Get $25 off the JordanTeachesJiuJitsu Theory Course and Wrestling for BJJ with ELBOWSTIGHT25 at Checkout - courses.jordanteachesjiujitsu.com Get 15% off at saltelectrolytes.com with code Elbowstight15 at checkout!
I just started at 43 years old. I feel like leaving ego at the door relates more to not trying to escape a submission you're clearly caught in because your ego won't let you. I go into every class and every roll confident, well most.. but I quickly learned to leave the ego and tap early so I can keep training instead of nursing an injury to show how tough I was.
I find it annoying when my coach tells me "why didn't you get your back to the mat and escape?" when I can't because my opponent has me locked and I spend 20-30 trying to power out of it and get nowhere while I'm getting my head crushed because I'm defending against a choke. So tap early so I prevent injury, reset and I'll get outmaneuvered in short order anyway.
I normally always tap early, but after three months I have started to try and fight out of submissions a bit, to get the feel for that, not out of ego, but to see what defenses are out there that work.
I'm 37 years old and I'm 6'4 200lbs, I was always afraid to use my strength and weight in classes, until one day my professor come to me and tell me the whole truth: I cannot keep up with a 20 year old kidll like rhis, they are not afraid to use their speed and youth on me, why I should afraid to use what I have? Make sense so I start to balance, when I roll with people faster than me, I 'll slow they down using strength. Change my whole experience on the gym
“Just keep showing up” works for me because it gets me in the door and that’s the hardest part. Everything else falls in place once I’m on the mats. But I also get what you’re saying too
@@vivalaliberty sir or ma'am. What is offered for free that has as many benefits as paying for BJJ classes? You can watch TH-cam videos about bjj for free until you're insane. But nothing will beat learning from more experienced ppl. Why should they do it for free? Serious question.
@@vivalaliberty some people can afford 40 bucks a month for something they like ... maybe get a job and that bs with fighting 10 people or defect bullets lets everybody know you never stept on the mats. This is the dumbest/cheapest take on jiu jitsu ive ever heard. Keep running and hope those shoes wil hold up till you die mr. Crabs 🦀
@@vivalaliberty who is saying im living in a fantasy world i know its not gonna save you against 10 men or a gun, but what has that to do with anything, my friends are there , it keeps me active, and somewhat thin, and running isnt n option if you have little kids if that is what you worry about. If you wanna stay safe, get away from places that serve alcohol and maybe other creepy places and youll be probably fine. But allmost everything costs money and nothing works everytime. But if you lock somebody in a room with even a purple belt you should know hes the one in charge, lets be honest buddy ,have a nice one 🫡
The don’t use strength myth is spot on. You explained it very well. I used to be quite flexible years ago when I started but unfortunately have lost much of it. However, I’ve gotten quite a bit stronger as I’ve gotten older so I will use my strength when needed since I’m losing other physical attributes like flexibility and agility. This was a great video.
I like this discussion. Been training for 6 years. As for ego, I have days when I feel good, and feel like I know what I'm doing; other days, I feel like everyone is passing my guard and out-maneuvering me.
Really appreciate the straight talk. I've always had terrible natural flexibility and cardio, but strength helped keep me from getting submitted. I kept hearing that I needed to stop using so much strength. So I started getting submitted all the time. Everyone has their own path, but my goals for every martial art have always centered around getting out of a bad situation in a dark parking lot, so I want to use whatever is going to get me there.
@ElbowsTight I can appreciate the notion that long-term technique will suffer if it's just all strength all the time, but no one ever says, "You're using too much of the length of your long legs."
I’m a no stripe white belt with 8 months of experience. Another guy started 3 months after me and has recently obtained his second stripe. This taught me a few things: 1. Stripes do not always indicate progression. 2. Stripes CAN indicate progression. 3. Stripes are used to motivate people, break their ego, or to show dedication. 4. Ask yourself WHY a stripe is so important to you. I bet the answer is harder to find than you think. 5. Stripes are an aesthetic. 6. I like being the Zero Stripe. It will teach others the lessons above and helps me grow every day I walk on the mat. If someone misjudges me for being a Zero Stripe, they have more to learn than me at that point in time.
“Just keep showing up” IS still important for white belts. I believe its more refering to the fact that you don’t know anything or any moves so you have to show up to absorb everything. Also MUSCLE MEMORY. The more you roll and use the moves you learned the more you can just do it without thinking about it. the term “Just keep showing up” makes a lot more sense if you look at it this way.
Lol. I've been weight training for about 20 years now so I get the "wow you're strong" comment a lot. Sometimes it's a genuine compliment, sometimes I can tell I frustrated them and they don't want to admit it. I can tell you it took me longer to get strong than it took me to learn any grappling move to a reasonably competent level. Damn right I'm gonna use my strength if I need to! I earned it! Some of these dudes need to learn the art of Gym-Fu.
I’m 6’6” 285 lbs and horrified to use my strength. I can take the punishment easily, but dealing it is scary to me. I’m constantly in my head thinking about how little control I have over my muscles compared to my teammates. It got so bad that I just play bottom all the time and when I sweep or reversal I’ll roll over on my back immediately.
Stop that BS! You deserve to have a top game too. Instead of taking a dive that benefits no one, move through more positions. Don't grab and hold, move to mount, take the back, chase submissions without finishing. Moving more should create more openings for your opponents to actually earn an escape or sweep.
@@KodiakCombat I have an irrational fear of hurting people, which is compounded by the fact I enjoy getting hurt. It doesn’t make logical sense, but I’m hoping the longer I do it, the more control I’ll gain from my muscles and I’ll be more comfortable doing too stuff. My journey is one I have to work on myself, only time heals it.
@trojanlamb909 I'm not as big as you but I'm larger than average. Many "techniques" require pressure to work properly. Be aware of that. But from my experience as a coach, I would not want a student restricting their own progress out of fear. Play some top and do it with some kindness but also like you mean it. Good luck ya monster!
I'm an ex rugby player and I find BJJ far less problematic for pain. However the. Side effect is I have large thighs and lack flexibility, but I use my strength as and when I need to. Being older I also just use patience and use pressure and just try and be relentless without gassing out. Once you have a few years of experience with your strength it makes you really formidable.
Just try to lessen the pressure when you don’t need it. Us smaller guys really appreciate guys like you though😂 I’ve been injured by a lot of bigger guys trying to fight me like they’re wrestling a bear. Hopefully you find guys your size to train with so you can go all out. If a guy is a colored belt but lighter they should still be able to handle your pressure though.
No legit school will tell you to wash your belt. My instructor is a 2x World Champion at the open black belt level and he has never washed his belt. If you are at a school where you are washing your belts than I would question your school. You wash your gi...if your worried about a small little belt wrapped around your waste being gross then you are 100% in the wrong sport. I would suggest clay modeling.
@@garrydye2394fabric retains scent and bacteria. Your belt isn’t magically immune to bacterial growth. It’s literally fabric, like your gi. And sweat accumulates on the fabric. It’s not rocket science. Wash your belt. Do you need to wash it as often as your gi? No. But never washing it? That’s disgusting
Great advice I just got as a white belt from a black belt who was watching me roll: Roll 50% of 50% like an 85 year old grandmother. Practice technique and keep a focus on it. I might use strength, but Im not manhandling my partners, I might move fast, but its not a death scramble I have to win. Position focus, control focus, everything is improving quickly. I get tapped faster but now my focus on the prevention and the moves to get in and out of those places. And the more you get tapped the better you get - you might triangle me 4 times in a row but the 5th time my defense will finally be realized, thats a +1. Same for everytime you tap - it should be I lost, heres why and heres how.
As a beginner I fall in love with the BJJ. Special Gi, Decided-to dig deeper and took 10 one to one classes which helped me a lot to distribute my strength and gained more knowledge. No TH-cam prior BJJ. Completely new. My advice to all levels is to buy online training program from good professors . It will help you with preventing injuries( you gain much more knowledge than you learn in the class at much faster speed) knowledge is a key to success! Practice is your time on the mat. Rest of it is up to your personality. Once you know how to escape than you will easily learn how to submit. Best of luck. Machado, and Danaher you can’t go wrong! Danaher has all the systems in place and great teacher, probably the best to explain for fundamentals level. Example after 6 months of training I am confident to go anywhere to roll!! Reason? I gain much more knowledge which will take years to learn in the gym and it’s fact! I am in my late 40s 😂
I really appreciate this video. I’ve been training for about 6 months and I’ve gotten so sick of hearing these things. I’m a big, strong, solid guy. I weight lift a lot and I’m a former athlete. My background was mostly in striking so I started BJJ to replace playing sports and to supplement my striking. I’ve had so many BJJ “experts” tell me that strength and power don’t matter. And they’re absolutely wrong. It has been easy for me since the 2nd month of training to dominate other white belts and some blue belts of smaller size just by being strong and having good cardio. I have a very good friend who is a lot more experienced and I’ve gotten him into weight training. After a year of consistent lifting, he’s winning more and more matches in competition. Some of these old myths are simply created by higher belts who want to justify not getting stronger or want to justify why they lose to “lesser” opponents. I’ve literally had people say “oh hey didn’t really beat me, he just outfatted me by using his weight”… it’s so much BS. If you can’t control someone who is bigger than you and you’re a much higher belt, that’s on you. Also, BJJ has weight classes for a reason. The end.
