I have observed that its a little more of the former rather than the latter. The real champs obviously have both. Do any of you guys feel that you have to work twice as hard as some people to get the same results?
from very young i wrestle with my bro -stupid catch everything goes kind-! so when i started bjj everyone said to me that im a natural, where i was just used to wrestle with my back nailed down against someone stronger and biger! from what i hv conclude through basketball (during my highschool i was what u call a gym rat) and in bjj i think is even more reinforced is that dedication beat talent ! offcourse the combination of two is what is makes the great ones! so u may need natural flexibility to do a proper ruber or strong legs for a good guard but with dedication u can be as good as someone that has those qualities by nature! just it will take you more time and a lot, a lot of effort!
Natural talent helps, but dedication is what keeps you going to train. As you should only be judging your progress against yourself, it really doesn't matter if other people are progressing quicker, particularly as that can be for a multitude of reasons: they may have more natural talent, or it could be they train more often, they're fitter, younger, have a background in another grappling sport etc. Admittedly its hard not to think "damn, that guy started same time as me, so how come they're so much better?", particularly if the reason is indeed natural talent rather than training time, but that kind of thought process is only going to lead to frustration. Much better to stay focused on developing your own game.
yeah for sure,i wasnt a natural at bjj to begin with.now newer guys (1 -2 yrs training) say i have 'talent' but its all from hard work.
I would say it takes both, but more of the dedication. That is the beautiful thing about combat. It can make or break a man. And if you have the heart, and the determination, you can suceed, or at least fight a warriors fight until you lose. I was told I was a natural and BJJ by the entire team. Ever since then, I have worked 4x as hard just to make sure it didnt go to my head. Remember, you could have all the talent in the world, but if someone else wants it more than you, you can still lose.
Although athleticism is very important and can be a natural talent. Its more to do with being able to learn techniques, implement them, 3d sensetivity to the other persons weight and position. Its more of an observation than anything else. I know that when I have to leave the club where im at now, when I get back to England I can't train no where near as much. So I feel that my progress may stagnate.
I had a wrestling background so initially BJJ came easy. Now I almost wish I didn't wrestle because some of my instinctive movements are hard to change. I was always decently athletic but got kinda out of shape and a little fat before I started which didn't help.
I consider myself 'naturally able' but, there are certain things I have to dedicate myself to like CARDIO and technique, or else it limits my natural abilities.
For sure talent is a factor. There are kids who have ben grappling for maybe a year or two and they are almost 2 hot for me to handle. It's usually some little nuance I've picked up in my 5 or so years that allows me to get the edge and win most the time. But I dread to think about the "nuances" they'll be picking up in short order.
Depends. I believe a hard working fighter will always be a threat, but a hard working fighter that has talent is what makes a fighter great. That's for the most part- Fedor on the other hand always talks about how he was unathletic as a kid, and look at him now.
Penn is enormously talented but he also trained like a madman. You can chalk that up to dedication as well.
Possibly - but also chalk it up to unlimited, time, and unlimited funds. There are a number of guys out there who could be equally as dominate if they had the funds to never work, and take two privates a day from one of the top coaches in the country like penn did. i hate how penns name gets brought up in every thread like this. Guy is probably my favorite mma fighter of all times, but people ride that fastest blackbelt waggon wayyyy to much.
Agreed, but lets face it, it is a comfortable wagon. He's probably my favorite mma fighter as well, and someone was bound to bring up the subject, it does pose a good point in a debate thread such as this.
