Noob BJJ questions.

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jimike

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Sorry if these have been asked before or are just plain silly.

I'm really interested in learning BJJ and have taken a few classes before at a local MMA gym that's pretty cheap and easy to get to and i have a few variables i need to weigh before making my decision on where to train. The choices are:

A. MMA BJJ classes are 5hrs30min over 3 days a wk, 1hr technique/1 hrs sparring, with a full ti****ble of other classes like wrestling/boxing,etc. Instructor is a very skilled MMA fighter with numerous wins and belt at his weightclass (i think!). Could run/cycle to get here.

B. There's a Blackbelt that has a video on youtube fighting that trains within a reachable distance say ~1 hr each way in multiple locations throughout the wk and will cost me a fair bit more money to get to (not much in grand scheme of things but i have little disposable income at the moment ) for 9hrs a week over 6 days. Again travel costs will end up costing me more than my classes will quite easily.
YouTube - ADCC 2008 Pedro Bessa vs Marcos Nardini final
Not sure if ADCC as seems to be a lot of Scottish looking ppl around :)
It's the guy in the Blue/White shorts.

C. There are also a couple of classes very near me that i could supplement my MMA BJJ classes with a little bit of planning, but is this considered bad form?
I want to throw myself into BJJ and take as many classes as i can but don't want to break some BJJ etiquette code that i dont know about. I could get to a total of about 7hrs30min a wk doing this hodgepodge of classes.

In a vacumn option B would be my choice but it will end up costing me almost 3x as much as the MMA place factoring in extra costs and i'm wondering if getting taught by a Blackbelt might be overkill considering i'm a complete beginner.


Other questions.

1. Someone who does BJJ says i should stay clear of technique books and the like at the beginning as will only confuse me with too much information. Do you believe this is true?

2. How do you guys remember the small variables in holds and positions. My memory is awful and i can see myself forgetting tonnes of stuff.
Does it's just get better the more you go or do you guys write down what you've learned in each class. If you write it down what form does it take?

3. What is a good amount of time to train a wk in hours? Obviously more=better but what do you think is optimal for trying to learn.
p.s. I know BJJ is very knowledge intensive and am not looking to get good in an unreasonable amount of time.

Thanks for your replies.
 
my personal advice would be to go for the most convenient location if they are similar in quality. for me, a convenient close location makes me go twice as often as i otherwise would have.


try out classes at both places before you decide, get a feel for the place and the people.


most importantly, just do it and start! its so easy to procrastinate.. (at least for me)


good luck
 
That's the thing. Option B will be more skilled i'd imagine him being a Black Belt and all.
But then again it would be kinda wasted on me at the beginning anyway as anyone could teach the basics i'd think,i don't need to hog BB's to do so.

I would take your advice of just diving in and doing it but i'll be unable to start for another month as i have a fractured hand at moment so i'm using this time healing to scour for places.
 
I would start off at the cheapest/closest place until you really know how dedicated you will be. After that you will have a better idea of what works best for you.
jimike said:
Other questions.

1. Someone who does BJJ says i should stay clear of technique books and the like at the beginning as will only confuse me with too much information. Do you believe this is true?
Click to expand...

I don't think you need to stay away from them but it is a good idea to learn the basics first. Some books really explain the basics well and they might help supplement what you are learning in class. Just don't try and learn every sub and sweep in the book all at once.

jimike said:
2. How do you guys remember the small variables in holds and positions. My memory is awful and i can see myself forgetting tonnes of stuff.
Does it's just get better the more you go or do you guys write down what you've learned in each class. If you write it down what form does it take?
Click to expand...

This comes with drilling the move over and over. You will begin to develop muscle memory where you start doing things without much thought.

jimike said:
3. What is a good amount of time to train a wk in hours? Obviously more=better but what do you think is optimal for trying to learn.
p.s. I know BJJ is very knowledge intensive and am not looking to get good in an unreasonable amount of time.

Thanks for your replies.
Click to expand...

It depends on how you feel. The one thing you don't want to do is over train because that will eventually lead to injury. Listen to your body. If you are tired or sick you might need a day off but if you feel good train as much as you want.
 
I just got Saulo's book as an xmas gift...and I actually WISH i had this book as a beginner

So I wouldn't say steer clear of books but definitely be smart about which moves you pick from books to learn
 
lethalazn said:
I just got Saulo's book as an xmas gift...and I actually WISH i had this book as a beginner

So I wouldn't say steer clear of books but definitely be smart about which moves you pick from books to learn
Click to expand...

me too! Man is this a great book!
 
I think books and videos can be very helpful to a beginner. Use them as a supplement rather than as your main source of BJJ education. I pick up moves from my books and try them in class with a higher belt who I trust to give me proper feedback.