Part of being a spaz isn’t just going hard, it’s grabbing things and pulling them as hard as you can with no idea why, it’s also going 0-100 with a movement again with no idea what you are trying to do, it goes deeper than this being a BJJ spaz is a way of life.
@@MrCmon113 it’s the intensity that makes it, pull the wrong thing, or the right thing the wrong way at 50% see what happens. A spaz pulls with 100% force at all times and often does the same thing again and again paying no attention to the result. I’m not hating on it, just trying to define it.
@@ElbowsTight I like to think of it as improving your “gas tank” rather than your “cardio” as it can get confusing. Jiujitsu doesn’t really improve your cardio much at all above a limited ceiling effect. But rolling more does make you more efficient and can improve your mat conditioning/gas tank. “Just roll more” is well intentioned advice and would probably work for some (up to a point) but in my opinion it’s missing the rest of the story.
Love this advice! I've been training for 9 months now and have just started to settle in and have good rolls. My Professor gave the same advice to me and it helped me grow quickly!
I disagree. I wasted so much time as a white belt trying to use my strength and trying to "innovate" instead of trying to precisely use BJJ technique. All of that only taught me that I was wasting my time doing my own thing instead of actually learning what was being taught. I also have seen the really competitive beginners get hurt because they put "never say die"first and refused to tap out.
Using strength does not mean not being technical, if were not, is because you were bad then, as all white belts are. Someone really good on BJJ told me: if you are strong, use that, if you are fast, use that, if you are flexible, use that, etc. basically you have to use whatever physical attributes you have, and that’s what this guy meant in the video too.
I like that “you need your ego to be crushed” because in my experience I arrived with a lot of ego, and got humbled. Now I do leave it at the door but bring it back in when it’s appropriate to the opposition I’m facing
Love your ego theory ! I see how it’s important to get it crushed ! Because once your ego is crushed you’ll ultimately become humble ! Point of just showing up too is not true! My gym goes by stripes and all my fellow students are getting their stripes and they are all well deserved ! It shows where you are in your progression of bjj! If you show up ; show up and take notes and work on personal goals etc ! You can show up and be clueless!
A common myth Ive heard that I don’t think is true 100% of the time is “sport jujutsu or sport martial arts will not help defend yourself in ‘the streets’” there are definitely caveats to this generalization.
“Just keep showing up” is exactly what my old instructor told me after a little over a year of keeping my head down and just working every week 3-5 times a week 😅 that was the last drop, never got any feedback during a roll or even pointers. I left that gym a few weeks after that.
I feel you - my gym was similar. I went for 2 years and I think only one of the instructor even knew who I was, they were mostly involved with competitors. All the little pointers or feedback I ever got was from higher belts after a roll. And yeah, I suck, I feel like I pretty much wasted my time there bc even brand new white belts beat me with their spazziness and ambition.
Definitely agree with you on the “just keep showing up” myth. You have to take control of your training and come in with ideas on what you want to work on. I obviously learn techniques from my coach but I couldn’t have got to where I am without self study and intentional practice. On stripes: In my experience they’re super important at white belt because you need “evidence” that you’re improving. You’re going to be getting crushed every week and it’s easy to just think you suck as much as you did when you started. After blue belt I don’t think they’re that meaningful. At that point you should be invested enough to just keep going without that pat on the head.
Really enjoyed your video man. I definitely relate with giving it my all every single class and not just showing up. My gym does stripes which I'm a fan of and they added a green belt for adults as an in between white and blue. I'm about to be promoted but can't deal with wrestlers with less BBJ experience. Any tips?
When I roll with someone who has wrestling experience I usually just play off my back until I can get a reverse/sweep and try my hardest to stay on top haha. Also, shameless plug, JordanTeachesJiuJitsu wrestling theory course might be a good thing to check out too. You can get $25 off with Elbowstigh25!
Love this. In particular I like the bit about the “spazzy white belts”. I don’t think there’s any such thing as someone doing a “wrong technique”. There’s only things you can or can’t take advantage of 🤷🏼♂️
Great video. As I make a return to Jiu-Jitsu as a white belt at 37 coming off an injury (I think there's another dude in the comments I saw in a similar situation) this is super-helpful. I'd go on and off in the past and never even got that first stripe. So that's my short-term goal for now. Thanks for the advice 👍
I go for first class tomorrow. I have a spinal issue my l4 l5 is slipping. It's only grade 1 out of 4, so least bad. And I work very physical job, carry heavy stuff. But I didn't say anything to the people about it. Wondering if I should. But maybe they don't let me do it. I never let it stop me before. Dr wouldn't let me play football in high school, how does it compare physically?
@@Treeclimbingexpert I’m saddened to hear that because I know that if you had an understanding partner that knows your deal you’d prosper and grow over time. Speaking for myself, I did wreck my body but I used to train up to 3 times a day when I started. My hands and fingers for sure are messed up because of Bjj but that’s a part of the process I believe. I hope you can find something as great as Bjj 🙌🏽 best of luck to you
I decided to get back into guitar. I played a long time ago but sold it for drugs. Always regretted that so I went online and found the exact same guitar I used to have. Not mine, but the same year and model. Won't help physically but maybe mentally.
I’m a fresh white belt that just started sparring. I think by what he means by “just showing up” means that by “just showing up” doesn’t mean you will improve. Of course he’s not saying to quit. But he’s saying have some intentions when you show up. Are you trying to improve your cardio through an extra roll? Are you trying to not get submitted for today? Whatever it is. For example, I was so winded after my first roll that that was it for me first time. But I made it a goal to go two rolls the next week. The intention being that I would gradually improve my cardio. Now that I’m at three rolls a class, my goal is to just hold my guard, or not get passed as much as I was in the initial spars. Later my goal will be to see if I can pass a guard. So of course the only way this would work is if I keep showing up. But with that being said, have some intentions when you do show up because even if your intentions aren’t met, there was probably some learning that happened even if you don’t know it at the moment.
37 year old brown belt here with 13 years of training. I absolutely agree that there's a caveat to "just showing up", and more specifically, just rolling around hard with no specific goals. It's like when beginning musicians "practice" by jamming out to their favorite songs for hours on end hoping to take their skills to the next level while neglecting to work on any specific exercises or techniques. That simply doesn't work if you really want to reach the next level.
I would say spazzy is dangerous uncontrollable movements that can lead to harm to me or them. Every movement we make should have a reason and it’s part of the process we learn.
I pretty much always feel like I am shit at it going in so when I do get crushed it ends up feeding the more negative voices, not really sure how to deal with that
I'm 44 years old (BB in TKD/10 years) coming into BJJ as a white belt is freaking tough. I weigh around 140 and my height is 5-6". I am the smallest guy in my gym and I keep getting demolished. Most guys at my gym are huge and very young college wrestlers because the gym is near a major college. Some days I want to quit, and I am not a quitter. I am hoping one day the tides will come. I do good in foundations but when it comes to rolling I just get demolished by strength. Does it get better? Am I wasting my time? My gym mostly relies on experimentation situations (figure it out) and does not teach moves other than basics, back take, armbar, Kimora..and that’s about it. This is my first BJJ gym with a lengthy contract. Did I make the wrong decision?
Glad you started. You're definitely going to struggle. But it will also make you better than you realize. Go to other gyms for open mat. See different looks. It is possible that the environment you're in isn't the right fit for you so try some other places to see if it fits better.
I’m a 53 YO 5’5” 128 pound blue belt, and yes, it does get better. I tend to use my speed (for a 53YO) and technique since that’s all I got, and I can hold my own against bigger guys. But I’ve tried to choose my gyms and made sure that they have a decent amount of older and lighter guys. I think if it was filled with young, college wrestlers, I would have looked elsewhere.
It does get better! I've heard many high level guys talk about how smaller people usually become more technical in the long run because they are constantly at a disadvantage. Find what works for you and your body type then go hard on it so you are the best person at it!
I will say that your training partners play a major roll (pun intended) in your progression, along with good instruction. So if you have monster in your gym that is a good thing.
It does get better, 52 now and a blue belt, started at 48 and i'm about the same size as you. The only people of a similar size are one of the women, or from the kids class. The average guy here is over 200lb, spent most of the first 2 years getting crushed and just surviving. Luckily there are some very experienced guys here that will give me the opportunity to just work stuff rather than demolish me continuously. Reached the stage that I can mostly hold my own or submit white belts even if they are much younger/stronger/heavier.
Ive been off and on for 2.5 years now and still struggling white belt. Biggest pointers I can give and what I personally struggle with is consistency although that’s injury based and ego. as in I want to be good, I want to win, way to get better etc… more importantly what stops me trying new stuff or even planning a strategy because of fear of failure. I’m having a break and then going back to almost start again. No ego, more diligence, more discipline and no fear of failure .
ive done karate for abt 4 years very close to my black belt always enjoyed combat sports js had my first class a couple days ago and already love it juijitsu is great happy to start this journey
As a black belt whenever I want to focus solely on my self-defense Jiu-Jitsu I roll with spazzy white belts. You're definitely going to learn every way someone could possibly hit you and how to protect yourself at all times.
I would change "just keep showing up" to "show up with purpose". Meaning show up consistently with intent to internalize the technique being taught to you and try and find good moves in the rolls.
