Believe me...I fucking LOVE smoking. I just happen to love jiu jitsu more.
My thoughts on my first six months of training Bjj
- Thread starter RhinoUP
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Believe me...I fucking LOVE smoking. I just happen to love jiu jitsu more.
AldoGenkiSudo
Blue Belt
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Interesting read, thank you. I just signed up and have my first day tomorrow. Nervous as hell, but looking forward to it very much. I'm sure I'll revert back to reading this for support at some point in the future.
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You didn't last 2 minutes into the warm up?? Damn wtf were you doing before? And what did the warm up consist of (the first 2 minutes)? Was it a workout or a warm up like jogging around the mat?
Ok...2 minutes is a little of an exaggeration, but I would have to stop several times during a 10 minute warmup. Running/laterals/shrimping etc.
Also I would only last 1-3 minutes before having to break during rolling.
Before I just lifted. No cardio and I smoked 2-3 packs a day.
Training for the NY Open so I'm training mon-saturday. 3-1hour classes and 2-2 hour classes plus open mat on friday night for 1.5-2 hours.
You can mess someone up in 2 minutes if they're really out of shape. Heavy guys especially, you get some things going where they have to compress their core a lot, and they'll be sucking wind.
Damn dude that's awesome... The fact that you are 40 and 230 lbs and giving BJJ ago is admirable, most of my teammates at my gym who are 35+ have dealt with a lot of injuries and time off, I hope you're injury free for the most part.
Month 7 - I know this is normal but I feel like I'm going backwards. I find that when I attempt a technique...even on the less experienced guys... I lose my position..especially from closed guard. I also have a hard time finishing from mount and side control and while I'm succeeding moor than I used to, I'm also making more attempts and getting reversed/passed a lot more. The good part about this is that I'm getting used to dealing with heavy shoulder pressure and mount/side mount escapes. My half guard is getting stronger and I'm able to pull off a sweep from time to time. I haven't actually throw up in this month but I've been really close. Tonight I was rewarded by Sinistro giving me my second stripe, so I guess all the ups and downs are part of the process.
I'm training for Long Island Pride on February 24th and also the NY Open on April 20th. Anyone else gonna be there?
I'm training for Long Island Pride on February 24th and also the NY Open on April 20th. Anyone else gonna be there?
Coolnickname
Orange Belt
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Remember this.
The better you get. The more you learn and the more you understand. The more you will start seeing what you do wrong. Don't take this as a bad omen. It means, even though it sounds crazy, that you're getting better.
Consider the fact that the more clueless you were. The more clueless you were to your mistakes. When you were complete shit, all you saw was the things that succeded. The rest of the rolls were an unknown to you. Sure when we're noobs we fool ourselves into thinking we're doing great because we some times end up where we want to be. But that may be because the other guy fucked up. Not because you did something right.
So don't feel too bad about being in a slump. Most slumps are made in your head, not of your actual progress. There will be many more and certainly much bigger ones. Keep training and try to just enjoy being there and enjoy Jiu-Jitsu.
The better you get. The more you learn and the more you understand. The more you will start seeing what you do wrong. Don't take this as a bad omen. It means, even though it sounds crazy, that you're getting better.
Consider the fact that the more clueless you were. The more clueless you were to your mistakes. When you were complete shit, all you saw was the things that succeded. The rest of the rolls were an unknown to you. Sure when we're noobs we fool ourselves into thinking we're doing great because we some times end up where we want to be. But that may be because the other guy fucked up. Not because you did something right.
So don't feel too bad about being in a slump. Most slumps are made in your head, not of your actual progress. There will be many more and certainly much bigger ones. Keep training and try to just enjoy being there and enjoy Jiu-Jitsu.
I hear ya bro. Im finding that I'm very often getting into a bad position when I go for something. It's all good though. I'm starting to get closer when making a submission attempt and when I do miss, recovering guard is becoming more second nature. 2 steps forward 1 step back. Just gonna keep training and flow with the go.
The "two steps forward, one back" feeling is normal.
Early on, a guy passes your guard once and you're stuck under side control until he gets the finish. Now you're recovering guard, getting sweeps, improving your position, and attempting subs more often. You may feel like it's a step back because you're getting passed or reversed more often, but the reality is probably that your defense is buying you more opportunities than it used to.
It's like a guy who learns how to recover his guard getting frustrated because now his guard is getting passed more than ever. Of course it is, because he's getting his guard back more than ever. But on the bright side, he's giving himself more opportunities to practice guard retention and learn from his mistakes. Make sure you don't let your frustration with new challenges cloud out the sunny side of the progress you've made.
See what I mean? Learn from your mistakes, but understand that progression doesn't feel linear. It's more like the stock market. Over the long term, it's gradually going up, but if you look closer at the day-by-day sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down. That's what your progress in jiu-jitsu will feel like.
