Shout out to both of you. Few people start Jiu Jitsu. Fewer stick with it. Even fewer do it in their 60s, so that by itself is awesome. I hope I am still rolling at 60. (Mid-30s now, started a year ago)
Joseph is right. Stay on the road during the bumps and pot holes. I'm 74 yo white belt that has been training about 1.5 yrs. It took a good year before i was addicted to the challenges and learning.
I have a friend who is a black belt in judo. He's been doing judo for 15+ years. Out of all the throws he knows the one he always used is osoto gari. That's his throw and he can take down everyone with it. The one thing I love to tell my students is, "most of the time the simplest stuff works the best because it's easy to remember"
I'm not really a jujitsu guy, im a wrestler but in wrestling at least, this is straight facts. If you look at the top level guys, good example being david taylor, they don't generally do a million different moves. David taylor is a 2 time NCAA champ, Olympic gold medalist, world champ etc. And his entire neutral game is pretty much just different variations of the same basic move. That being said though, although you don't need to know a million moves, it is somewhat important to be aware of their existence to be able to defend against em.
Recognition and recollection are two different aspects of memory, so sometimes I might not remember how to pull off a crucifix, But when someone starts trying one on me, I can recognize that its happening. So exposure to these different subs can be useful even if you don't feel like you're truly committing them to memory.
This is so true. One of the first times I utilized this was recognizing triangle and armbar setups, and it was invaluable. To the point it can become bait.
Yeah, the underlying body mechanics are more important than any specific technique! If you think of taking away posts, then pushing in that direction, you can intuitively discover techniques like a butterfly hook sweep (can't remember what it's called--elevator sweep or something?), tripod or waiter sweep, hip bump, scissor sweep, etc. Sometimes you take away the post then use your hand to push, or your leg, or your body, whatever
Love all your advice Chewy, but this one was really golden. I'm a 46 year old white belt and I keep telling myself there's no way I could remember or do all the moves we learn...this video shows me I'm on the right path. Keep up the valuable content.
I've come to this channel so many times and I don't even practice jiu-jitsu. I come to this channel to apply these concepts to my visual art, and every time I do I come away with great advice that's served me incredibly well. Thanks Chewy
Just got my first stripe! 3 days shy of 2 months training 4 days a week. Taking your advice about keeping it simple and loving the process of learning. Thank you sir
Great video. With me being 49 and have only been at it for 4 months now I’ve been catching myself trying to remember everything I’ve practiced or have seen online. I’ve spent more time trying to slow things down and not be so frantic and to rely more on technique than my strength. Shoot, going in I knew I’d be greatly humbled by 17 year olds and what not, but, I’m having fun with the whole process.
Thank you, Chewy! Just the past two weeks in rolling I’ve felt overwhelmed by the vast amount of techniques I should practice or look to find opportunities for on the mat. This perspective will really help me simplify my training to my strengths.
I don't know how I feel about this as some people will remember the submissions, defences, transitions etc but don't know how to implement them naturally, however, learning techniques when you have a *GENUINE* understanding of the human body and how it moves gives you a HUUUUUUGE advantage. My advice would be for anyone practising Jiu-jitsu is to spend your time that you're on your phone to learn how the human body works/moves... it will improve your Jiu-jitsu ten fold! Learning the human anatomy is the biggest and most important factor involved in my many years of martial arts practice. I cannot stress this enough to any other martial arts practioners out there... its a game changer!
Can you be more specific? Like anatomy I know I the elbow bends toward the thumb, so in an arm at hip in against the thumb… But outside of basic stuff like that what anatomy should you learn?
@@shadymilkman443 what I mean mate is learn how the human body works completely... inside and out, as that way every time you roll you'll act instinctively based on your knowledge of the human body, if that makes sense? I don't quite know how else to explain it mate, my sincerest apologies. I'd been practicing multiple martial arts for 2 decades before I learned this "trick", it took me nearly snuffing it (dying) for it to finally click with me, but ever since then it's now become instantaneous as to what to do whenever I'm rolling. It gave me a new perspective after having to wait for nearly a year before hitting the mats again, ya know? Learning how the blood pumps through the body, and from where and where its heading, where the ligaments and tendons are, and where pain sets in upon pressure to certain joints REALLY levelled up my abilities.
@@southtxguitarist8926 it's an absolute game changer pal, I stumbled across this through having extra time on my hands... and I've never looked back. There's not many people who I've seen who's most successful submission is an achilles lock... but it's mine now after learning what I have. Everything becomes both second nature, and fluid once you understand the body.
As someone who has been practicing BJJ for many years and just about to enter the RN program, this is exactly what I've been thinking. The knowledge of the Anatomy & Physiology of the human body can only help me become a more efficient grappler. Good stuff! 🤙
I think the work you do on youtube is some of the best martial arts content out there. I don't watch all your videos, but the few I do, you always remain calm and constructive with any advice you give, which is going to make way more people open to the advice, which keeps them coming back, which makes it so they, in turn, are more open to putting this back into the world. Especially the jiujitsu world, which I feel needs a lot of this sometimes
I took a brave step as a white belt and began to go to the advanced gi/nogi class after foundations and very quickly felt so behind not knowing the names of moves, people inverting around me, dela this and that, and just generally being lost in the wording and techniques of drills etc. Thx for the vid- reminded me to hang in there and try to focus on enjoying the ride.
