What is a "natural"?

[mrpopenfresh]

Ok, so we all know that BJ Penn is a natural grappler. Aside from having the nickname and sharing 2 of the three letters of his chosen style, what do you think diffrentiated him from all the others when he started bjj? Wether it be his flexibility, ease to learn new techniques or just a knack for going for the right moves and not developping any bad habits, there must be something that makes him better than others, These are only a couple things I just braintormed, but what do you think? We could all learn from good ahbits or techniques that make some people such quick studies.

 

[All In The Game]

Training 3 times a day everyday, probably.

 

[akharon]

Training 5+ hours a day does marvelous things for one's game.

 

[Ballzilla]

I was wondering as well so I found this thread from about 4 years ago.

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f2/b-j-penns-family-347542/ (ignore the flaming and asshatery to get to the actual informational parts of the thread)

Apparently he's from a wealthy family which probably afforded him the ability to train without the limits of time and money. That, combined with his natural athletic ability and desire to test himself is what seems to have done it for him. Money is definitly a big issue. As I am quickly coming to learn, Jiu Jitsu is expensive.

 

[cenix]

nailing fundamentals down and more mat time rolling for variables, and then thinking about the roll afterwards always helps to develop better instinct for future reference. at least this helps me out a lot. some people are just more inclined to pick up on certain things than others, there's no question about that. those who don't pick it up as fast just need more time and determination to get better.

 

[djb1002**]

The only Natural

 

[Brian2]

Bj Penn was able to have a ridiculous amount of mat time in a short period. I am sure if he only got to train as often as a lot of us he would have taken at least twice as long to get his black. He does have natural ability but, people just look at the fact it took him 4 years and just jump past looking at the time on the mat

 

[MMA junkie]

Bj Penn was able to have a ridiculous amount of mat time in a short period. I am sure if he only got to train as often as a lot of us he would have taken at least twice as long to get his black. He does have natural ability but, people just look at the fact it took him 4 years and just jump past looking at the time on the mat

Sure but he won at the highest level also.

Most people can't even handle that much training. And if you do, then who says you will win Worlds? He's a natural, plain and simple. There's no reason to discredit him due to mat time, rich family, etc.. He earned it.

 

[WolfManJiuJitsu***]

monique minton - white to purple in a year.

not only hot but from what i've seen and read bad ass at BJJ/grappling.

 

[Brian2]

Sure but he won at the highest level also.

Most people can't even handle that much training. And if you do, then who says you will win Worlds? He's a natural, plain and simple. There's no reason to discredit him due to mat time, rich family, etc.. He earned it.

Yep that is exactly what I said. He earned his belt by putting in a crazy amount of mat time. By no means would I discredit somebodies acheivements, I was simply saying he probably put in just as much time on the mat as other black belts.

 

[CyberFreq]

I think his natural drive to better himself is what made him a great grappler. I mean, 6+ hours daily, at least 5 days a week would kill most people and he did it for damn near 4 years straight. I get worn down after 3 hours a day 4x a week.

 

[My name is Url***]

A "natural" is something or someone that has not been modified in any way. Like a tit, I love tits, natural or made out of whatever they put in those fucking things.

 

[WolfManJiuJitsu***]

I think his natural drive to better himself is what made him a great grappler. I mean, 6+ hours daily, at least 5 days a week would kill most people and he did it for damn near 4 years straight. I get worn down after 3 hours a day 4x a week.

yeah - it can get hard; he was also very young so his body could handle that but regardless it was in him to get that done and just train day in day out. Most people, even when presented with the opportunity, won't ever train that much.

If only he always had that drive during his MMA run - to quote Marv "he'd be undefeated."

 

[Commissar]

A natural is just someone who is able to catch on to the techniques better than most people. Nothing more.

 

[mrpopenfresh]

So I guess there's a level of intelligence that comes into play. The same way a kid is on top of his class in grade school, the same can be said for someone practicing any kind of sport. That's a given, but when it comes to grappling, what are the types of advantages that make a person better for this type of sport than an other?

I used Bj Penn as an example because he is probably the best known phenom in modern grappling. Sure all the time and money probably helped him achieve a higher status faster, but, like many people have pointed out, it takes much more than that to achieve greatness. It's not like BJ Penn could have been good at everything ( I don't seem him being a hockey goalie, f'rinstance). I'm talking about things better anticipation, body awareness and control, and all other parts of the game that come into play.

 

[TigerArm]

I feel like i am able to hang with higher belts for longer than i should, (although this could obviously be them being nice,) pick up the moves easily enough, and sometimes even pull off things that should be well beyond my game, but i don't think this makes me a natural. I just have good instincts.

I'm sure as shit not gonna make Black in 4 years, and i've been rolling for over a year and definitely not gonna win NAGA like Monique. Does this mean i suck? :icon_cry2

 

[Ballzilla]

No discredit here. He's a monster and a true champion.

 

[BREEDmonkey]

I think it has more with the ability to understand and retain a lot of knowledge.

Some people don't train all the time and are still monsters.
Look at JT Torres. Brown belt in less than 4 years while only training 2-3X a week. Tapping black belts when he was purple. That man is a natural.

It's the whole nature vs nurture thing. Being great from the start of forcing yourself to be great.

 

[WolfManJiuJitsu***]

I'm sure as shit not gonna make Black in 4 years, and i've been rolling for over a year and definitely not gonna win NAGA like Monique. Does this mean i suck? :icon_cry2

Not at all - Not everyone is lucky enough to be doing Jiu Jitsu as part of your job - She's a fitness model so she's already in shape and also gets time to train (im sure she uses it as part of her fitness routine) - most of us have to slave the 9-5 workday, then add in family or other commitments.

Plus I'd just say she is naturally athletic and able to pick it up (plus she is young so her body can handle the day in day out rigours).