Agree 100 with the competition one, but it also helps you on your journey not so much to "prove" you're whatever rank, but more to test your skill outside your comfort zone of your academy. Similar to how you describe that you like visiting other academies and roll with others your rank to feel them out, competition does that for many. It's fun win or lose, gives you a healthy goal to aim for in training and most academies advance your rank faster if that's what you're looking for if you compete. Problem I've seen is when you ONLY compete and abandon technical classes to learn newer technique, etc and are only always training for comp. that's counter productive in my experience and those practitioners stay stagnant even though they might be competing that's all they're doing and often times get mad if they lose because they devote so much time to just competing. Seem some very high level practitioners almost quit after a loss, they have multiple medals competition after competion then lose to somethign fundamental wondering why. It's because you're only rolling open mat getting ready for comp, you've abandoned regular classes where you might learn something new
For those of you who are experienced is it more annoying for a first timer to be spazzy or too passive? Just did my first ever BJJ class (30 years old no self defense or fighting experience whatsoever) and my main priority was to be patient and controlled and not to be a spaz. By the end of class I felt like I held back way too much and possibly was too passive, hindering my training partners experience. I was doing my best to focus on technique and execute the drills we went over but during the live sparring I think I held back too much. Next class I will bring more intensity while remaining controlled and patient. Got to say I had a blast getting my ass beat and can't wait to get back on the matts!
You make a good point that strength is just another attribute you should use, but I would add that there are weight classes in competition for a reason. There are not "flexibility divisions". So it may not be the most helpful thing for a person with a, say 50lb, weight advantage to rely on using their strength instead of technique.
Strength isn't a freebie though - you don't build muscle without doing the work - and with muscle, your cardio requirement goes up (requires more oxygen). In some ways, height would be a fairer division - as you can't really influence your height by lifestyle, effort and discipline.
Having started 3 months ago, I disagree with "just showing up" as being a myth. As you obviously know, every class, you get put under unbearable pressure, strangulations or joint locks. Even if you train as light as you can, you will get lots of bruises, dizziness and all sorts of pain on every possible part of your body for many consecutive days even (neck, back, chest, knees, elbows, etc.) Even the high level guys at my gym experience those as frequently as the beginners. My coaches make EVERYONE work through the techniques meticulously and roll even very lightly. They strictly don't want ANYONE sitting on the sidelines unless they are injured or badly sick. On top of that, most gyms in my area only offer classes during early morning or at night when people are likely to be the most tired and lazy. Any sane human being would stop coming back from having to endure such physical suffering while having to engage in deep mental work. So what exactly happens if you just keep showing up? From my experience, whether someone is a hobbyist or a competitor (and I am the latter), everyone always comes out of classes better than they entered them. Yes, you will likely not become a world champion if you don't have a more rigorous and systematic approach, but you will always improve in other areas whether it's staying in shape, losing weight, making good friends, etc. I profoundly believe that the more you show up, the better you naturally get at it, because fundamentally, there are no other ways to acquire the muscle memory of the weird movements unless you try them for real. For example, I don't know how you can learn a leg lock unless you apply it live. You can watch all the videos you want, but nothing will ever work unless you actually do it . Plus, if your coaches make you work honestly hard every class, you will undoubtedly grow physically and mentally out of it. No matter where you train, in this kind of sport, there will always be people that can challenge you and getting beaten every day makes you stronger. Obviously, there are many other factors that come into play such as proper recovery, schedule availability, time off from the sport, proper nutrition or quality of instruction, etc. but I kept it simple. Please let me know what you think of this, I am just a white belt haha!
People use strength because they haven't developed timing, weight distribution, patience and leverage. If you are super strong and you use your strength to force submissions that isn't Jujitsu. The better you are the less strength you use. If the submission isn't there it isn't there.
@@ElbowsTight Steroids have changed sport BJJ into a strength sport, where you force submissions instead of letting them happen. It becomes who is the strongest not who has the best technique or strategy its turned into who is the better athlete not the most skillful Judoka at each weight. Kinda sad, it's all about winning at any cost.
Ive been training powerlifting since I was 16 and am very decently strong usually strongest person in gym am currently 5ft8 and 245lbs never thought about not using strength because I worked hard to be strong and I consider strength a skill that I have cultivated
I’m a 2 stripe white belt, 39 yrs old, 5’9” #165 and have been told by other higher white belts, the 6’ and #200’s, not to pressure as much, or not use my strength and focus on technique. When I roll with higher belts they only say take your time but never complain of my pressure or strength. I really enjoy rolling with the blue belts and above,any size, but rolling with some of the white belt bigger guys is mentally tough. I get a lot of, “hey you don’t have to pressure so much” when we roll. I feel like it’s an ego thing with the three guys that do it but I will dial it back and then get bruised up from their roughness. Not sure what to do except try not to roll with them? I don’t get to pick who I roll with in level 1 class it’s coaches choice. Any suggestions?
You’re absolutely correct. It’s their ego trying to obfuscate the fact that you are better than them in Bjj. Keep winning. Don’t talk with them just roll.
I think it is probably just a messaging problem. High belts know they don't want you to stop using your pressure/strength so they tell you to take your time. I agree with that message. If we are rushing during our rounds we are more likely to make mistakes. Also, slow and deliberate movements take the life from people 🤣
I agree it's not just "keep showing up" but a lot of white belts cannot even do this consistently until they just go less and less and eventually quit because showing up starts being hard even in itself. Life happens and more stuff gets into ones schedules and priorities. Easier stuffs becomes more rewarding & fun in their minds. Then there's the 3 months or 3 stripes curse of white belts... which I find true... the first 3 months of white belts can be so fun and they achieve a lot of skills. Then when they start using these skills & confidence, higher belts starts putting the pressure on them in rolling. No longer allowing them easy wins and passes. This is the time to push through... hopefully build more competitive grounds going to blue belt. I find this level hard for most white belts and where most quit. Those that pushes through leaves other white belts they started with together behind (who mostly quit). Pushing through will now bring out more aches on ones body which most cannot really deal with on the daily basis. I call them part of progress. But unfortunately most white belts cannot deal with these aches and in their minds the pressure of leveling up their skills/confidence....then just quits. Sad but true.
I'm thinking a good school/instructors will see this and come to the realization that if they want to stay in business, they need to understand the concept of client retention.
I like what you said with the first one. I feel like I developed a complex of some sort after being told to calm down a few times at the start and now find it hard to know how hard I should be going and in turn not really going for submissions and just playing defence after 1 year of training.
I started in 2019 and I got my 4th stripe about a year ago. It’s honestly pretty discouraging that I’ve been rolling for years now and “just focus on showing up” doesn’t give me anything to work from. Maybe I just suck idk
What you need to focus to ensure development. After every class think of something that worked, did t work and a experiment you can run in next class. This is how you will ensure your development over time
I think you should rethink what your goals for each class are and put yourself in positions that you need to work from. Doing this will cause a dip in your skill but with consistency you will become a monster!
Perhaps instead of advising not to be spazzy we should advise to get out of fight or flight mentality to improve more quickly? When a new person is just bucking and flailing like crazy they're not thinking clearly. They're not really learning anything. The upper belt's job is to just control them and "cook" them with pressure until they gas out. Then they're in a state of mind where they're receptive to being coached through the roll like "keep you're elbows in tight, create frames, create space..." I try to advise new people to relax and think it through but unfortunately oftentimes new people just need to be cooked until they're in a receptive state of mind. But I'll never stop trying to give the advise because I want them to progress quickly.
This is a good way to phrase it. I came to that conclusion, after my black belt instructor whispered, "stop worrying that I'm going to submit you and make you look bad. I can do that no matter how hard you flail. Just think, bro..."
@@ElbowsTightyeah, it’s not like we can have an in depth conversation while rolling right? “Dude, you’re being spazzy” hopefully gets the message across.
Just finished my 3rd class. Started this 3 months from my 54th. Ego. I’m old enough to be over that. What I find is critical is the converse - humility. I agree with you - that base ego you described is key. However not everyone listens. Also agree with the other commenter - have already learned to know when to tap 😂😂 Thanks for the video.
My gym doesn’t do stripes and I LOVE it. The mentality of my gym is if you need a stripe on your belt to tell you where you’re at, then you’re here for the wrong reasons. Granted, they do give stripes to white belts, but white belts only
My coach gives white belts stripes in a pseudo ceremony at the end of beginners class. It's awesome to be the guy slotted to get a stripe that day. I've never seen him give blue or higher any stripes though. However, there are some colored belts with stripes, which tells me he gives them out privately/ not at the end of classes. For example, I watched him give someone a purple belt in the parking lot before class. No audience or anything. They hugged it out, and life went on.
"BBJ is for everyone..." No, it's not, but some schools sell it hard this way to play the numbers game, get enough people through the doors and signed up an enough will stick with it to stay in business. Some make a good effort to tailor training for different types of people who are "for jiu-jitsu". A small, older guy like me needs to learn and train differently than a large, 20 something athletic beast.
I started bjj 10 months ago at 58. But i have been training in other Arts over 47 yrs. And your Eyes are opened when you go to the grounds. And it can be difficult rolling with others who are 10,20 30 40 yrs younger but i am enjoying the journey. And back in 1991 i tore my Acl while been involved in a final competition and it took a few months to get back into training but now at 58 soon 59 i decided to take a leap into the bjj but i dont think i will be doing competition one i think i am a little too old
Stripes are like first seeing progress in bodybuilding. You spend weeks and months putting in work and it can get discouraging not seeing gains. Then boom you see the gains in the mirror and you get a big shot of motivation. Seeing stripes on your belt is a similar feeling.