Where I train we learn 3 techniques each class… about 96 techniques every 16 weeks. Which is too much in my opinion to remember, so I needed to hear this today
Like Chewy says, focus on a couple things at a time and get really good them. You want them second nature so you don't have to think about it, you instinctively find the positions you've learned and apply it, not realizing you're doing it. It's those moments afterward that you'll start being able to think about other things in the heat of the moment and begin to adopt the other things you've learned. I'm in Filipino Kali and getting your sticks in place naturally and instinctually is foundational, after that you begin to start feeling "what's next" during a drill or engagement and exploring it.
I really appreciate these videos. While they aren't specifically focused on technique like a lot of YT vids, It is super helpful to have these videos to help develop my BJJ mentality while I am also working on the techniques. Thank you Chewy
This is literally what I'm feeling right now as a white belt and this is exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks Sarah for asking and thanks Chew for the great answer/analogy!
I still feel like this as a blue. Its very easy to get overwhelmed. I started keeping a diary and revising things I liked. I have an a game then I use stuff I want to develop on people that I can beat easily
Me too...one thing I've done to help also is make a note of what I learn that day and go back and watch different videos on TH-cam that are the same or similar moves I learn that day..It works because you may see some that have a little different set up and those might help you or work better for you than the one you learn in class...trust me it works...its really like going to another gym or learning from another coach something that might work for you...don't get me wrong my coach's are great it's just every coach may have a different set up for the same move and looking and trying them all will help you find one that works for you. Once you find the one that works for you it will more than likely retain in you memory if not at least you can view the video as much as you like to help you try or remember the move.
I think something else to mention is that all techniques are actually "fake." What I mean by that is what matters is scoring points or getting a submission in competition, or not dying in a self defense situation. In other words, "techniques" are a means to an end and what actually matters are the mechanics that allow those techniques to work. So I think that you can approach grappling from two ways, the "technique" way (common in jiujitsu) and the "fundamentals" way (more common in wrestling). You can be a really good grappler without knowing very many "techniques," but these good grapplers, when they get into positions that they're unfamiliar with are going to have an intuitive good "sense" of how to move simply by having insanely good grappling fundamentals that go across all forms of grappling, from judo, to folkstyle, to jiujitsu, to greco. That doesn't mean that they'll necessarily beat people who specialize in an area, but someone with good fundamentals doesn't really need to know techniques to be tough on the mat because they just understand basic movements, how to defend, and how to attack. You can also be a very good grappler by knowing a butload of techniques, but I think very few people actually get good this way. Instead, this is usually how people are taught from the beginning, and then somewhere along the way the fundamentals of the techniques they've become good at begin to be absorbed by osmosis so that they still have a good idea of how to proceed when they encounter positions they're unfamiliar with.
I love this channel im a huge fan.I signed up for my first tournament next month in August. I'm a 2 stripe white belt. I'm starting to second guess my decision after rolling with 3 or 4 stripe white belts for the last 2 weeks.
I'm two months in as well and feel like a dummy during class since I usually take a bit to understand the move we are working on. This video really helped ease my worries.
Same with judo comps 3 throws 3 turn overs 2 pins 2 arm locks and two chokes served me well as a coach 100 percent Agee become good at a few things than poorly at a bunch of techniques great advice I learn lots from your channel even from this old judo dog never to old to learn great job
I've been training BJJ for a few years. This is REALLLY good advice. We learn so many techniques in our class and I can't remember everything. But what I do learn that "clicks " with me. I'll work and refine that 1 technique.
Can confirm. One thing that also happens when you are new is you will drill something but not necessarily remember it but come back to the same lesson several months later and you now understand how to use it effectively. My 1st week we did rubber guard. I heard of it beforw but didnt understand it. 7ish months later we drilled it again in class and now it is one of my go-to positions from bottom.
I'm four stripe white belt and this is just the video I needed. As I approach the end of white belt I feel pressure to remember and execute more things since the other guys in my gym who are fresh blues seem to know all this crazy stuff haha! But I see that it really is best to keep those fundamentals going more than all these nuanced specifics. Though I do like it when something actually does stick. Drinking from a hose on full blast is a perfect analogy and one I will keep in mind. Thanks again professor Chewy!
Needed to hear this! Also under stress/pressure and the chaos of a fight, we really aren't capable or have the time to think... comes down to muscle memory
Henry Akins said this to me once and it really stuck in my head: techniques are merely a circumstantial expression of the fundamental concept. Understand the concepts and techniques takes care of themselves.
Thanks for the great info to us new white belts. The drills and techniques that we learn in class are great but I felt the same way...I wasn't retaining it or realizing when I should use them. Your focus on core skills has really helped me expand my knowledge.
I agree with this 100% I can't remember every single takedown or sweep or submission the Three things I look for is maintaining control , seeking the dominant position and then if there's a opportunity go for the submission
Started dancing salsa and bachata while resting from bjj injuries. Lots of patterns and memorizing with that also. This is one of the most interesting pieces of unconventional advice I've heard in any of these pattern based activities. Gonna be chewing on this. Thanks
This is great advice, again, thank you! 8 months in now, 5 days a week, 3 stripe white belt. My advice would be to not worry about something until it's a problem nearly every roll, then ask. I go months before techniques click and then a new `problem` bubbles to the surface.
