Is there such thing as "Going too hard" in jiu jitsu?

[sb413197]

I would say "rolling too hard" is going at a pace you can't sustain so that you end up taking breaks between matches or having unproductive rolling sessions. Periodically I have to scale back my pacing because of this.

I roll hard and so do the other guys in our gym - probably because a lot of them are former wrestlers and MMA fighters. I didn't realize that there were gyms where people didn't go very hard until we had some visitors from other gyms come to visit - it was pretty interesting. Different styles.

Now, that doesn't mean you should be a jerk while rolling. It's very different to apply full intensity, versus doing things harmful to your training partners like not giving time to tap off subs, striking them, knee-on-skull, and so on

 

[pakho]

I recently restarted bjj at a gym catered to office workers, its was a big difference from doing bjj when I was in university where people tended to roll "hard". Like other posters noted, one thing i was told particularly by senior belts was to apply submissions gradually and not to force it on quickly or yank at it, especially arm bars/kimuras. Similar to my experience sparring in kickboxing - ive found different gyms have vastly different expectations for how much contact is acceptable. Now I always start lighter than my training partner and scale up accordingly.

 

[JKDJedi]

Good thread, just rolled with an old (but new) member of the class and had him in closed guard ..he picks me up and slams me to my back... If professor wasn't quick to let him know this wasn't UFC I'd might have done it for him, (and he's just been promoted to purple) so not sure if he always rolls like that or feeling empowered by the promotion, so the next rd of rolling he "accidentally" pops the mouth of his next partner... so yeah...like the first page of this thread states...if you have to say oops....then your rolling to fucken hard.

 

[JKDJedi]

There's nothing wrong with trying to win all the time. That doesn't mean putting winning above facilitating the health and safety of your training partner; you can do both at the same time.

You can win by losing.

 

[Headkicktoleg]

This is an easy one:

If you have a significant strength/weight advantage over your opponent, APPLY THE SUBMISSIONS FUCKING SLOWLY. ESPECIALLY LEG ATTACKS.

I've seen and been the victim of far too many injuries because bigger people have no fucking clue how easy it is to hurt training partners this way.

A great example would be when I trained with Ronnie Wuest (balance BJJ Black belt).

He literally pulled half guard and went for a knee bar 3 seconds after we shook hands. He was so used to applying the knee bar/dog bar from there against big opponents in his gym, he didn't realize the same pressure would cause a SEVERE knee injury for me.



TL/DR: Even if you are a CURRENT black belt, it is highly likely you may have no idea how easy it is to hurt training partners via submissions (especially lower body ones). As a general rule of thumb, apply the submissions SLOW and give your training partners a huge fucking window of opportunity to tap without getting injured.

Ronnie is a beast. He comes to our gym every once in a while and you know everything is going to hurt when he's there lol

 

[Adjaar]

I'd say going too hard is tied with who you are rolling with. If I find a guy with a similar age/weight/skill as me, I tend to go as hard as I want, giving myself a test of my sparring ability. I can usually tell when my partner wants to go for a hard round.

If you are treating the youth/elderly/smaller/female/injured grappler the same way you would treat the other group of people, you are doing it wrong. I've met youth, older, and females who are all very skilled, strong, and can handle a good roll, but it's still different.

I used to never dial it down if the person was a higher belt than me, but you have to pay attention to what your partner needs from the roll too, otherwise you are being selfish

 

[Eagle1459]

Can one go, "too hard"?

What would warrant this title, exploding in and out of positions? Accidental knees etc?

What about if someone is training for competition/competing, can they go too hard? How?

Holding onto subs too long. Pulling on subs like armbars like you are in a competition. Worst is people you don’t know what they are so you end putting all of their strength into things and hurt themselves and others.

 

[Sherdog Oliver]

Risking injury

Cranking submissions

Spazzing

 

[RemyR]

Depends on your training partner.

For some people BJJ is not even a hobby but more like an escape from work or a way to “get in shape” for some people. They don’t care about getting better and thus won’t appreciate a hard roll. Those guys and gals I usually just drill escapes and positions. I’d feel bad actually going hard on them.

Other people I train with, it’s game on. We’re going tooth and nail to gain an inch. If I get smashed, it’s my fault not theirs. If I steamroll them, it’s on them to improve their game and get better. Either way it’s not personal it’s just practice as AI would say. Practice.

edit - just realized this is a thread necro

 

[shunyata]

Other people I train with, it’s game on. We’re going tooth and nail to gain an inch. If I get smashed, it’s my fault not theirs. If I steamroll them, it’s on them to improve their game and get better. Either way it’s not personal it’s just practice as AI would say. Practice.

These are the good partners.

Cherish them, smash them, and be smashed by them.



One of my favorite compliments in combat sports is when someone says "I love rolling/sparring with you man, because I can actually go 100%. I can't do that against everyone here".



It's not that we can't keep it playful, but the sport and the progression starts when we keep it real.

 

[StanClarker]

Only an MMA site would pose this question.

 

[Sushi Fitness]

To keep it simple I’ve always viewed it as I’m 100% responsible for not injuring my partner and he’s responsible for me.

if both have the same mindset you’re good to go.

My personal experience has been the more times I’ve rolled with a partner the more comfortable we get and can keep increasing the tempo and intensity each time we roll.