Some of these takes are just taking things too seriously. Jiu jitsu has “sayings” that are meant as generalizations in order to check people’s natural inhibitions which will lead to bad habits more times than not. And once a base layer of fundamentals is in place you can release yourself to act on your inhibitions. Absolutely hate your splitting of hairs with spazziness. Spazzy is just Spazzy. Point blank period. Not breaking it into sub categories. But you are spot on with the assessment that upper belts need to stop complaining about spazzy people and just learn how to control them.
Im 3 months newbie and i just realized the strength a couple weeks ago. Because im stronger than average guys but new and not skilled, when i roll with smaller guys i need to match their strength level. Otherwise theyll get mad at me next class and not say hi.
I couldn't disagree more about spazzing. In my experience, "spazzing" and losing control are the exact same thing, and that definitely increases the likelihood of injuries, even when practicing with skilled partners. If I'm rolling with a spazzy white belt, I won't let them complete a lot of techniques that I would otherwise let a white belt who is in control practice through to the end. I learned my lesson early with a spazzy white belt who tried to go from a roll into an armbar straight into thrusting his hips to full extension. Something told me to not let him have it, so at the last second, I broke his wrist control and defended. Everyone in the gym stopped because they thought he snapped my arm without an opportunity to tap. So no, "spazzy" is never okay, even for white belts. Body control is the very first thing they should be learning.
Well, "Just showing up" works, but you will progress slowly. But the opposite can be an issue to, having unreasonable goals will kill your motivation. I'm trying to learn the skills for my belt, but it doesn't matter if it takes me a while. I'm mostly after the furfilling and relaxing feeling you feel after a good training session, the belts, knowledge and such are an added bonus (I'm 38 yo judoka).
Yeah man! I hate the just show up one. I'm still pretty new, 1 stripe white. I'm paying to go to the gym, I'm going to show up. It's not a helpful response to someone asking what to do/focus on.
Hard to just keep showing up after gyms have over doubled and almost trippled prices due to bteam and danaher moving here and them seeing ppl pay like 300 a month and not offer anything else for that price to train in a gym the size of a telephone booth
If you perform in competition which is safer than a self defense situation, how would you be able to defend yourself? Competition is a great way to gauge if you are good for your skill level. If you are beating guys in your skill bracket and weight, it's proof you are at the very least your rank.
I LOVE working with spazzi newbies ! They are HUNGRY! They are brave and if you tell them something they try their hardest to learn and apply. There is no “comfort zone” for newbs. I mean … don’t start low blowing me or gouging my eyes out because I want to train the next day and maybe have kids one day but use that energy and drive as long as you listen and learn. They will learn how to be more efficient with their energy but it’s very hard to teach bravery and drive and I won’t be the one to teach them to lose it.
The biggest myth for me is injuries. We always told that bjj is very safe and low impact, yet I know very few bjj black belts who don't have a nagging injury that affects their quality of life. Usually, either there, back, neck, knees, or shoulders.
I'm 6' 1, 170. But used to weigh 260 many moons ago. I'm stronger now than when i was 260. I'm a few classes into bjj and I'm getting a bunch of comments about my strength. I don't want to brute force it but, i have no idea what I'm doing and i instinctively go into survival mode and use raw power to get out of certain positions. The higher belts walk me through technique but the lower belts end up either me destroying them with strength or advanced lower belts hanging on for dear life. A strange position to be in.
I don't recommend going crazy and tapping more often while learning to avoid injury. I also remember reading each belt can counter roughly 10 years of age and 20 lbs of muscle. So it really depends on how good your technique is and how much larger your opponent is
Yea I’m going to call bs on the “just show up” I have been go for a year as of yesterday and I only have a 3 strip white belt. Can you believe that!!! Not to mention I give some purple belts a run for their money, they have to use a huge amount of effort now compared to before and I’m still not beating them but a select few times.
Interesting that you brought this up. I often will tap early instead of using strength to get out of a submission that is clearly technically sound that if my partner and I were equal in strength size I know i wouldn’t get out of. Took me to get to my late forties to learn the you fu&’ed up already if your in that position 🤣
I been in and out for 4 years and I moved 3 states. I always start over just not ruffle feathers or egos. Belt color means nothing to me. I need technique and experience from my coaches. If i can't hold my own I just need to keep rollin. But as an adult it's not easy.
I view “just keep showing up” as keep trying and don’t give up even when you feel like you’re not making progress. It doesn’t mean, to me, that you can expect to get better by just going through the motions. You have to think and be purposeful. I’d say “don’t use strength” should be don’t use strength as a substitute for poor technique. There will always be someone stronger, no matter who you are because you want to keep doing JJ as long as you can and you will age! What I think you want is for your skill to improve and if you get by with poor technique through strength, that will stagnate your progress. Technique beats all is a nice thought but you can’t expect a 110 lb grandma with awesome skill to put away a 120 lb 20 year old blue belt.
1) The way to control a spazzy person is by hurting them real bad and they have to quit due to a perminate injury. Happens to plenty wrestlers that come in shoulders go rip and they never come back. 2) Strength- depends you usually want to be around the same strength as your opponent that simulates competing in your same weight class. 3) If you don't leave your ego at the door, you are goign to get hurt really bad. Tap or snap. 4) Keep showing up is the most important. Minimizing your bottom is the key, your laziest day showing up is better than the days you don't come. 5) Yah, if you don't care then dont' care. 6) Proving your rank? Ranks are to random to know what that even means, let your professor decide and don't waste your time thinking about it. 7) Weight classes exist for a reason.
“I’ve been watching UFC since 95” is always funny to me! I’ve been listening to Danny Carey play drums since 92 and without practise, damned if I can match a single beat he plays….
I agree with you on everyone but the 6th lol… being able to perform under pressure and in the highest competitions is LITERALLY the end all be all… that’s like getting into a street altercation with someone and the fights gets to the ground, and they knock you out or kill you, “oh man he was a GREAT black belt in the gym, but failed when it REALLY mattered” that’s just stupid lol
Being able to execute what you’ve learned is literally the highest level of skill. It’s the same in special operations… that is LITERALLY why they do stress test shooting… someone can be an absolute beast in a shoot house with targets, or on the range with targets… but put stress on them in a more realistic situation and they crumble? These are the guys that don’t make it. Why? Because they failed at the highest level of stress.
Get $25 off the JordanTeachesJiuJitsu Theory Course and Wrestling for BJJ with ELBOWSTIGHT25 at Checkout - courses.jordanteachesjiujitsu.com
Get 15% off at saltelectrolytes.com with code Elbowstight15 at checkout!
Your Chi attack cracked my screen!
I just started at 43 years old. I feel like leaving ego at the door relates more to not trying to escape a submission you're clearly caught in because your ego won't let you. I go into every class and every roll confident, well most.. but I quickly learned to leave the ego and tap early so I can keep training instead of nursing an injury to show how tough I was.
I find it annoying when my coach tells me "why didn't you get your back to the mat and escape?" when I can't because my opponent has me locked and I spend 20-30 trying to power out of it and get nowhere while I'm getting my head crushed because I'm defending against a choke. So tap early so I prevent injury, reset and I'll get outmaneuvered in short order anyway.
you're a good man!
That's what I mean too when talking about ego.
I started at 42 and loving it :)
I normally always tap early, but after three months I have started to try and fight out of submissions a bit, to get the feel for that, not out of ego, but to see what defenses are out there that work.
I'm 37 years old and I'm 6'4 200lbs, I was always afraid to use my strength and weight in classes, until one day my professor come to me and tell me the whole truth: I cannot keep up with a 20 year old kidll like rhis, they are not afraid to use their speed and youth on me, why I should afraid to use what I have? Make sense so I start to balance, when I roll with people faster than me, I 'll slow they down using strength. Change my whole experience on the gym
Yeah and you don't have to be a dick about it when doing it either. Makes the round much for fun for both of us haha
“Just keep showing up” works for me because it gets me in the door and that’s the hardest part. Everything else falls in place once I’m on the mats. But I also get what you’re saying too
If it works for you that is great! Thanks for your comment 🙏
@@vivalaliberty more than happy to
@@vivalaliberty sir or ma'am. What is offered for free that has as many benefits as paying for BJJ classes? You can watch TH-cam videos about bjj for free until you're insane. But nothing will beat learning from more experienced ppl. Why should they do it for free? Serious question.
@@vivalaliberty some people can afford 40 bucks a month for something they like ... maybe get a job and that bs with fighting 10 people or defect bullets lets everybody know you never stept on the mats. This is the dumbest/cheapest take on jiu jitsu ive ever heard. Keep running and hope those shoes wil hold up till you die mr. Crabs 🦀
@@vivalaliberty who is saying im living in a fantasy world i know its not gonna save you against 10 men or a gun, but what has that to do with anything, my friends are there , it keeps me active, and somewhat thin, and running isnt n option if you have little kids if that is what you worry about. If you wanna stay safe, get away from places that serve alcohol and maybe other creepy places and youll be probably fine. But allmost everything costs money and nothing works everytime. But if you lock somebody in a room with even a purple belt you should know hes the one in charge, lets be honest buddy ,have a nice one 🫡
Good list! As far as #7 goes: technique is an efficient use of strength and power, not a lack of it.
Thanks man! Appreciate your content man!
Love this, very very well said🙏🙏🙏
The don’t use strength myth is spot on. You explained it very well. I used to be quite flexible years ago when I started but unfortunately have lost much of it. However, I’ve gotten quite a bit stronger as I’ve gotten older so I will use my strength when needed since I’m losing other physical attributes like flexibility and agility. This was a great video.
