisted, your neck crushed...any sensible person would balk at that. So I think there is a voice inside all of us that says "hey, wait a minute, why the hell am I putting myself through this?" before training.
Second, ego. Nobody likes getting beaten up and dominated by somebody else (well, I guess there are, but that's in a rather different setting Razz ), and everybody knows that is a strong possibility in BJJ sparring. It is an effort to force yourself to willingly enter that situation.
Third, there is the worry about injury, a legitimate concern. BJJ can be a rough sport, so you could get hurt at any time.
The way I try and overcome those fears is focus on technique above all else.
That helps me with all three: as long as I'm working to improve a technique, it isn't a big deal that I might get a little squashed along the way: if I'm in a bad position, that's simply a good opportunity to work my escapes.
Ego isn't such a problem if your focus is, for example, "get better at hand-positioning under side control" rather than "MUST SMASH! MUST WIN!" When you're trying to be technical, you can break down your goals methodically and realistically. Your aims become clear, and it means that every class, you'll be able to take away something positive from sparring, even if it's only "ok, that didn't work, so I'll do it differently next time."
Finally, injuries are much less likely if you stay relaxed and controlled in your pursuit of technique, picking your training partners carefully, with a preference for people you know are equally interested in improving their technical abilities.
HopeBJJ:
So you know that you are not alone, I have to admit that I am extremely anxious before each and every class. (My anxiety level is pretty much off the charts, truth be told.)
Although I have been a fan of BJJ for quite some time, I am rather new to learning BBJ and find that being on the mats forces me to address not only my lack of knowledge of BJJ (which actually causes the least anxiety); but the things about myself that I am the least content with and the most embarrassed about:
1) Being out of shape (horrible cardio) and significantly overweight
2) Being a person that is not too coordinated and never been known as a graceful person (As an adult, I still have major problems doing moves kids can do, like a somersault.)
3) Completely lacking in flexibility with joints/muscles that don
thread title : helping beginners set realistic goals:
Helping beginners set realistic goals
I originally wrote this for Aesopian BJJ | Facebook but thought it would be worth sharing here too.
I have been teaching a lot of white belts and beginners and I keep seeing people get discouraged because the goals they set for themselves aren't being met in a couple classes or even a couple months. They're ambitious ones like:
- Submit that purple belt.
- Not tap to anyone all night.
- Pull off this awesome submission.
Setting goals like those is normal but from my perspective as their instructor here is what I am really looking for:
Basic conditioning, improving balance and coordination, learning the names for things, persistence and regular attendance, paying attention to instruction, diligence in drilling, being willing to spar even if they think they'll "lose."
BJJ can be really rough when you're a beginner and going in with unrealistic goals sets you up to feel like you "failed" even when you didn't. When talking with beginners, I've had to help them see that rock bottom goals are just as good (better really) since they are realistic and are what a beginner is really trying to do. They are goals like this:
- Remembering a technique you learned in the past.
- Not having to sit out and rest during class.
- Finishing full rounds of sparring - no sitting out.
- Not getting swept as quickly.
- Not getting submitted so quickly.
- Seeing where you could do a technique you learned (whether or not you get it.)
- Learning a technique and using it in sparring the same night.
- Knowing the names of the positions and techniques.
- Escaping bad positions or at least preventing submissions.
- Being better at a move the second time you learn it.
- Not panicking too much.
- Not holding your breath.
- Not being too tense.
- Not burning out your grip by holding on too tight.
- Coming to 2-3 classes per weekly regularly.
- Having a really hard night and still training again the next day.
- Giving a higher belt some trouble (even if just holding him in your closed guard so he can't pass.)
How quickly a beginner gets past these and into more fun goals like "Develop my half guard" and "Hit triangles on everyone" depends on a lot of things (mat time, previous martial arts or wrestling experience, etc.) but when 9 out of 10 people quit BJJ in their first few weeks, it seems worth looking at things from this level.
Let me know what you guys think.
thread title: apprehension before classes.....
pacbjj:
I am always apprehensive before class. Once I get going I am fine and when the class ends I almost always come out feeling great. Once in a while I don't feel good after a class for example if I struggled with a move or didn't get as much out of it as I felt I should.
Just wondering if people have felt the same way when they first started out and how they dealt with it.
shinobi:
i get really bad anxiety about training. i've been training for 4 years and it never really goes away, but when I'm consistently on the mat it makes it much easier to handle so my advice would be to just grit your way through it until it you're so comfortable with your academy you don't think about it.
placa:
I used to get like this before Muay Thai. However, with BJJ, I am completely relaxed.
I think it is due to your training partners. Are you really friendly with them? As in, do you offer to go out to lunch/party with them? Are they more your friends or training partner?
At Muay Thai, the people, although very friendly, were more of training tools.
At my new BJJ school, everyone is my friend. I would invite them over anytime and have been offered to go out to lunch/bars with them.
slideyfoot:
In my experience, there are multiple reasons for apprehension.
First, BJJ is hard. Voluntarily heading to a place where you know you're going to get sat on, your limbs twisted, your neck crushed...any sensible person would balk at that. So I think there is a voice inside all of us that says "hey, wait a minute, why the hell am I putting myself through this?" before training.
Second, ego. Nobody likes getting beaten up and dominated by somebody else (well, I guess there are, but that's in a rather different setting Razz ), and everybody knows that is a strong possibility in BJJ sparring. It is an effort to force yourself to willingly enter that situation.
Third, there is the worry about injury, a legitimate concern. BJJ can be a rough sport, so you could get hurt at any time.
The way I try and overcome those fears is focus on technique above all else.
That helps me with all three: as long as I'm working to improve a technique, it isn't a big deal that I might get a little squashed along the way: if I'm in a bad position, that's simply a good opportunity to work my escapes.
Ego isn't such a problem if your focus is, for example, "get better at hand-positioning under side control" rather than "MUST SMASH! MUST WIN!" When you're trying to be technical, you can break down your goals methodically and realistically. Your aims become clear, and it means that every class, you'll be able to take away something positive from sparring, even if it's only "ok, that didn't work, so I'll do it differently next time."
Finally, injuries are much less likely if you stay relaxed and controlled in your pursuit of technique, picking your training partners carefully, with a preference for people you know are equally interested in improving their technical abilities.
HopeBJJ:
So you know that you are not alone, I have to admit that I am extremely anxious before each and every class. (My anxiety level is pretty much off the charts, truth be told.)
Although I have been a fan of BJJ for quite some time, I am rather new to learning BBJ and find that being on the mats forces me to address not only my lack of knowledge of BJJ (which actually causes the least anxiety); but the things about myself that I am the least content with and the most embarrassed about:
1) Being out of shape (horrible cardio) and significantly overweight
2) Being a person that is not too coordinated and never been known as a graceful person (As an adult, I still have major problems doing moves kids can do, like a somersault.)
3) Completely lacking in flexibility with joints/muscles that don
