When you realize you're not very talented

judogido said:
No - real-life example.

2 competitive black-belt grades at my club.
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i don't know much about them, and and i dont think they are twins.. but i assumed xandre and saulo when i started reading it.
 
on another side, i've always been the fat generally unathletic kid.. but ive stuck with jiujitsu and even though i'm still a white belt about 1.5 years in, i can beat all the other white belts at my school. all the guys who used to give me trouble because they were physically gifted have quit and when they try to make the comeback, they get discouraged with the progress that us 'unathletic' kids have made.
 
Yes. I am skinny, not very strong, or very fast most of the time. But I am doggedly determined
 
"A thousand mile journey begins with a single step."
Lao Tzu

(Not trying to be pretentious... it's true...)
 
no offense but six moonthd of training is not enough time to find that out. I doubt you've scratchedd the surface of the many facets of ji jitsu lots of people feel that way until they find there niche one it might be rubber guard leglocks X guard takedowns to control whatever give it a while because the best way to not be good at jiu jitsu is to have a mental road bloack
 
There are many people who would probably think that they're not the most gifted in this art. I am no different. That being said it's really important to me (just my opinion) to find really positive and encouraging instruction.

Also...how are you measuring your progress? I'll be the first to say that there are guys in my gym who have received their blue belts far quicker than I have. But at the end of the day I know that if I'm training consistently and coming in with a positive attitude...then eventually I'm gonna get it.

I haven't won a gold medal at a tournament yet...but I feel like if I continue to train hard and train smart...eventually that will change. The vast majority of people in this world will never make a living with BJJ, so I always try to take that into perspective and realize that if I love the sport...and love the training...then eventually persistence will outweigh anything. Tenacity is the key. :)

Good luck and good training!
 
Thanks for all the replies, guys. It's definitely interesting to hear different takes on this.

To be honest I'm having a blast training, so that's really all that matters at this point. I don't have any aspirations to be a pro or anything, so as long as I'm enjoying myself and slowly but surely improving, I'm satisfied.

Thanks again!
 
things will get better
just try working at dominating one position first
4 me i like the guard. i try going 2 guard almost all the time
trying finding stuff that works from there
or if u like side mount try finding stuff from there
 
Brother, i'm in the same boat. EVERYONE in class kicks my ass. I train for fitness and fun but I've been feeling demotivated from the constant beatdowns. Even though i'm training for fun, I decided to buy a series of 10 private lessons from a brown belt. I figure that even though it's pricey, it will help in the long run, preventing me from dropping out of bjj due to frustration. I've been going to class for nearly 6 months but there's basic moves i'm getting wrong that my instructor hasn't noticed. The personal attention during the privates make a big difference. Stick with it man, the benefits of training bjj are huge IMO.
 
If you look around you'll find a lot of stories by professional athletes who say they weren't the most talented kids in their school, but made it to the pros (and millions of dollars) because they worked much harder and smarter than kids with lots of talent but not much work ethic.

ie, don't worry about talent, workout hard, regularly and intelligently and in a few years you're going to be tapping guys with a lot more talent but less discipline. Talent is overrated, it only matters if you want to be one of the handful of world class grapplers (and even then you're going to have to work your butt off for years).
 
i have a horrible time on the ground i can get back to guard but i usually get caught in guard on top have a hell of a time passing or get caught in bottom guard and cant sweep back to top position. its kinda depressing but im solid enough to hold my own on the ground its one of those things that take time but luckly my striking is alot more natural to me. youll get it work scrambles thats where i excel at youll find your nitche on the ground.
 
I was on the bottom for about 6 months and then it all just clicked in a matter of 2-3 training sessions, and now i'm mostly a top player. I thought I would never get it until I did.

Same with submissions, you need to drill, drill with light resistance, drill with heavy resistance, live spar, rinse, repeat.
 
I feel this way. I've been in a slump lately where it just seems everything is difficult for me. I've been very inconsistent. Sometimes I'll do really well and feel that I've improved, then I'll really struggle with a noob and feel kind of frustrated. I've commited to focusing on the basics. I'm not particularly gifted and I don't pick things up quickly, so I need to keep it simple.
 
look, not everyone has the talent to excel in tournament jiu jitsu. Even then, look at Felipe costa.. he sucked and didn't even with a match for a year when he started jiu jitsu and ended up being black belt world champion.
 
My observation is people who have "natural talent" don't (typically) stick with it. I'd rather learn slowly but stick with it than naturally take to everything and be gone in a couple years.

I am sure there are a great number of examples of natural athletes like BJ Penn that stick with it, but on average they don't stay around.
 
Team Dragonfire said:
i don't know much about them, and and i dont think they are twins.. but i assumed xandre and saulo when i started reading it.
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LOL. No - I just didn't want to be specific and start naming names because who knows, one might read it and get offended.

I'm also not saying the other brother is not talented - he is the one I have not been able to beat yet - and to be fair he has has a few injuries so it possibly isn't THE most apt/fair comparison.

However, it is true to say that the second brother's determination, work ethic and sheer never-say-die mental toughness in competition makes up for whatever natural talent he may have initially lacked. He's definitely respected as a competitir at a national level (in judo)
 
Marlowe said:
I started doing BJJ in January and I'm having a lot of fun. However, pretty quickly I realized that I don't have a great talent for grappling. I'm not completely hopeless, but I'm a slow learner, and most of the guys I spar with (even the ones who started at the same time as me) will dominate me. I'm getting pretty good at avoiding submissions and getting back to guard, but it's kind of depressing when you realize you don't have "what it takes". I guess my strengths lie elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong though, I still love it and I'm not going to quit, but I just wanted to know if anyone who has had similar experiences has anything to share.
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you have been training 6 months. that first 6 months means nothing, as far as gauging your future. when you start really getting into deeper jiu-jitsu (hip movement, angles etc) you may pick it up quicker and apply it easier.

at the end of the day jiu-jitsu is a lot like golf. you are competing against yourself. enjoy it and just work on improving for yourself.
 
I'm jumping into this late and haven't had the chance to read all 4 pages yet. So I apologize if it's already been said, but very few people are "very talented" when it comes to grappling. Most of us have to work our asses off day-in and day-out.

There aren't that many Marcelos in the world (not that he hasn't worked hard himself, for that matter).

Like DirectDrive said, your first 6 months are just the point where you're dipping your feet into the pool. Your first 6 months are just a matter of learning the most basic positions, how to defend / escape, learning how to feel out your base / balance, etc.
 
Marlowe said:
I started doing BJJ in January and I'm having a lot of fun. However, pretty quickly I realized that I don't have a great talent for grappling. I'm not completely hopeless, but I'm a slow learner, and most of the guys I spar with (even the ones who started at the same time as me) will dominate me. I'm getting pretty good at avoiding submissions and getting back to guard, but it's kind of depressing when you realize you don't have "what it takes". I guess my strengths lie elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong though, I still love it and I'm not going to quit, but I just wanted to know if anyone who has had similar experiences has anything to share.
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Just keep training dude.
 
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