As a competitive rubik's cube speed solver, jiu-jitsu surprised me with how similar it was, granted Ive only been doing it 5 months at this point, this concept of memorizing techniques is similar to how a beginner would learn to solve a rubiks cube. A beginner would memorize a few algorithms step-by-step for specific steps in a solve and add more advanced algs slowly. A more efficient way of learning algs is learning to recognize a specific case and drilling the alg until the steps fade away and all thats left is muscle memory. If I can apply this method of advancing in the same way that made me an expert speedcuber i should be a black belt in about 8 years😅 hopefully.
It’s funny that a video like this comes out because I have a competition coming up in August and I was stressed to learn a crap tone of moves and my coach literally told me your are better of getting good at 3 different things than learn 10 different moves that you will more than likely forget and I have noticed since he told me that when I spar I do what I do best and get good results than when I try to do other moves!!! Ps thanks for promoting Epic roll ordered some shorts because you talked about them !!!
Learning bjj isnt having the instructor shoving knowledge down your throat. Neither is you tube binge watching. Its like sipping your morning coffee and enjoying each morning doing it. ❤
Just like Bruce Lee said: "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." - I think it relates to BJJ too.
My coach always says “consistency, focus and hard work is what will elevate your game whether you compete or not” and damn has he been right. We got guys who don’t compete but would demolish if they did.
Great video! I've just been to my first BJJ training in years, and I've really only done about a half year of wrestling until three years ago. I constantly had the feeling it was too much to take in at first, But I noticed some stuff like passing guard and maintaining some control came out naturally without even thinking about it. Still had no clue how to actually get a submission whil I got him in half mount eventually hahaha
As a kids class coach. I have to know a lot but still focus on my A and B games. I just try to focus on playing with moves or positions I suck at but at a slow pace
Even though this was made just a few hours ago and I quit jujitsu almost a year ago. I still wish I could have watch these videos sooner beacuse these are just so helpful even if I'm not in jujitsu anymore. I listen to him for his mindset and the random relatability. I keep finding problems that I could have fixed before I left jujitsu old and new videos. Now it's time to move on and I'm currently eating ice cream out of a tub 9:pm and maybe I should go back to jujitsu. I left beacuse I didnt like the people there and beacuse of this exact problem he is talking about here. I had this problem for a few months and I know there will be new people at the gym but still the same trainer and I dont know how I would explain why I left.
mere liye most probably armbars, triangles, kimuras, aur phir highest level escapes/sweeps, sab kuch Habib bhai ke aur Gary Tonon ke context mein (aur judo/wrestling ke liye: clinch work: foot sweeps (+ things like sasae), osoto gari, lat drops/ura nage/suplexes (from all sides/directions), hip throws like harai goshi, uchi mata, o goshi, tai otoshi (insha'Allah: sila partera 4 directions principle) INSHA'ALLAH UL AZIZ!
When I was just beginning judo we had drills where the couch used to tell us to practice our king technics. 3-4 throws of our choice for the whole 45min lesson
I’m a firm believer in the philosophy of quantity over quality. What’s the point of teaching someone 100 techniques, sequences, scenarios, and bits of information and details and they cannot retain it and overthink everything. I learned that as a white belt, if you can get your fundamentals right, and all you need is one submission to get good at and maybe 2 guard passes will be enough to wreck a lot of white belts and some of the blue belts.
I have this theory that whatever you do if you got the basic idea whatever trash you are starting with if you try and fail live over and over again, eventually it will evolve into a good technic. Wich probably is alredy a variation that is not often used by many. Because what works universally works. And not just bjj. Every culture had the axe. Because if you want to chop wood with a simplistic tool you need an axe. And the axe have to be a specific shape to work.
Here's a question. I'm a lifelong athlete who's been doing bjj fairly seriously for a year (though still a white belt). Thing is, I'm the type of athlete who runs a laser timed 4.69 40 yard dash and squats 450 ass to grass but could never get the hang of throwing a spiral or shooting a basketball despite concerted effort. All my life I've compensated for a lack of body awareness by pushing harder than everyone else in conditioning and in the weight room. I've done fairly well in the 3 bjj tournaments I've participated in, but I struggle a lot in class. While I can see what the technique is supposed to look like, I have little idea what I look like when I'm doing the technique. Professor will say "no, you need to do it THIS way" and I'll be like, "isnt that what I'm doing?" Its hard to see myself being great at this when I've managed to make it through D3 football, D1 rugby, and a childhood filled with basketball, martial arts, and baseball without figuring out how to know where my body is in space. Any tips on developing body awareness?
Sorry if this isn’t helpful, and you’re definitely more of an athlete than me, but have you ever tried climbing - specifically bouldering? I still wouldn’t say my sense of where my body is at is unbelievable or anything, but it definitely improved a lot from when I used to climb really frequently. I think it’s probably because bouldering/climbing it’s lots of trail and error and knowing where you body is and knowing where your centre of balance is at is so key to succeeding on moves. So you try something like 50 times after seeing someone else do it, and you adjust like .5cm at a time, and eventually you hit it and it’s like “oh, I guess that must be what it *feels* like when my body looks like what that other person who climbed this looked like”. And then you kinda retain that with practice. Plus cross training would always help with grip strength!
@@bostoncrab4pple that's really good advice! I have tried climbing many times but never put real effort into mastering it. I do remember thinking "man i bet this would help with bjj" but admittedly I was mostly thinking about stuff like grip strength and flexibility
You might have tried this but, break down each technique into little pieces and do them over and over in slow motion before chaining together the whole move, again in slow motion. Practice only one technique, until you can do it perfectly in your head lying in bed before falling asleep. In tkd we called this, “practiced until it’s forgotten.” After you learn a technique like this you will find you will hit it without even knowing how you got there. If you have to think of a technique while rolling it’s probably too late.
