What are the things you wish you would have known when you started bjj?

it'll feel better when it stops hurting, and it'll stop hurting when you take a goddamn rest day

concussions don't heal, they add up

people who lack ego oftentimes project it. training partners who are averse to grit are also averse to progress.

when people admire you, you can be a pillar, or you can be an anchor.

rank is an indication of time and skill, not character. rank does not make you an inherently better person. avoid any gym with a culture to the contrary.
 
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The answer to technique A failing miserably is not to find technique B; instead it's to realise its you that's rubbish not the technique.

Also that the monkeys with type-writers & Shakespeare principal applies; left to you're own devices you'll often discover secret techniques famous grapplers have then somehow managed to steal from you in your dreams and copy. Get your 3 dvd instructional out first and coin a name before they do!
 
RJ Green said:
it'll feel better when it stops hurting, and it'll stop hurting when you take a goddamn rest day

concussions don't heal, they add up

people who lack ego oftentimes project it. training partners who are averse to grit are also averse to progress.

when people admire you, you can be a pillar, or you can be an anchor.

rank is an indication of time and skill, not character. rank does not make you an inherently better person. avoid any gym with a culture to the contrary.
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Concussions from rolling?
 
Stretch.









Also, don’t think you can master everything. Just try to get good at a couple of things and move on.
 
My gym never rolled during practice so for me definitely go to open mat. You don't really start putting it together until you roll.
 
GoatArtemLobov said:
I completely agree with that, at some point, you have to be the one to know what works for you and what doesn't, you have to be the one who knows where work is needed etc.
It was the same for me in boxing. In the beginning, just showing up was enough. After one year or two, my game wasn't improving as fast anymore.
So on offdays (I had 4 since I was training 3 times a week at the gym), I was doing SO much shadow boxing and partner drills with one buddy of mine, working on the things that I needed to work on and trying to exploit the maximum of my potential in the things I was already good at.
Of course, the world class content you can get for free on youtube helped too. We as martial artists are so privileged to live in this era where so many quality content is available online (albeit there is also some bs too of course).
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It comes down to space in the gym.
When we started back in the early 2000s it was all grappling from knees. The smart ones would pull guard. But even then, you cannot utilise true mma grappling in a space shared by up to twenty others. Or even 3 other pairs.
If during no gi Jiu Jitsu I had utilised the stand ups and anti grappling which is so effective in the UFC I would have made a complete mockery of the entire class. No one wants to stand out like that in tht setting, not even someone with ultra aspergers would feel content pissing off a room full of grapplers just for the sake of getting some mma applicable training in.
 
kintana said:
I wish I competed more and I know it is not a big deal but really competing is how you see what you really know what to do under stress.

You will see maybe 10 new techniques per week. Pick 1 or 2 that work for you and practice that. When you are more advance and the coach asks you to try the 3 techniques you learned in that one class and drill. Eventually, pick just 1 and figure it out. I know one great BJJ champion who said in a seminar once. "I know maybe 300 techniques but I realistically train 10."

Wear sandals in the shower.

Pick a certain number of days a week to train and be consistent to go.

Always start rolling standing (if you have space). I got too used to being on the ground and I have lost a lot of matches because of that.
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You learned about wearing sandals in the shower from BJJ!?!??!!? What were you doing before????
 
FIGHTING TALK said:
It comes down to space in the gym.
When we started back in the early 2000s it was all grappling from knees. The smart ones would pull guard. But even then, you cannot utilise true mma grappling in a space shared by up to twenty others. Or even 3 other pairs.
If during no gi Jiu Jitsu I had utilised the stand ups and anti grappling which is so effective in the UFC I would have made a complete mockery of the entire class. No one wants to stand out like that in tht setting, not even someone with ultra aspergers would feel content pissing off a room full of grapplers just for the sake of getting some mma applicable training in.
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Going to a nogi grappling class and refusing to grapple is just retarded. Sure it is super hard for them to chase you do but you will also learn shit because stuff is different when people can actually punch you.
 
Starting BJJ 20 years earlier or even more ...
 
Protect yourself at all times. Your training partner can seem like the nicest and most disciplined guy in the world and still spazz out and yank that shit as soon as you start rolling.
 
I have never worn sandals in the shower and as far as I know I never suffered any health effects because of it
 
Matsukaze said:
the Helio theory of you can train bjj into your 80's
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BJJ suffers from massive survivorship bias. We don't hear from the guys whose bodies wore out.

In the same vein, I wish I'd paid more attention to my orthopedic health and quit before my knees wore out.
 
That being on the mats is not enough. General instruction is not enough.

Guide your own learning from the very beginning. Find reputable expert online material that suits your game and body type, and study the hell out of it.

Oh yeah, and seminars are a waste of time and money. Except if you really want a picture with someone and their autograph.
 
Mainly, stuff to keep me from getting injured and progress better.

- Beware of people slamming down on your ribs when they pass your guard. Protecting your ribs is more important than preventing the pass.
- Tap early and often. Focus on preventing yourself from getting in the position to submit - once you're there, lesson learned. Don't stress about "losing" gym rolls - it's about learning and years from now you will be so much better that what happened as a whitebelt or bluebelt 5+ years ago will have zero significance - staying healthy and approaching it from a learning perspective is the key.
- Don't fight the takedown and learn how to fall safely at an early point. Like a sub, once it's in, go with it and fall safely. Pull guard if things are feeling at all dangerous or you're with a guy who you don't 100% know can take you down without injuring you. Don't fall on your head
- Beware of knee position during scrambled to avoid knee getting hyperextended. Tap if it is getting straightened out and looks at risk.
- Compete regularly. It's a great experience, particularly as a lower belt.
- Keep focusing on strength training. BJJ is important but don't give up on strength.
 
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