Thank you!
I like this discussion. Been training for 6 years. As for ego, I have days when I feel good, and feel like I know what I'm doing; other days, I feel like everyone is passing my guard and out-maneuvering me.
I usually have more day so feeling latter haha
Really appreciate the straight talk. I've always had terrible natural flexibility and cardio, but strength helped keep me from getting submitted. I kept hearing that I needed to stop using so much strength. So I started getting submitted all the time. Everyone has their own path, but my goals for every martial art have always centered around getting out of a bad situation in a dark parking lot, so I want to use whatever is going to get me there.
Yeah i don't understand why people are so against strength. I've heard many people say if it works it's jiu-jitsu haha
@ElbowsTight I can appreciate the notion that long-term technique will suffer if it's just all strength all the time, but no one ever says, "You're using too much of the length of your long legs."
I’m a no stripe white belt with 8 months of experience. Another guy started 3 months after me and has recently obtained his second stripe. This taught me a few things:
1. Stripes do not always indicate progression.
2. Stripes CAN indicate progression.
3. Stripes are used to motivate people, break their ego, or to show dedication.
4. Ask yourself WHY a stripe is so important to you. I bet the answer is harder to find than you think.
5. Stripes are an aesthetic.
6. I like being the Zero Stripe. It will teach others the lessons above and helps me grow every day I walk on the mat. If someone misjudges me for being a Zero Stripe, they have more to learn than me at that point in time.
“Just keep showing up” IS still important for white belts. I believe its more refering to the fact that you don’t know anything or any moves so you have to show up to absorb everything.
Also MUSCLE MEMORY. The more you roll and use the moves you learned the more you can just do it without thinking about it. the term “Just keep showing up” makes a lot more sense if you look at it this way.
I don't think its not important to keep showing up. I just think it is a crap answer in a lot of situations. 🙏
Lol. I've been weight training for about 20 years now so I get the "wow you're strong" comment a lot. Sometimes it's a genuine compliment, sometimes I can tell I frustrated them and they don't want to admit it. I can tell you it took me longer to get strong than it took me to learn any grappling move to a reasonably competent level. Damn right I'm gonna use my strength if I need to! I earned it! Some of these dudes need to learn the art of Gym-Fu.
💯🙏
Im a 6 month white belt my transition technique is vastly improved since day one and started landing successful submissions via leg locks its fun !
Welcome to the community!
I’m 6’6” 285 lbs and horrified to use my strength. I can take the punishment easily, but dealing it is scary to me. I’m constantly in my head thinking about how little control I have over my muscles compared to my teammates. It got so bad that I just play bottom all the time and when I sweep or reversal I’ll roll over on my back immediately.
Stop that BS! You deserve to have a top game too. Instead of taking a dive that benefits no one, move through more positions. Don't grab and hold, move to mount, take the back, chase submissions without finishing. Moving more should create more openings for your opponents to actually earn an escape or sweep.
@@KodiakCombat I have an irrational fear of hurting people, which is compounded by the fact I enjoy getting hurt. It doesn’t make logical sense, but I’m hoping the longer I do it, the more control I’ll gain from my muscles and I’ll be more comfortable doing too stuff. My journey is one I have to work on myself, only time heals it.
@trojanlamb909 I'm not as big as you but I'm larger than average. Many "techniques" require pressure to work properly. Be aware of that. But from my experience as a coach, I would not want a student restricting their own progress out of fear. Play some top and do it with some kindness but also like you mean it. Good luck ya monster!
I'm an ex rugby player and I find BJJ far less problematic for pain. However the. Side effect is I have large thighs and lack flexibility, but I use my strength as and when I need to. Being older I also just use patience and use pressure and just try and be relentless without gassing out. Once you have a few years of experience with your strength it makes you really formidable.
Just try to lessen the pressure when you don’t need it. Us smaller guys really appreciate guys like you though😂 I’ve been injured by a lot of bigger guys trying to fight me like they’re wrestling a bear. Hopefully you find guys your size to train with so you can go all out. If a guy is a colored belt but lighter they should still be able to handle your pressure though.
Worst myth I'veheard is washing your belt washes away your jiu-jitsu 😂. Wash your belts people its gross not too! 😆
1000% agree! 🤣
No legit school will tell you to wash your belt. My instructor is a 2x World Champion at the open black belt level and he has never washed his belt. If you are at a school where you are washing your belts than I would question your school. You wash your gi...if your worried about a small little belt wrapped around your waste being gross then you are 100% in the wrong sport. I would suggest clay modeling.
@@garrydye2394fabric retains scent and bacteria. Your belt isn’t magically immune to bacterial growth. It’s literally fabric, like your gi. And sweat accumulates on the fabric. It’s not rocket science. Wash your belt. Do you need to wash it as often as your gi? No. But never washing it? That’s disgusting
True. Lysol time
@@garrydye2394is this satire?😊
Great advice I just got as a white belt from a black belt who was watching me roll: Roll 50% of 50% like an 85 year old grandmother. Practice technique and keep a focus on it. I might use strength, but Im not manhandling my partners, I might move fast, but its not a death scramble I have to win. Position focus, control focus, everything is improving quickly. I get tapped faster but now my focus on the prevention and the moves to get in and out of those places. And the more you get tapped the better you get - you might triangle me 4 times in a row but the 5th time my defense will finally be realized, thats a +1. Same for everytime you tap - it should be I lost, heres why and heres how.
As a beginner I fall in love with the BJJ. Special Gi, Decided-to dig deeper and took 10 one to one classes which helped me a lot to distribute my strength and gained more knowledge. No TH-cam prior BJJ. Completely new. My advice to all levels is to buy online training program from good professors . It will help you with preventing injuries( you gain much more knowledge than you learn in the class at much faster speed) knowledge is a key to success! Practice is your time on the mat. Rest of it is up to your personality. Once you know how to escape than you will easily learn how to submit. Best of luck. Machado, and Danaher you can’t go wrong! Danaher has all the systems in place and great teacher, probably the best to explain for fundamentals level. Example after 6 months of training I am confident to go anywhere to roll!! Reason? I gain much more knowledge which will take years to learn in the gym and it’s fact! I am in my late 40s 😂
There are some incredible minds in our sport!
Solid advice! appreciate this! just started my journey and loving it.
That is amazing! It is a lot of fun. Just gotta keep showing up 😂
I really appreciate this video. I’ve been training for about 6 months and I’ve gotten so sick of hearing these things. I’m a big, strong, solid guy. I weight lift a lot and I’m a former athlete. My background was mostly in striking so I started BJJ to replace playing sports and to supplement my striking. I’ve had so many BJJ “experts” tell me that strength and power don’t matter. And they’re absolutely wrong. It has been easy for me since the 2nd month of training to dominate other white belts and some blue belts of smaller size just by being strong and having good cardio. I have a very good friend who is a lot more experienced and I’ve gotten him into weight training. After a year of consistent lifting, he’s winning more and more matches in competition. Some of these old myths are simply created by higher belts who want to justify not getting stronger or want to justify why they lose to “lesser” opponents. I’ve literally had people say “oh hey didn’t really beat me, he just outfatted me by using his weight”… it’s so much BS. If you can’t control someone who is bigger than you and you’re a much higher belt, that’s on you. Also, BJJ has weight classes for a reason. The end.
Part of being a spaz isn’t just going hard, it’s grabbing things and pulling them as hard as you can with no idea why, it’s also going 0-100 with a movement again with no idea what you are trying to do, it goes deeper than this being a BJJ spaz is a way of life.
Agreed.
Welp I’m a spaz lol I grab GI then I’m like uuuhhh so what now hahaha
A beginner can't know what to pull.
@@MrCmon113 it’s the intensity that makes it, pull the wrong thing, or the right thing the wrong way at 50% see what happens. A spaz pulls with 100% force at all times and often does the same thing again and again paying no attention to the result. I’m not hating on it, just trying to define it.
Such excellent advice!
I want to throw in a myth that I personally can't stand:
"If you want to get better cardio for BJJ, just roll more!"
I'm guilty of saying this 😢
@@ElbowsTight Oh dear 😥
@KierenLefevre 😂😂 I tell people to roll more because of sport-specific cardio but also to do sprints/tabatas.
@@ElbowsTight I like to think of it as improving your “gas tank” rather than your “cardio” as it can get confusing.
Jiujitsu doesn’t really improve your cardio much at all above a limited ceiling effect. But rolling more does make you more efficient and can improve your mat conditioning/gas tank.
“Just roll more” is well intentioned advice and would probably work for some (up to a point) but in my opinion it’s missing the rest of the story.
Do Cardio to improve Cardio
Love this advice! I've been training for 9 months now and have just started to settle in and have good rolls. My Professor gave the same advice to me and it helped me grow quickly!
I disagree. I wasted so much time as a white belt trying to use my strength and trying to "innovate" instead of trying to precisely use BJJ technique. All of that only taught me that I was wasting my time doing my own thing instead of actually learning what was being taught. I also have seen the really competitive beginners get hurt because they put "never say die"first and refused to tap out.
👍🤙
Using strength does not mean not being technical, if were not, is because you were bad then, as all white belts are.
Someone really good on BJJ told me: if you are strong, use that, if you are fast, use that, if you are flexible, use that, etc. basically you have to use whatever physical attributes you have, and that’s what this guy meant in the video too.