@@drjimjam1112 I've definitely heard that before but thats the sort of thing I definitely need to be reminded of over and over again to keep doing. I'll try that sort of approach with the techniques we go over in class today
I view it like a game of “how quickly can I escape/how long can I delay the next pass” (depending on if it’s competitive or if they’re a lot better than me) to keep myself motivated. That way even if I get smashed if it starts regularly taking a minute to smash me instead of 30s I still feel like I’m winning in my personal battle
@Greg Lurik I've been training for a couple of months, 3 times a week, so not long really. I find myself with a losing mindset I need to nip in the bud if that makes sense. I'm enjoying the journey I feel like I'm improving but everyone tells me i give up too easily
Honestly, I did amazing wrestling in Junior High and Freshman year knowing only a dozen techniques, senior year I got my ass kicked because I focused on knowing more instead of knowing better.
I haven't been back to class in a few years due to my work schedule but I'm really good at the few techniques I did learn I never stopped drilling the snot out of my few techniques so I do wonder how I will stack up once I get the chance to return to class
When I first started boxing I tried to learn everything. I learnt nothing. as I slowed down and focused on a small amount of techniques, stuff started to make sense. To this day I'll do rounds on the bag that are literally just jabs sometimes 4/5 rounds in a row. Becoming hyper efficient in the basics is key in my opinion.
Chewy where I train we have a few white belts who have a fetish for leg locks. Specifically heel hooks. At what point do you allow guys to use those? They seem risky for a total novice to be playing with those moves as they can cause a catastrophic injury if it goes wrong. I came close to losing a knee recently from it. After 4 operations I'm not looking for #5.
Had an interesting question for you coach! I have been training Bjj for a year and a half now and whenever I lock a triangle on someone there’s a 50% chance my knee locks in place whenever I attempt to get the angle to finish the choke. There’s no pain or anything but I do have to let go of the Submission in order to pop my knee back in to place its very bizarre, have you ever experienced this and if so is there a solution to this issue ? Thanks in advice 🙏
Hey about to get a three level back fusion. Am around 250 and 6 foot. After surgery I want to get into shape and been thinking the best way would be an mma gym, would it be safe to bjj and kickboxing after surgery?
I don't think so mate, but you should ask your doctor. Probably it also depends on how this training would look like, and how soon would you want to start after surgery. I don't think any sparring would be a good idea for few months, maybe just learning techniques would be okay. Again, ask doctors and therapists, not poeple on youtube.
i have the pressure to do everything good because i am always competitive and want to win and thats make it hard for me to get choked or submissed any tips?
I think this is also something that is wrong how bjj is commonly taught. We go through way too many different techniques without drilling single one of them enough to make it stick to our muscle memory.
I just started Bjj at 64 yrs old. learning basic positions. joined a great gym, everyone is so friendly and helpful.
Shout out to both of you. Few people start Jiu Jitsu. Fewer stick with it. Even fewer do it in their 60s, so that by itself is awesome. I hope I am still rolling at 60. (Mid-30s now, started a year ago)
Joseph is right. Stay on the road during the bumps and pot holes. I'm 74 yo white belt that has been training about 1.5 yrs. It took a good year before i was addicted to the challenges and learning.
I have a friend who is a black belt in judo. He's been doing judo for 15+ years. Out of all the throws he knows the one he always used is osoto gari. That's his throw and he can take down everyone with it. The one thing I love to tell my students is, "most of the time the simplest stuff works the best because it's easy to remember"
@nicholas decato oh well.
I'm not really a jujitsu guy, im a wrestler but in wrestling at least, this is straight facts. If you look at the top level guys, good example being david taylor, they don't generally do a million different moves. David taylor is a 2 time NCAA champ, Olympic gold medalist, world champ etc. And his entire neutral game is pretty much just different variations of the same basic move. That being said though, although you don't need to know a million moves, it is somewhat important to be aware of their existence to be able to defend against em.
Recognition and recollection are two different aspects of memory, so sometimes I might not remember how to pull off a crucifix, But when someone starts trying one on me, I can recognize that its happening. So exposure to these different subs can be useful even if you don't feel like you're truly committing them to memory.
This is so true. One of the first times I utilized this was recognizing triangle and armbar setups, and it was invaluable. To the point it can become bait.
I’ve been crucified several times and I figured I knew how it went so I went for it against a blue belt at my gym recently. It did not end well lol
Masterfully stated!
I think one of the best things for my sweep game has been just these two things ”1. Remove a post. 2. Bridge in that direction” Great video!
I need to remember that!!
I like this. On my 10th or so class and this is great
Wow I never thought about it this way. I love this. Gonna try it next time I'm stuck
Yeah, the underlying body mechanics are more important than any specific technique! If you think of taking away posts, then pushing in that direction, you can intuitively discover techniques like a butterfly hook sweep (can't remember what it's called--elevator sweep or something?), tripod or waiter sweep, hip bump, scissor sweep, etc. Sometimes you take away the post then use your hand to push, or your leg, or your body, whatever
Love all your advice Chewy, but this one was really golden. I'm a 46 year old white belt and I keep telling myself there's no way I could remember or do all the moves we learn...this video shows me I'm on the right path. Keep up the valuable content.