And it's a great idea to keep a journal of your daily training sessions. It's amazing how much you forget if you don't write it down, and it helps to see how you've progressed in your game.
 
jimike said:
1. Someone who does BJJ says i should stay clear of technique books and the like at the beginning as will only confuse me with too much information. Do you believe this is true?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't put it quite like that, but I'd agree you should leave instructionals until a little later in your BJJ. For the moment, concentrate on getting used to the basics of BJJ: at this stage, instructionals would be a needless distraction. Having said that, the one book I would happily recommend early in your training is Mastering Jujitsu (my review), as that concentrates more on history and theory rather than overwhelming you with technical information.

If you're looking for reading material and you've only just started, then you might find my BJJ Beginner FAQ useful, and Stephan Kesting's free Beginning BJJ site would definitely be a good idea.

2. How do you guys remember the small variables in holds and positions. [...] Does it's just get better the more you go or do you guys write down what you've learned in each class. If you write it down what form does it take?
Click to expand...

Personally, I've found taking notes very useful: I've been keeping a blog for some time, so have recorded every single BJJ leson I've ever done (first lesson here). Generally I'll try to cover all the techniques, then think about what I could have done better in sparring. The blog format makes it easy for me to go back and look up, for example, all posts relating to passing the guard, or perhaps escaping side control.

The process of putting what you've just learned into words means you have to carefully think about exactly what you did in class. Even if your memory of it isn't that great, that will still mean you know specifically which parts you're unsure about, so can then ask your instructor next time you train.

That also helps with recollecting terminology, which I find can be a big problem in BJJ (hence why I've been compiling a glossary). Of course, that normally means you only learn the terminology used in your particular school, but still of benefit. Ideally, I'd like to be able to learn the most common terms used globally, as well as just in my school: it then becomes easier to search places like the net for hints and tips on specific techniques.

In addition to remembering technique, writing notes also enables you to track your own progress, and identify what you feel you need to work on. As with writing up techniques, that then means you can concentrate on what went 'wrong', for want of a better word, asking your instructor and training partners how you could improve. So in effect, your notes become an action plan for the next sparring session.

What is a good amount of time to train a wk in hours? Obviously more=better but what do you think is optimal for trying to learn.
Click to expand...

From what I've read, the common response is that you need at least three sessions to improve. I don't agree: I think it depends entirely how well you can retain information. If you aren't able to get quantity, you can simply up quality (e.g., by copious note-taking and focusing on a handful of techniques for long periods): I find I've been to able to improve training on average twice a week (which at RGA means 3 hours).

However, as you say, if you train more often then that is certainly going to speed your progress, as long as you don't overtrain and get injured. A lot of people get very excited when starting out, train as much as they can, then get injured/fatigued and their attendance declines. Sometimes, they don't come back, or develop a pattern of intense for one week, then nothing for a few weeks, intense again, etc: I've seen it happen a few times.

Most important is that you stay consistent and keep turning up, even if you don't feel like it (as opposed to being injured or ill: don't try to train through injuries and illnes, as that will just make it worse and mean you miss more training). Set yourself a reasonable target depending on your other commitments (family, work etc), then make sure you stick to it. I'm pretty geeky, so set up a spreadsheet, which helps me stick to an average of at least three hours a week. If I miss a session here and then, I'll try hard to make it up the following week by getting in some extra classes.

Hope that helps!
 
Thanks guys.
Your blog looks very helpful slideyfoot.

Looking forward to starting.
Reading all the info i'm definently going to be concious of not using too much strength to be honest.
I'm a pretty big guy so i don't want to substitute strength for skill and just try to manhandle ppl.
 
i train with marcos in kilmarnock and irvine and it is worth the money , hes a great teacher
 
I'm a Celtic supporter (tho i only come out at Old Firm games to wind up my friends) Socal Duck so happy with yesterday obv.

Yeah Nockerz i really, really want to train with Marco too.
He'd definently be my first choice for sure.

Only thing is that i'd have to get there by public transport from Glasgow. I'm going to look into bus/train and costs/journey durations tomorow and see what i'm looking at, i don't imagine its going to be good tho.

Do you know if anyone else from Glasgow goes to the classes and how they get there?
I can't imagine i'm the only guy from with this problem.

Can you not persuade Marco to move to Glasgow?
Venice of the West of Scotland with its knife crime, sectarianism and neds. What is there not to like? lol

EDIT:Actually just had a look at times to Kilmarnock 40 min from city centre by bus.20min from my house to city centre. Is class near the bus station in Killie nockerz? If so i could prob manage it.
I've been to the website are all the classes 1 hr long mostly? What are the classes like and how many ppl do you have? Thanks.
 
its about a 10 minute walk from the bus station. i dnt think anyone comes from glasgow.
theres usually about 20 people on tuesday and thursday.
 
cheapest/closest if quality is similar like an above poster said. As far as remembering dont worry about it after a while it just comes natural and you dont even think about the things anymore
 
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