@@danielallanc2213 🙏🔥👍
I like that “you need your ego to be crushed” because in my experience I arrived with a lot of ego, and got humbled. Now I do leave it at the door but bring it back in when it’s appropriate to the opposition I’m facing
Love your ego theory ! I see how it’s important to get it crushed ! Because once your ego is crushed you’ll ultimately become humble ! Point of just showing up too is not true! My gym goes by stripes and all my fellow students are getting their stripes and they are all well deserved ! It shows where you are in your progression of bjj! If you show up ; show up and take notes and work on personal goals etc ! You can show up and be clueless!
I completely agree!
3 1/2 months into my jiu jitsu journey, great vid to watch currently. subbed
Welcome aboard! Be on the lookout for your Members Only jacket dropped off by a flying Helio Gracie kite!
A common myth Ive heard that I don’t think is true 100% of the time is “sport jujutsu or sport martial arts will not help defend yourself in ‘the streets’” there are definitely caveats to this generalization.
then there was that video on Instagram of a purple belt not knowing how to defend punching from his professor...
I think he meant that everyone is welcome to try jiujitsu but not everyone will find they enjoy it
That is a good possibility 😂
“Just keep showing up” is exactly what my old instructor told me after a little over a year of keeping my head down and just working every week 3-5 times a week 😅 that was the last drop, never got any feedback during a roll or even pointers. I left that gym a few weeks after that.
I feel you - my gym was similar. I went for 2 years and I think only one of the instructor even knew who I was, they were mostly involved with competitors. All the little pointers or feedback I ever got was from higher belts after a roll.
And yeah, I suck, I feel like I pretty much wasted my time there bc even brand new white belts beat me with their spazziness and ambition.
I always like to think of it as "Jiu-Jitsu is for anyone" not everyone, personally.
Definitely agree with you on the “just keep showing up” myth. You have to take control of your training and come in with ideas on what you want to work on. I obviously learn techniques from my coach but I couldn’t have got to where I am without self study and intentional practice. On stripes: In my experience they’re super important at white belt because you need “evidence” that you’re improving. You’re going to be getting crushed every week and it’s easy to just think you suck as much as you did when you started. After blue belt I don’t think they’re that meaningful. At that point you should be invested enough to just keep going without that pat on the head.
I've heard of gyms only doing stripes for white belts and no other rank. I can see how that would help people!
Really enjoyed your video man. I definitely relate with giving it my all every single class and not just showing up.
My gym does stripes which I'm a fan of and they added a green belt for adults as an in between white and blue. I'm about to be promoted but can't deal with wrestlers with less BBJ experience. Any tips?
When I roll with someone who has wrestling experience I usually just play off my back until I can get a reverse/sweep and try my hardest to stay on top haha. Also, shameless plug, JordanTeachesJiuJitsu wrestling theory course might be a good thing to check out too. You can get $25 off with Elbowstigh25!
@@ElbowsTight Thanks! I'll definitely take a look. I think I'm on the right path then.
Love this. In particular I like the bit about the “spazzy white belts”. I don’t think there’s any such thing as someone doing a “wrong technique”. There’s only things you can or can’t take advantage of 🤷🏼♂️
Agreed. If we are so worried about doing the "wrong technique" we can completely ignore trying anything!
Great video. As I make a return to Jiu-Jitsu as a white belt at 37 coming off an injury (I think there's another dude in the comments I saw in a similar situation) this is super-helpful. I'd go on and off in the past and never even got that first stripe. So that's my short-term goal for now. Thanks for the advice 👍
It’s kind of fun being a 24 stripe white belt though kicking blue belts butts, and getting little sneakies on purple, brown, and black.
Glad you enjoyed my video!
im a super senior white belt
Great video man. Really appreciated all these tips and the perspective you brought
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed 🙏
As a 5 month WB, this is very useful. Thank you =)
I'm still learning a lot of stuff.
White belt coming back from an injury, feeling so discouraged in class lately. Humble pie is bitter sometimes.
Thanks for the video. Subbed.
Welcome to the El-Bros! Be sure to learn the super secret handshake at the back door and join the private Facebook group! We have cookies 😁
I go for first class tomorrow. I have a spinal issue my l4 l5 is slipping. It's only grade 1 out of 4, so least bad. And I work very physical job, carry heavy stuff. But I didn't say anything to the people about it. Wondering if I should. But maybe they don't let me do it. I never let it stop me before. Dr wouldn't let me play football in high school, how does it compare physically?
Be careful!! 🫣
@@TheBjj_skater_mom Decided it wasn't for me. It was good, I want to do it. But I think over time it will wreck me. Have to find something else.
@@Treeclimbingexpert I’m saddened to hear that because I know that if you had an understanding partner that knows your deal you’d prosper and grow over time. Speaking for myself, I did wreck my body but I used to train up to 3 times a day when I started. My hands and fingers for sure are messed up because of Bjj but that’s a part of the process I believe. I hope you can find something as great as Bjj 🙌🏽 best of luck to you
I decided to get back into guitar. I played a long time ago but sold it for drugs. Always regretted that so I went online and found the exact same guitar I used to have. Not mine, but the same year and model. Won't help physically but maybe mentally.
@@TheBjj_skater_mom Also it's not fair to the other people to have to worry about my potential injury.
6:50 - That is a great point. Training with purpose is huge. Thank you!
it's helped me a lot!
I’m a fresh white belt that just started sparring. I think by what he means by “just showing up” means that by “just showing up” doesn’t mean you will improve. Of course he’s not saying to quit. But he’s saying have some intentions when you show up. Are you trying to improve your cardio through an extra roll? Are you trying to not get submitted for today? Whatever it is. For example, I was so winded after my first roll that that was it for me first time. But I made it a goal to go two rolls the next week. The intention being that I would gradually improve my cardio. Now that I’m at three rolls a class, my goal is to just hold my guard, or not get passed as much as I was in the initial spars. Later my goal will be to see if I can pass a guard. So of course the only way this would work is if I keep showing up. But with that being said, have some intentions when you do show up because even if your intentions aren’t met, there was probably some learning that happened even if you don’t know it at the moment.
How many times a week is it recommended to do bij as a white belt?
37 year old brown belt here with 13 years of training. I absolutely agree that there's a caveat to "just showing up", and more specifically, just rolling around hard with no specific goals. It's like when beginning musicians "practice" by jamming out to their favorite songs for hours on end hoping to take their skills to the next level while neglecting to work on any specific exercises or techniques. That simply doesn't work if you really want to reach the next level.
This is probably one of the more helpful videos I’ve seen for us white belts
Super encouraging and realistic
I would say spazzy is dangerous uncontrollable movements that can lead to harm to me or them. Every movement we make should have a reason and it’s part of the process we learn.
Agreed. I don't think every white belt who is trying hard to learnt he martial art and may make some bad moves should get the label of "spazzy"
I pretty much always feel like I am shit at it going in so when I do get crushed it ends up feeding the more negative voices, not really sure how to deal with that
I'm 44 years old (BB in TKD/10 years) coming into BJJ as a white belt is freaking tough. I weigh around 140 and my height is 5-6". I am the smallest guy in my gym and I keep getting demolished. Most guys at my gym are huge and very young college wrestlers because the gym is near a major college. Some days I want to quit, and I am not a quitter. I am hoping one day the tides will come. I do good in foundations but when it comes to rolling I just get demolished by strength. Does it get better? Am I wasting my time? My gym mostly relies on experimentation situations (figure it out) and does not teach moves other than basics, back take, armbar, Kimora..and that’s about it. This is my first BJJ gym with a lengthy contract. Did I make the wrong decision?
Glad you started. You're definitely going to struggle. But it will also make you better than you realize. Go to other gyms for open mat. See different looks. It is possible that the environment you're in isn't the right fit for you so try some other places to see if it fits better.
I’m a 53 YO 5’5” 128 pound blue belt, and yes, it does get better. I tend to use my speed (for a 53YO) and technique since that’s all I got, and I can hold my own against bigger guys. But I’ve tried to choose my gyms and made sure that they have a decent amount of older and lighter guys. I think if it was filled with young, college wrestlers, I would have looked elsewhere.
It does get better! I've heard many high level guys talk about how smaller people usually become more technical in the long run because they are constantly at a disadvantage. Find what works for you and your body type then go hard on it so you are the best person at it!
I will say that your training partners play a major roll (pun intended) in your progression, along with good instruction. So if you have monster in your gym that is a good thing.
It does get better, 52 now and a blue belt, started at 48 and i'm about the same size as you. The only people of a similar size are one of the women, or from the kids class. The average guy here is over 200lb, spent most of the first 2 years getting crushed and just surviving. Luckily there are some very experienced guys here that will give me the opportunity to just work stuff rather than demolish me continuously. Reached the stage that I can mostly hold my own or submit white belts even if they are much younger/stronger/heavier.
Ive been off and on for 2.5 years now and still struggling white belt. Biggest pointers I can give and what I personally struggle with is consistency although that’s injury based and ego. as in I want to be good, I want to win, way to get better etc… more importantly what stops me trying new stuff or even planning a strategy because of fear of failure. I’m having a break and then going back to almost start again. No ego, more diligence, more discipline and no fear of failure .
ive done karate for abt 4 years very close to my black belt always enjoyed combat sports js had my first class a couple days ago and already love it juijitsu is great happy to start this journey
As a black belt whenever I want to focus solely on my self-defense Jiu-Jitsu I roll with spazzy white belts.