I've come to this channel so many times and I don't even practice jiu-jitsu. I come to this channel to apply these concepts to my visual art, and every time I do I come away with great advice that's served me incredibly well. Thanks Chewy
Just got my first stripe! 3 days shy of 2 months training 4 days a week. Taking your advice about keeping it simple and loving the process of learning. Thank you sir
Great video. With me being 49 and have only been at it for 4 months now I’ve been catching myself trying to remember everything I’ve practiced or have seen online. I’ve spent more time trying to slow things down and not be so frantic and to rely more on technique than my strength. Shoot, going in I knew I’d be greatly humbled by 17 year olds and what not, but, I’m having fun with the whole process.
I’m a blue belt and I’m still in this mode . I’m trying to focus on a few things to get at this point.
Same. I go for head hip and underhook controls. Keep it simple.
You can be in this mode all way to black belt. You'll learn more as you go, but have those few moves you master will make you almost unstoppable.
Thank you, Chewy! Just the past two weeks in rolling I’ve felt overwhelmed by the vast amount of techniques I should practice or look to find opportunities for on the mat. This perspective will really help me simplify my training to my strengths.
I don't know how I feel about this as some people will remember the submissions, defences, transitions etc but don't know how to implement them naturally, however, learning techniques when you have a *GENUINE* understanding of the human body and how it moves gives you a HUUUUUUGE advantage. My advice would be for anyone practising Jiu-jitsu is to spend your time that you're on your phone to learn how the human body works/moves... it will improve your Jiu-jitsu ten fold! Learning the human anatomy is the biggest and most important factor involved in my many years of martial arts practice. I cannot stress this enough to any other martial arts practioners out there... its a game changer!
Can you be more specific? Like anatomy I know I the elbow bends toward the thumb, so in an arm at hip in against the thumb… But outside of basic stuff like that what anatomy should you learn?
@@shadymilkman443 what I mean mate is learn how the human body works completely... inside and out, as that way every time you roll you'll act instinctively based on your knowledge of the human body, if that makes sense? I don't quite know how else to explain it mate, my sincerest apologies. I'd been practicing multiple martial arts for 2 decades before I learned this "trick", it took me nearly snuffing it (dying) for it to finally click with me, but ever since then it's now become instantaneous as to what to do whenever I'm rolling. It gave me a new perspective after having to wait for nearly a year before hitting the mats again, ya know? Learning how the blood pumps through the body, and from where and where its heading, where the ligaments and tendons are, and where pain sets in upon pressure to certain joints REALLY levelled up my abilities.
@@southtxguitarist8926 it's an absolute game changer pal, I stumbled across this through having extra time on my hands... and I've never looked back. There's not many people who I've seen who's most successful submission is an achilles lock... but it's mine now after learning what I have. Everything becomes both second nature, and fluid once you understand the body.
As someone who has been practicing BJJ for many years and just about to enter the RN program, this is exactly what I've been thinking. The knowledge of the Anatomy & Physiology of the human body can only help me become a more efficient grappler. Good stuff! 🤙
"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times" - Bruce Lee
Thought the same thing when i saw this prompt
💯
Spot on
Lol
Wrong guy it was actually Bruce Springsteen
this is by far the most important insight / learning i have ever come across as a BJJ whitebelt.
I think the work you do on youtube is some of the best martial arts content out there. I don't watch all your videos, but the few I do, you always remain calm and constructive with any advice you give, which is going to make way more people open to the advice, which keeps them coming back, which makes it so they, in turn, are more open to putting this back into the world. Especially the jiujitsu world, which I feel needs a lot of this sometimes
Fantastic advice. I needed to hear this again to reinforce what I believe after a little over three years in BJJ at 59 years old.
I took a brave step as a white belt and began to go to the advanced gi/nogi class after foundations and very quickly felt so behind not knowing the names of moves, people inverting around me, dela this and that, and just generally being lost in the wording and techniques of drills etc. Thx for the vid- reminded me to hang in there and try to focus on enjoying the ride.
Where I train we learn 3 techniques each class… about 96 techniques every 16 weeks. Which is too much in my opinion to remember, so I needed to hear this today
Like Chewy says, focus on a couple things at a time and get really good them. You want them second nature so you don't have to think about it, you instinctively find the positions you've learned and apply it, not realizing you're doing it. It's those moments afterward that you'll start being able to think about other things in the heat of the moment and begin to adopt the other things you've learned. I'm in Filipino Kali and getting your sticks in place naturally and instinctually is foundational, after that you begin to start feeling "what's next" during a drill or engagement and exploring it.
I really appreciate these videos. While they aren't specifically focused on technique like a lot of YT vids, It is super helpful to have these videos to help develop my BJJ mentality while I am also working on the techniques. Thank you Chewy
This is literally what I'm feeling right now as a white belt and this is exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks Sarah for asking and thanks Chew for the great answer/analogy!
2 months in and still overwhelmed 😆 🤣. Thank you for this video!!!
I still feel like this as a blue. Its very easy to get overwhelmed. I started keeping a diary and revising things I liked. I have an a game then I use stuff I want to develop on people that I can beat easily
I also started a diary. It helped a lot with my progress!