Early on, a guy passes your guard once and you're stuck under side control until he gets the finish. Now you're recovering guard, getting sweeps, improving your position, and attempting subs more often. You may feel like it's a step back because you're getting passed or reversed more often, but the reality is probably that your defense is buying you more opportunities than it used to.
It's like a guy who learns how to recover his guard getting frustrated because now his guard is getting passed more than ever. Of course it is, because he's getting his guard back more than ever. But on the bright side, he's giving himself more opportunities to practice guard retention and learn from his mistakes. Make sure you don't let your frustration with new challenges cloud out the sunny side of the progress you've made.
See what I mean? Learn from your mistakes, but understand that progression doesn't feel linear. It's more like the stock market. Over the long term, it's gradually going up, but if you look closer at the day-by-day sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down. That's what your progress in jiu-jitsu will feel like.
Very insightful.
Funny you mention the market KGB. I have been a broker for 20 yearsYes, I get it. It really doesn't frustrate me all that much. Gonna keep my head down and train through it.
In that case, let me say that jiu-jitsu is definitely a blue chip. Stick with it and you'll see strong gains over the long term. :icon_lol:
I couldn't agree more. Last night my stock definitely corrected
I got creamed by everyone in my gym, before finally landing an armbar from guard. So I went home bruised and happy. Puke and rally
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Great thread! I'm 47 and been formally training at a Robson Moura affiliate for 3 months. I can relate with your progress.
I've always been relatively athletic (now 5'8" 170 lbs) and never smoked. About 4 years ago I would train No-Gi with a co-worker who was a Blue Belt. After a year He left the company and the training soon ended. In that time I competed in a small local tournament and placed 3rd out of 6. Fast forward to November 2012 where I finally signed up with a Gym about a mile from the house.
The guys at the Gym have zero mercy on my Old Ass. In the past 3 months I've nursed a sprained ankle, bruised ribs and now a dislocated finger. But I love this Shit! It makes me laugh when the younger guys say I have "Old Man Strength". At first I could barely hang for one rolling session but I can feel my stamina building.
I'm in there 3 times a week for 2 hour sessions and thinking Jiujitsu all my waking hours. My Girlfriend sees me staring into space and fidgeting and knows I'm thinking of position.
I've always been relatively athletic (now 5'8" 170 lbs) and never smoked. About 4 years ago I would train No-Gi with a co-worker who was a Blue Belt. After a year He left the company and the training soon ended. In that time I competed in a small local tournament and placed 3rd out of 6. Fast forward to November 2012 where I finally signed up with a Gym about a mile from the house.
The guys at the Gym have zero mercy on my Old Ass. In the past 3 months I've nursed a sprained ankle, bruised ribs and now a dislocated finger. But I love this Shit! It makes me laugh when the younger guys say I have "Old Man Strength". At first I could barely hang for one rolling session but I can feel my stamina building.
I'm in there 3 times a week for 2 hour sessions and thinking Jiujitsu all my waking hours. My Girlfriend sees me staring into space and fidgeting and knows I'm thinking of position.
Thats because you're probably actually trying things now. For the first 6 months you were probably just flopping around spazzing out of getting subbed
Month 8 - This was a little bit of a breakthrough month for me. It all started when a very tough purple belt and I sparred during open mat. Since I started I always had a problem with being smothered. I hated being mounted, especially against a fellow heavyweight, and after not being able to get out after a few attempts, I would tap and restart. This ended when the purple belt Im speaking of informed me that if I tapped he wasn't stopping. He got mount and stayed there. I tapped,,,he stayed there...the buzzer rang...he stayed there...taunting me. Eventually during the 3rd six minute round, I felt a calm come over me...I was ok with it and began working different escapes. Reversed to guard and violla....we rolled for 2 more rounds ignoring the buzzer. This was HUGE for my progress. I feel that this led me to train harder...with lest rest...and remain calmer during rolling..conserving energy and exploding when necessary..It helped me in so many ways, that I cant really describe them. The claustrophobia is gone and when in a bad position, I'm no longer panicking. Big big big for my jiu jitsu. This was definitely the biggest breakthrough thus far and as a result, Sinistro gave me my third stripe last night after less than a month with 2. Competing in Long Island Pride this weekend. Any of you guys gonna be there?
Nice! Learning to relax, defend, and set up escapes from the worst positions is a major step forward. It's a process though. In time, you'll feel even more comfortable in those bad positions, to where a white belt will mount you and you'll lay there as calmly as if you were about to take a nap on the couch.
The best part is the mental calmness, you'll start to recognize opportunities more, and even start to read where he might go from any given position. That's a big step in thinking ahead of your current position. My instructors are now really trying to ingrain in me that even if I feel like I'm forced to transition to another position, I still shouldn't go there without a gameplan for what to do when I get there. You simply can't think like that if you're panicky.