You're definitely going to learn every way someone could possibly hit you and how to protect yourself at all times.
I would change "just keep showing up" to "show up with purpose". Meaning show up consistently with intent to internalize the technique being taught to you and try and find good moves in the rolls.
I think this is a much more productive thing to say too!
Agree 100 with the competition one, but it also helps you on your journey not so much to "prove" you're whatever rank, but more to test your skill outside your comfort zone of your academy. Similar to how you describe that you like visiting other academies and roll with others your rank to feel them out, competition does that for many. It's fun win or lose, gives you a healthy goal to aim for in training and most academies advance your rank faster if that's what you're looking for if you compete. Problem I've seen is when you ONLY compete and abandon technical classes to learn newer technique, etc and are only always training for comp. that's counter productive in my experience and those practitioners stay stagnant even though they might be competing that's all they're doing and often times get mad if they lose because they devote so much time to just competing. Seem some very high level practitioners almost quit after a loss, they have multiple medals competition after competion then lose to somethign fundamental wondering why. It's because you're only rolling open mat getting ready for comp, you've abandoned regular classes where you might learn something new
For those of you who are experienced is it more annoying for a first timer to be spazzy or too passive?
Just did my first ever BJJ class (30 years old no self defense or fighting experience whatsoever) and my main priority was to be patient and controlled and not to be a spaz. By the end of class I felt like I held back way too much and possibly was too passive, hindering my training partners experience. I was doing my best to focus on technique and execute the drills we went over but during the live sparring I think I held back too much. Next class I will bring more intensity while remaining controlled and patient. Got to say I had a blast getting my ass beat and can't wait to get back on the matts!
You make a good point that strength is just another attribute you should use, but I would add that there are weight classes in competition for a reason. There are not "flexibility divisions". So it may not be the most helpful thing for a person with a, say 50lb, weight advantage to rely on using their strength instead of technique.
If we had flexibility divisions kids and 10th Planet would always take gold haha
Strength isn't a freebie though - you don't build muscle without doing the work - and with muscle, your cardio requirement goes up (requires more oxygen).
In some ways, height would be a fairer division - as you can't really influence your height by lifestyle, effort and discipline.
Having started 3 months ago, I disagree with "just showing up" as being a myth. As you obviously know, every class, you get put under unbearable pressure, strangulations or joint locks. Even if you train as light as you can, you will get lots of bruises, dizziness and all sorts of pain on every possible part of your body for many consecutive days even (neck, back, chest, knees, elbows, etc.) Even the high level guys at my gym experience those as frequently as the beginners. My coaches make EVERYONE work through the techniques meticulously and roll even very lightly. They strictly don't want ANYONE sitting on the sidelines unless they are injured or badly sick. On top of that, most gyms in my area only offer classes during early morning or at night when people are likely to be the most tired and lazy. Any sane human being would stop coming back from having to endure such physical suffering while having to engage in deep mental work. So what exactly happens if you just keep showing up? From my experience, whether someone is a hobbyist or a competitor (and I am the latter), everyone always comes out of classes better than they entered them. Yes, you will likely not become a world champion if you don't have a more rigorous and systematic approach, but you will always improve in other areas whether it's staying in shape, losing weight, making good friends, etc. I profoundly believe that the more you show up, the better you naturally get at it, because fundamentally, there are no other ways to acquire the muscle memory of the weird movements unless you try them for real. For example, I don't know how you can learn a leg lock unless you apply it live. You can watch all the videos you want, but nothing will ever work unless you actually do it . Plus, if your coaches make you work honestly hard every class, you will undoubtedly grow physically and mentally out of it. No matter where you train, in this kind of sport, there will always be people that can challenge you and getting beaten every day makes you stronger. Obviously, there are many other factors that come into play such as proper recovery, schedule availability, time off from the sport, proper nutrition or quality of instruction, etc. but I kept it simple. Please let me know what you think of this, I am just a white belt haha!
As someone who's been a white belt over 10 years your point about "just show up" being a myth couldn't ring any more true.
I also feel like it is a cheap answer depending on how long someone has been training.
LEAVE THAT GYM WTF?
@@exclusivelymadeforthat Part of the reason is I change gyms pretty often. And also I'm a slow learner for the sport lol
That “you need your ego to be crushed” went hard.
People use strength because they haven't developed timing, weight distribution, patience and leverage. If you are super strong and you use your strength to force submissions that isn't Jujitsu. The better you are the less strength you use. If the submission isn't there it isn't there.
I agree that the better you get the less strength you need to use but only to a certain point. That's why steroids are big in comp side of our sport.
@@ElbowsTight Steroids have changed sport BJJ into a strength sport, where you force submissions instead of letting them happen. It becomes who is the strongest not who has the best technique or strategy its turned into who is the better athlete not the most skillful Judoka at each weight. Kinda sad, it's all about winning at any cost.
Great video man i subbed
Thank you! Welcome to the El-Bros! You member only jacket will be delivered next week!
Ive been training powerlifting since I was 16 and am very decently strong usually strongest person in gym am currently 5ft8 and 245lbs never thought about not using strength because I worked hard to be strong and I consider strength a skill that I have cultivated
I’m a 2 stripe white belt, 39 yrs old, 5’9” #165 and have been told by other higher white belts, the 6’ and #200’s, not to pressure as much, or not use my strength and focus on technique. When I roll with higher belts they only say take your time but never complain of my pressure or strength. I really enjoy rolling with the blue belts and above,any size, but rolling with some of the white belt bigger guys is mentally tough. I get a lot of, “hey you don’t have to pressure so much” when we roll. I feel like it’s an ego thing with the three guys that do it but I will dial it back and then get bruised up from their roughness. Not sure what to do except try not to roll with them? I don’t get to pick who I roll with in level 1 class it’s coaches choice. Any suggestions?
You’re absolutely correct. It’s their ego trying to obfuscate the fact that you are better than them in Bjj. Keep winning. Don’t talk with them just roll.
I think it is probably just a messaging problem. High belts know they don't want you to stop using your pressure/strength so they tell you to take your time. I agree with that message. If we are rushing during our rounds we are more likely to make mistakes. Also, slow and deliberate movements take the life from people 🤣
I agree it's not just "keep showing up" but a lot of white belts cannot even do this consistently until they just go less and less and eventually quit because showing up starts being hard even in itself. Life happens and more stuff gets into ones schedules and priorities. Easier stuffs becomes more rewarding & fun in their minds. Then there's the 3 months or 3 stripes curse of white belts... which I find true... the first 3 months of white belts can be so fun and they achieve a lot of skills. Then when they start using these skills & confidence, higher belts starts putting the pressure on them in rolling. No longer allowing them easy wins and passes. This is the time to push through... hopefully build more competitive grounds going to blue belt. I find this level hard for most white belts and where most quit. Those that pushes through leaves other white belts they started with together behind (who mostly quit). Pushing through will now bring out more aches on ones body which most cannot really deal with on the daily basis. I call them part of progress. But unfortunately most white belts cannot deal with these aches and in their minds the pressure of leveling up their skills/confidence....then just quits. Sad but true.
This sounds similar to "Blue Belt Blues"
I'm thinking a good school/instructors will see this and come to the realization that if they want to stay in business, they need to understand the concept of client retention.
I like what you said with the first one. I feel like I developed a complex of some sort after being told to calm down a few times at the start and now find it hard to know how hard I should be going and in turn not really going for submissions and just playing defence after 1 year of training.
I know that feeling too.
I started in 2019 and I got my 4th stripe about a year ago. It’s honestly pretty discouraging that I’ve been rolling for years now and “just focus on showing up” doesn’t give me anything to work from. Maybe I just suck idk
What you need to focus to ensure development. After every class think of something that worked, did t work and a experiment you can run in next class.
This is how you will ensure your development over time
I think you should rethink what your goals for each class are and put yourself in positions that you need to work from. Doing this will cause a dip in your skill but with consistency you will become a monster!
@@ElbowsTight thank you for the advice sir!
Perhaps instead of advising not to be spazzy we should advise to get out of fight or flight mentality to improve more quickly? When a new person is just bucking and flailing like crazy they're not thinking clearly. They're not really learning anything. The upper belt's job is to just control them and "cook" them with pressure until they gas out. Then they're in a state of mind where they're receptive to being coached through the roll like "keep you're elbows in tight, create frames, create space..." I try to advise new people to relax and think it through but unfortunately oftentimes new people just need to be cooked until they're in a receptive state of mind. But I'll never stop trying to give the advise because I want them to progress quickly.
When I think of people being "spazzy" 9/10 is usually what you describe right here.
This is a good way to phrase it. I came to that conclusion, after my black belt instructor whispered, "stop worrying that I'm going to submit you and make you look bad. I can do that no matter how hard you flail. Just think, bro..."
@@ElbowsTightyeah, it’s not like we can have an in depth conversation while rolling right? “Dude, you’re being spazzy” hopefully gets the message across.
Good video!
Is there an updated discord link? The one in the description is expired.
discord.com/invite/PmJWCC5cVt
Just finished my 3rd class. Started this 3 months from my 54th.
Ego. I’m old enough to be over that. What I find is critical is the converse - humility. I agree with you - that base ego you described is key. However not everyone listens.
Also agree with the other commenter - have already learned to know when to tap 😂😂 Thanks for the video.
Glad you enjoyed!