Me too...one thing I've done to help also is make a note of what I learn that day and go back and watch different videos on TH-cam that are the same or similar moves I learn that day..It works because you may see some that have a little different set up and those might help you or work better for you than the one you learn in class...trust me it works...its really like going to another gym or learning from another coach something that might work for you...don't get me wrong my coach's are great it's just every coach may have a different set up for the same move and looking and trying them all will help you find one that works for you. Once you find the one that works for you it will more than likely retain in you memory if not at least you can view the video as much as you like to help you try or remember the move.
I think something else to mention is that all techniques are actually "fake." What I mean by that is what matters is scoring points or getting a submission in competition, or not dying in a self defense situation. In other words, "techniques" are a means to an end and what actually matters are the mechanics that allow those techniques to work. So I think that you can approach grappling from two ways, the "technique" way (common in jiujitsu) and the "fundamentals" way (more common in wrestling).
You can be a really good grappler without knowing very many "techniques," but these good grapplers, when they get into positions that they're unfamiliar with are going to have an intuitive good "sense" of how to move simply by having insanely good grappling fundamentals that go across all forms of grappling, from judo, to folkstyle, to jiujitsu, to greco. That doesn't mean that they'll necessarily beat people who specialize in an area, but someone with good fundamentals doesn't really need to know techniques to be tough on the mat because they just understand basic movements, how to defend, and how to attack.
You can also be a very good grappler by knowing a butload of techniques, but I think very few people actually get good this way. Instead, this is usually how people are taught from the beginning, and then somewhere along the way the fundamentals of the techniques they've become good at begin to be absorbed by osmosis so that they still have a good idea of how to proceed when they encounter positions they're unfamiliar with.
I love this channel im a huge fan.I signed up for my first tournament next month in August. I'm a 2 stripe white belt. I'm starting to second guess my decision after rolling with 3 or 4 stripe white belts for the last 2 weeks.
As a person who's only about 2months into their BJJ Journey this really helped
I'm two months in as well and feel like a dummy during class since I usually take a bit to understand the move we are working on. This video really helped ease my worries.
@@andrewliszewski772 same lol you feel almost like you have to spazz out because 1 second you're on top and the next you're being choked from behind
I'm 5 days in. Love it
Same with judo comps 3 throws 3 turn overs 2 pins 2 arm locks and two chokes served me well as a coach 100 percent Agee become good at a few things than poorly at a bunch of techniques great advice I learn lots from your channel even from this old judo dog never to old to learn great job
What's great about this advice is that it applies to all belt levels. Thank you, Professor Chewy!
I've been training BJJ for a few years. This is REALLLY good advice. We learn so many techniques in our class and I can't remember everything. But what I do learn that "clicks " with me. I'll work and refine that 1 technique.
Can confirm. One thing that also happens when you are new is you will drill something but not necessarily remember it but come back to the same lesson several months later and you now understand how to use it effectively. My 1st week we did rubber guard. I heard of it beforw but didnt understand it. 7ish months later we drilled it again in class and now it is one of my go-to positions from bottom.
I'm four stripe white belt and this is just the video I needed. As I approach the end of white belt I feel pressure to remember and execute more things since the other guys in my gym who are fresh blues seem to know all this crazy stuff haha!
But I see that it really is best to keep those fundamentals going more than all these nuanced specifics. Though I do like it when something actually does stick.
Drinking from a hose on full blast is a perfect analogy and one I will keep in mind.
Thanks again professor Chewy!
Needed to hear this! Also under stress/pressure and the chaos of a fight, we really aren't capable or have the time to think... comes down to muscle memory
Henry Akins said this to me once and it really stuck in my head: techniques are merely a circumstantial expression of the fundamental concept. Understand the concepts and techniques takes care of themselves.
This is so true. Being able to understand one or two moves and do them in different situations is the best.
Hahaha I still struggle as a black belt to member stuff. I was just talking about this yesterday
Your profile name still has a brown belt. Time to upgrade?
CHEWY. Another amazing Video. Really Helped me. And have actually made me look forward to training again. Been stuck in a Rut. YOU THE MAN !!!!!!
That’s some amazing advice! Thank you brother! I’m in the same boat, white belt 2 stripes. So much to learn n hardly anything sticks 🤷🏻♂️
Great explanation,Chwstr.Very helpful.Thanks
Thanks for the great info to us new white belts. The drills and techniques that we learn in class are great but I felt the same way...I wasn't retaining it or realizing when I should use them. Your focus on core skills has really helped me expand my knowledge.
I agree with this 100% I can't remember every single takedown or sweep or submission the Three things I look for is maintaining control , seeking the dominant position and then if there's a opportunity go for the submission
Started dancing salsa and bachata while resting from bjj injuries. Lots of patterns and memorizing with that also. This is one of the most interesting pieces of unconventional advice I've heard in any of these pattern based activities. Gonna be chewing on this. Thanks
Oh my gosh, I feel like this video was for me! Thank you so much for your perspective.
This is great advice, again, thank you!
8 months in now, 5 days a week, 3 stripe white belt. My advice would be to not worry about something until it's a problem nearly every roll, then ask.
I go months before techniques click and then a new `problem` bubbles to the surface.
Phenomenal video, Chewy. 🤟 Really tapped into my current headspace as a white belt and alleviated some worries 👊
As a competitive rubik's cube speed solver, jiu-jitsu surprised me with how similar it was, granted Ive only been doing it 5 months at this point, this concept of memorizing techniques is similar to how a beginner would learn to solve a rubiks cube. A beginner would memorize a few algorithms step-by-step for specific steps in a solve and add more advanced algs slowly. A more efficient way of learning algs is learning to recognize a specific case and drilling the alg until the steps fade away and all thats left is muscle memory. If I can apply this method of advancing in the same way that made me an expert speedcuber i should be a black belt in about 8 years😅 hopefully.
