Not using strength!

i know some guys who try to power through moves. i have nothing to complain about, though. it's a chance to go against a different style.

however, what i do find annoying is being paired up with one of the timid people whose "strategy" is to stay on edge and remain hard as a stone, not even defending the pass to mount or any choke attempts, then complain that their partner used strength to get the submission. i don't even know what's up with that.
 
OrcishFighter said:
the problem with newbie using strength to compensate wich is normal since they don't have much technique can sometime make their progress slower because they can beat other white belt by imposing the 1 or 2 moves they know.

Anyway using strength or any other attribute isn't a problem when its used at the right time and it obviously help. Match will never be decided 100% on pure bjj technique.

In short ppl that are strong should still try to use timing, momentum, opportunity, etc to become better at bjj but using their strength at the right time is fine.

PS: only in BJJ someone can tell you wow you are so strong and he mean it as an insult :p
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This: When I started I was WAY stronger than all the other white belts around my weight and my bottom game struggled for it; I could get on top and pass just by being so much stronger and explosive..eventually I started rolling with the blue belts more because my strength doesn't matter against them (I'm lightweight just much stronger than our other lightweights so I can't out-muscle higher level technique for the most part) and now when I roll I can see how much better I am not just on bottom - but on top as well, because I started focusing more on technique.
 
like someone else said I only try to use strength to keep grips. I'm about 200lbs I do no weight lifting but I am freakishly strong. However I always start on the bottom work a butterfly or xguard sweep and usually will work side control from there.
 
You use a lot of strength is right up there with other dumb attribute related observations..

"you're too tall/short/strong/fat/thin/fast/sweaty/flexible/strategic/fit" aka "you're better than me in a particular aspect, you beat me because of it and i now have a lot of sand in my va j j"
 
So I get that comment sometimes as well. I'm 6-2, about 210, but stronger than I look. Farm strength I guess...

As a beginner whitebelt I absolutely used strength too much to "win" at training. I have been making a conscious effort to focus more on technique, not strength. I think that is an important part of my growth as a blue belt. Its going to make me better in the long run - the strength/power will still be there if I need it.

Most of the time when I get that comment now, its when I'm rolling with a brown or black belt & they're trying to help me. Saying things like, "don't use too much strength....make sure you breathe....relax.....etc..."

So when I get that comment, I listen to it. I know that focusing on perfecting my technique is the right thing for me to do be doing right now.
 
I take it for a compliment usually. I can tell the difference when someones actually using proper leverage against me in a roll versus just trying to force everything with muscle. The only thing I think I ever force is when I have certain submissions locked in, like kimuras.
 
I think it's relative. If you are the same rank and 100 lbs heavier than the person and you are muscling through moves that would not work on a guy that was even close to your size, you are using too much strength.
 
Never been told I'm too strong... probably because I am 160lb and not really that physical of a guy.... I have been told my jiu jitsu is annoying by the big guys though on a few occasions :) I just translate that to "damn your guard is hard to pass"
 
I think there's a time to use strength and a time to not -- it really depends on what you're going for. I think submissions and something like controlling someone's posture are good to use power for, but with something like sweeps, I don't think strength will necessarily play an important roll without leverage. You really have to use their leverage against them. I don't really believe that sweeps are more effective when you use strength anyway. Then again... I'm a 2 stripe blue belt... so what do i know?
 
Steve3730 said:
Anyone ever get annoyed when after rolling with people they tell you "you are just to strong" and kind of use that as an excuse to why you beat them in sparring? none of the other bluebelts at our school say it but I hear it from whitebelts all the time. After a while it gets annoying to me.
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If somebody told me that, I would thing they were joking. If they somehow convinced me they were serious, I would have been extremely flattered and feel good about it for several days afterwards.
 
Irenaeus said:
If somebody told me that, I would thing they were joking. If they somehow convinced me they were serious, I would have been extremely flattered and feel good about it for several days afterwards.
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While it annoys my BJJ ego it boost my male ego lol. I mostly hear it from the guys at the college we train at and a lot of those guys are gym rats so it is a little flattering.
 
I barely can bench press the bar with no weights so yeah, everyone else is stronger than me
 
I get that all the time, which is funny because all the regulars know I am pretty weak in the weightroom... So it is usually new guys or drop ins that make the too strong comment. I usually say "well I drink my own piss, makes me strong like bull." Usually gets a strange look... they think I can't be serious, and I think they can't be serious, so it balances out.
 
I guess my reactions are different than most because I usually only tell that to people who are, I dunno, stronger than most people?

Even if I've dominated a grappling session with a relatively newer guy, I can still get a good feel for his physical strength. In those situations, I'll likely tell the guy to stick with jujitsu because combined with his physical strength, he'll be a tougher nut to crack than most.
 
Not using strength in BJJ = dumb.

Andre had a really good post about strength on the undergound(If i can find it)..so did Dave Jacobs.

Basically said that if you believe BB's never use strength watch an evenly matched BB match. And noticed when and where they are using strength. It is quite common.


When a BB is rolling with a blue belt..yeah..they are often totally relaxed or comatose. Competitive matches? Not so much.
 
TalkShowOnMute said:
Not using strength in BJJ = dumb.

Andre had a really good post about strength on the undergound(If i can find it)..so did Dave Jacobs.

Basically said that if you believe BB's never use strength watch an evenly matched BB match. And noticed when and where they are using strength. It is quite common.


When a BB is rolling with a blue belt..yeah..they are often totally relaxed or comatose. Competitive matches? Not so much.
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Id love to see what he said. Im not afraid to admit I got by on strength a lot when I first started out grappling...totally wasted my time in thinking i was better than I thought. I yearn for the day I can roll without getting my heartrate up too high, and using very little strength. Just like in Joe Rogan's podcast a couple days ago when he was describing technique vs athletic ability; Rickson's style. One of my problems is, I never let a bigger guy outmuscle/push me me around...stupid ego.
 
Balto said:
Since I'm a lightweight people tend not to use that one on me. Instead I get the usual lightweight excuses instead:

I am too fast
I am too "slippery"
I am too flexible
I have too much cardio
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I'm in the same weight class and I hear these a lot, too.
 
Steve3730 said:
While it annoys my BJJ ego it boost my male ego lol. I mostly hear it from the guys at the college we train at and a lot of those guys are gym rats so it is a little flattering.
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This nicely sums up exactly how I feel about this issue! I'm strong, but I think I have technique too. When one of my smaller/weaker training partners uses the "strong" insult, my jiujitsu ego is annoyed :icon_neut and my male ego catches a boost. :icon_chee
 
White belts don't know what the f--- they're talking about. They think you're just using strength because your (I'm assuming here) superior technique is beating their strength. Don't worry about it. The people with the best technique always feel the strongest when rolling.
 
Eff this mentality.
1.) I am not entitled to heavier guys magically becoming lighter, fast guys slowing down, high endurance guys pretending to be fatigued on pace with my fatigue, or flexible guys tapping out at a normal person's range of motion so why are people with a strength deficit entitled to me foregoing my advantage.
2.) BJJ is the union of your unique mind and your unique body, your style, preferences, strategies, weaknesses and strengths are all expressions of this union. Everything I ever learned in BJJ I learned as a man who thinks like I do and is physically equipped as I am equipped. Yes there is more to BJJ than just pure athleticism but there's a reason why people are drawn to certain things and do things certain ways.
3.) Yes we are taught not to be meathead brutes but at the end of the day, if skill is equal the athleticism WILL win the day.
 
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