My gym doesn’t do stripes and I LOVE it. The mentality of my gym is if you need a stripe on your belt to tell you where you’re at, then you’re here for the wrong reasons. Granted, they do give stripes to white belts, but white belts only
Strength is important for transitions
My coach gives white belts stripes in a pseudo ceremony at the end of beginners class. It's awesome to be the guy slotted to get a stripe that day.
I've never seen him give blue or higher any stripes though. However, there are some colored belts with stripes, which tells me he gives them out privately/ not at the end of classes. For example, I watched him give someone a purple belt in the parking lot before class. No audience or anything. They hugged it out, and life went on.
"BBJ is for everyone..." No, it's not, but some schools sell it hard this way to play the numbers game, get enough people through the doors and signed up an enough will stick with it to stay in business.
Some make a good effort to tailor training for different types of people who are "for jiu-jitsu". A small, older guy like me needs to learn and train differently than a large, 20 something athletic beast.
"BJJ is for everyone" = Give me your money! haha
I started bjj 10 months ago at 58. But i have been training in other Arts over 47 yrs. And your Eyes are opened when you go to the grounds. And it can be difficult rolling with others who are 10,20 30 40 yrs younger but i am enjoying the journey. And back in 1991 i tore my Acl while been involved in a final competition and it took a few months to get back into training but now at 58 soon 59 i decided to take a leap into the bjj but i dont think i will be doing competition one i think i am a little too old
Stripes are like first seeing progress in bodybuilding. You spend weeks and months putting in work and it can get discouraging not seeing gains. Then boom you see the gains in the mirror and you get a big shot of motivation. Seeing stripes on your belt is a similar feeling.
Some of these takes are just taking things too seriously. Jiu jitsu has “sayings” that are meant as generalizations in order to check people’s natural inhibitions which will lead to bad habits more times than not. And once a base layer of fundamentals is in place you can release yourself to act on your inhibitions.
Absolutely hate your splitting of hairs with spazziness. Spazzy is just Spazzy. Point blank period. Not breaking it into sub categories. But you are spot on with the assessment that upper belts need to stop complaining about spazzy people and just learn how to control them.
🙏👍🙌
Im 3 months newbie and i just realized the strength a couple weeks ago.
Because im stronger than average guys but new and not skilled, when i roll with smaller guys i need to match their strength level.
Otherwise theyll get mad at me next class and not say hi.
I couldn't disagree more about spazzing. In my experience, "spazzing" and losing control are the exact same thing, and that definitely increases the likelihood of injuries, even when practicing with skilled partners. If I'm rolling with a spazzy white belt, I won't let them complete a lot of techniques that I would otherwise let a white belt who is in control practice through to the end. I learned my lesson early with a spazzy white belt who tried to go from a roll into an armbar straight into thrusting his hips to full extension. Something told me to not let him have it, so at the last second, I broke his wrist control and defended. Everyone in the gym stopped because they thought he snapped my arm without an opportunity to tap. So no, "spazzy" is never okay, even for white belts. Body control is the very first thing they should be learning.
We can agree to disagree. Thank you for your story!
Well, "Just showing up" works, but you will progress slowly.
But the opposite can be an issue to, having unreasonable goals will kill your motivation.
I'm trying to learn the skills for my belt, but it doesn't matter if it takes me a while.
I'm mostly after the furfilling and relaxing feeling you feel after a good training session,
the belts, knowledge and such are an added bonus (I'm 38 yo judoka).
I have 3 stripes in my white belt but I prefer not to wear them and keep it blank as it is. Stripes for me is like wasting tape
I got better in jujitsu just by showing up and when I wasn’t training at the gym I was doing solo drills at home.
Doing solo work and "homework" can help a lot!
Thanks for the help/tips!
Happy to help!
Yeah man! I hate the just show up one. I'm still pretty new, 1 stripe white. I'm paying to go to the gym, I'm going to show up. It's not a helpful response to someone asking what to do/focus on.
But if you just keep showing up they will keep getting your money 🤣
I won't use my strength or weight if it's someone a lot smaller than me. In this case i want to test technique for technique
Hard to just keep showing up after gyms have over doubled and almost trippled prices due to bteam and danaher moving here and them seeing ppl pay like 300 a month and not offer anything else for that price to train in a gym the size of a telephone booth
I know! It's crazy how expensive some places are for what you get!
If you perform in competition which is safer than a self defense situation, how would you be able to defend yourself? Competition is a great way to gauge if you are good for your skill level. If you are beating guys in your skill bracket and weight, it's proof you are at the very least your rank.
Excellent tips’ thanks 💪🏽
Happy to help!
I LOVE working with spazzi newbies ! They are HUNGRY! They are brave and if you tell them something they try their hardest to learn and apply. There is no “comfort zone” for newbs. I mean … don’t start low blowing me or gouging my eyes out because I want to train the next day and maybe have kids one day but use that energy and drive as long as you listen and learn.
They will learn how to be more efficient with their energy but it’s very hard to teach bravery and drive and I won’t be the one to teach them to lose it.
I got one stripe and then promoted to blue. (Only 5 month as a white belt) I had imposter syndrome until I competed at blue and won gold
That is amazing! Have you competed again since?
@@ElbowsTight no, but I will two weeks from now
The biggest myth for me is injuries. We always told that bjj is very safe and low impact, yet I know very few bjj black belts who don't have a nagging injury that affects their quality of life. Usually, either there, back, neck, knees, or shoulders.
I'm 6' 1, 170. But used to weigh 260 many moons ago. I'm stronger now than when i was 260. I'm a few classes into bjj and I'm getting a bunch of comments about my strength. I don't want to brute force it but, i have no idea what I'm doing and i instinctively go into survival mode and use raw power to get out of certain positions. The higher belts walk me through technique but the lower belts end up either me destroying them with strength or advanced lower belts hanging on for dear life. A strange position to be in.
I don't recommend going crazy and tapping more often while learning to avoid injury. I also remember reading each belt can counter roughly 10 years of age and 20 lbs of muscle. So it really depends on how good your technique is and how much larger your opponent is
I've read something similar before too. From my experience it holds pretty true 🤣
Stranght sometimes get defeated..it depends on the situation and this fact is related on opurtunity.
I understand the the value that comes with giving stripes, but I don't like them personally.
🙌🏽💪🏽🫵🏽🤓 Great vid!!
Thank you 🙏🙏
Yea I’m going to call bs on the “just show up” I have been go for a year as of yesterday and I only have a 3 strip white belt. Can you believe that!!!
Not to mention I give some purple belts a run for their money, they have to use a huge amount of effort now compared to before and I’m still not beating them but a select few times.
Interesting that you brought this up. I often will tap early instead of using strength to get out of a submission that is clearly technically sound that if my partner and I were equal in strength size I know i wouldn’t get out of. Took me to get to my late forties to learn the you fu&’ed up already if your in that position 🤣
smart! I also tap early if I feel a little too much from my partner.
Why am I even watching this lol
I been in and out for 4 years and I moved 3 states. I always start over just not ruffle feathers or egos. Belt color means nothing to me. I need technique and experience from my coaches. If i can't hold my own I just need to keep rollin. But as an adult it's not easy.
I've trained with members of the military who have years of experience but are "white belts" because they move around so much.
I think its ok to ask how hard to go when you are new
I view “just keep showing up” as keep trying and don’t give up even when you feel like you’re not making progress. It doesn’t mean, to me, that you can expect to get better by just going through the motions. You have to think and be purposeful.
I’d say “don’t use strength” should be don’t use strength as a substitute for poor technique. There will always be someone stronger, no matter who you are because you want to keep doing JJ as long as you can and you will age! What I think you want is for your skill to improve and if you get by with poor technique through strength, that will stagnate your progress.
Technique beats all is a nice thought but you can’t expect a 110 lb grandma with awesome skill to put away a 120 lb 20 year old blue belt.
1) The way to control a spazzy person is by hurting them real bad and they have to quit due to a perminate injury. Happens to plenty wrestlers that come in shoulders go rip and they never come back.
2) Strength- depends you usually want to be around the same strength as your opponent that simulates competing in your same weight class.
3) If you don't leave your ego at the door, you are goign to get hurt really bad. Tap or snap.
4) Keep showing up is the most important. Minimizing your bottom is the key, your laziest day showing up is better than the days you don't come.
5) Yah, if you don't care then dont' care.
6) Proving your rank? Ranks are to random to know what that even means, let your professor decide and don't waste your time thinking about it.
7) Weight classes exist for a reason.
👍🙏
If they're not a wrestler, you should be able to control the spazzy new guy without hurting him at all.
“I’ve been watching UFC since 95” is always funny to me! I’ve been listening to Danny Carey play drums since 92 and without practise, damned if I can match a single beat he plays….
🤣🤣 but we've all heard someone say it haha
I agree with you on everyone but the 6th lol… being able to perform under pressure and in the highest competitions is LITERALLY the end all be all… that’s like getting into a street altercation with someone and the fights gets to the ground, and they knock you out or kill you, “oh man he was a GREAT black belt in the gym, but failed when it REALLY mattered” that’s just stupid lol
Being able to execute what you’ve learned is literally the highest level of skill. It’s the same in special operations… that is LITERALLY why they do stress test shooting… someone can be an absolute beast in a shoot house with targets, or on the range with targets… but put stress on them in a more realistic situation and they crumble? These are the guys that don’t make it. Why? Because they failed at the highest level of stress.