Chewy hits on so many of my BJJ struggles 💯
It’s funny that a video like this comes out because I have a competition coming up in August and I was stressed to learn a crap tone of moves and my coach literally told me your are better of getting good at 3 different things than learn 10 different moves that you will more than likely forget and I have noticed since he told me that when I spar I do what I do best and get good results than when I try to do other moves!!!
Ps thanks for promoting Epic roll ordered some shorts because you talked about them !!!
First class next week. Thanks for all of the videos.
Learning bjj isnt having the instructor shoving knowledge down your throat.
Neither is you tube binge watching.
Its like sipping your morning coffee and enjoying each morning doing it. ❤
As always, thank you Professor Chewy.
Nik
This feels reassuring! I started three months ago. I felt frustrated.
Just like Bruce Lee said: "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." - I think it relates to BJJ too.
My coach always says “consistency, focus and hard work is what will elevate your game whether you compete or not” and damn has he been right. We got guys who don’t compete but would demolish if they did.
100% agree. Get a few basics and grow from there.
Great stuff as I get ready for my first comp!
Great video!
I've just been to my first BJJ training in years, and I've really only done about a half year of wrestling until three years ago.
I constantly had the feeling it was too much to take in at first, But I noticed some stuff like passing guard and maintaining some control came out naturally without even thinking about it.
Still had no clue how to actually get a submission whil I got him in half mount eventually hahaha
As a kids class coach. I have to know a lot but still focus on my A and B games. I just try to focus on playing with moves or positions I suck at but at a slow pace
Even though this was made just a few hours ago and I quit jujitsu almost a year ago. I still wish I could have watch these videos sooner beacuse these are just so helpful even if I'm not in jujitsu anymore.
I listen to him for his mindset and the random relatability.
I keep finding problems that I could have fixed before I left jujitsu old and new videos.
Now it's time to move on and I'm currently eating ice cream out of a tub 9:pm and maybe I should go back to jujitsu. I left beacuse I didnt like the people there and beacuse of this exact problem he is talking about here. I had this problem for a few months and I know there will be new people at the gym but still the same trainer and I dont know how I would explain why I left.
Thanks for this question and thanks for the awesome answer ❤️🤙🏽
mere liye most probably armbars, triangles, kimuras, aur phir highest level escapes/sweeps, sab kuch Habib bhai ke aur Gary Tonon ke context mein (aur judo/wrestling ke liye: clinch work: foot sweeps (+ things like sasae), osoto gari, lat drops/ura nage/suplexes (from all sides/directions), hip throws like harai goshi, uchi mata, o goshi, tai otoshi (insha'Allah: sila partera 4 directions principle) INSHA'ALLAH UL AZIZ!
When I was just beginning judo we had drills where the couch used to tell us to practice our king technics. 3-4 throws of our choice for the whole 45min lesson
This is a great question and answer!
I’m a firm believer in the philosophy of quantity over quality. What’s the point of teaching someone 100 techniques, sequences, scenarios, and bits of information and details and they cannot retain it and overthink everything. I learned that as a white belt, if you can get your fundamentals right, and all you need is one submission to get good at and maybe 2 guard passes will be enough to wreck a lot of white belts and some of the blue belts.
I have this theory that whatever you do if you got the basic idea whatever trash you are starting with if you try and fail live over and over again, eventually it will evolve into a good technic. Wich probably is alredy a variation that is not often used by many.
Because what works universally works.
And not just bjj. Every culture had the axe. Because if you want to chop wood with a simplistic tool you need an axe. And the axe have to be a specific shape to work.
In addition it’s about developing instincts as well. You learn more than just what you remember.
This may be, quite possibly, one of the greatest BJJ P.O.I. ever!!
Hi pls can you clarify starting at 2:38 what you are saying? You said an escape from mount back, mount and side control, is that correct?
I learned what little jiu jitsu I know by mapping out and planning positions in my head then memorizing and drilling answers. Everyone’s different.
I'm a Blue belt and im struggling to retain..so white belts don't feel bad
Shout out to all the folks drinking from hoses. 😂 I felt that. Great analogy.
really prof. before rolling i have a full plan wich if excuted it seems working, when i start its all wiped outa my mind😅.
🤣🤣
Great analogy!!
so true you can survive of very few wrestling moves if your good.
Here's a question.
I'm a lifelong athlete who's been doing bjj fairly seriously for a year (though still a white belt). Thing is, I'm the type of athlete who runs a laser timed 4.69 40 yard dash and squats 450 ass to grass but could never get the hang of throwing a spiral or shooting a basketball despite concerted effort. All my life I've compensated for a lack of body awareness by pushing harder than everyone else in conditioning and in the weight room. I've done fairly well in the 3 bjj tournaments I've participated in, but I struggle a lot in class. While I can see what the technique is supposed to look like, I have little idea what I look like when I'm doing the technique. Professor will say "no, you need to do it THIS way" and I'll be like, "isnt that what I'm doing?"
Its hard to see myself being great at this when I've managed to make it through D3 football, D1 rugby, and a childhood filled with basketball, martial arts, and baseball without figuring out how to know where my body is in space.
Any tips on developing body awareness?
Sorry if this isn’t helpful, and you’re definitely more of an athlete than me, but have you ever tried climbing - specifically bouldering? I still wouldn’t say my sense of where my body is at is unbelievable or anything, but it definitely improved a lot from when I used to climb really frequently.
I think it’s probably because bouldering/climbing it’s lots of trail and error and knowing where you body is and knowing where your centre of balance is at is so key to succeeding on moves. So you try something like 50 times after seeing someone else do it, and you adjust like .5cm at a time, and eventually you hit it and it’s like “oh, I guess that must be what it *feels* like when my body looks like what that other person who climbed this looked like”. And then you kinda retain that with practice.
Plus cross training would always help with grip strength!
@@bostoncrab4pple that's really good advice! I have tried climbing many times but never put real effort into mastering it. I do remember thinking "man i bet this would help with bjj" but admittedly I was mostly thinking about stuff like grip strength and flexibility
You might have tried this but, break down each technique into little pieces and do them over and over in slow motion before chaining together the whole move, again in slow motion. Practice only one technique, until you can do it perfectly in your head lying in bed before falling asleep. In tkd we called this, “practiced until it’s forgotten.” After you learn a technique like this you will find you will hit it without even knowing how you got there. If you have to think of a technique while rolling it’s probably too late.
@@drjimjam1112 I've definitely heard that before but thats the sort of thing I definitely need to be reminded of over and over again to keep doing. I'll try that sort of approach with the techniques we go over in class today
Very helpful to my mindset as a new white belt. Thanks.
Concepts are much more important to remember than step by step techniques
Any tips on how to not feel so defeated during a roll as a white belt?? As soon as I get into a vulnerable position I tend to give up
I view it like a game of “how quickly can I escape/how long can I delay the next pass” (depending on if it’s competitive or if they’re a lot better than me) to keep myself motivated. That way even if I get smashed if it starts regularly taking a minute to smash me instead of 30s I still feel like I’m winning in my personal battle
@@bostoncrab4pple that's a good way of looking at it, I'd never thought of it that way before, thank u 🙏
@Greg Lurik I think I'm worrying to much about getting the sub, it's compromising the defence so I'll deffo work on that more, thank you🙏
Set small, attainable goals.
@Greg Lurik I've been training for a couple of months, 3 times a week, so not long really. I find myself with a losing mindset I need to nip in the bud if that makes sense. I'm enjoying the journey I feel like I'm improving but everyone tells me i give up too easily
Honestly, I did amazing wrestling in Junior High and Freshman year knowing only a dozen techniques, senior year I got my ass kicked because I focused on knowing more instead of knowing better.
"I need a lot of moves to be great!"
Zenitsu: "Thunder breathing, first form... Thunderclap and flash⚡️"
I haven't been back to class in a few years due to my work schedule but I'm really good at the few techniques I did learn I never stopped drilling the snot out of my few techniques so I do wonder how I will stack up once I get the chance to return to class
When I first started boxing I tried to learn everything. I learnt nothing. as I slowed down and focused on a small amount of techniques, stuff started to make sense. To this day I'll do rounds on the bag that are literally just jabs sometimes 4/5 rounds in a row. Becoming hyper efficient in the basics is key in my opinion.
So like any other sport really. Like soccer, so long as you can pass short, tackle and shot that’s all that’s really needed.
Thanks a lot!
My coach always use to tell us; “practice until it’s forgotten.”
Chewy where I train we have a few white belts who have a fetish for leg locks. Specifically heel hooks. At what point do you allow guys to use those? They seem risky for a total novice to be playing with those moves as they can cause a catastrophic injury if it goes wrong. I came close to losing a knee recently from it. After 4 operations I'm not looking for #5.
Thanks!
Great video.
44 year old newish blue belt and I can barely remember what I just drilled at the start of the class as soon as sparring starts
Thanx
I like chewy. When he posts a new video I think "yes"
Had an interesting question for you coach! I have been training Bjj for a year and a half now and whenever I lock a triangle on someone there’s a 50% chance my knee locks in place whenever I attempt to get the angle to finish the choke. There’s no pain or anything but I do have to let go of the Submission in order to pop my knee back in to place its very bizarre, have you ever experienced this and if so is there a solution to this issue ? Thanks in advice 🙏
Sounds like a bucket handle meniscus tear. Get an MRI
That's some good information!
Cheers.
Hey about to get a three level back fusion. Am around 250 and 6 foot. After surgery I want to get into shape and been thinking the best way would be an mma gym, would it be safe to bjj and kickboxing after surgery?
I don't think so mate, but you should ask your doctor. Probably it also depends on how this training would look like, and how soon would you want to start after surgery. I don't think any sparring would be a good idea for few months, maybe just learning techniques would be okay. Again, ask doctors and therapists, not poeple on youtube.
The hose analogy is just perfect. 💪🔥🪓
You're such a cool dude. Thanks for your videos.
i have the pressure to do everything good because i am always competitive and want to win and thats make it hard for me to get choked or submissed any tips?
You’re an awesome dude and coach
I think this is also something that is wrong how bjj is commonly taught. We go through way too many different techniques without drilling single one of them enough to make it stick to our muscle memory.
Agreed. I tend to stick to a very small area for around a month or more before we move on in the main classes.
"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who had practiced one kick 10,000 times."
Bruce Lee