Why Do Some People get Better at BJJ Faster
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ม.ค. 2025
- What makes some people in BJJ progress faster than others? This is a loaded question I received recently.
I say loaded because there are so many things that can factor into progression in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.
Everything from pure genetic potential, to eating habits, sleep habits, level of responsibility outside of the gym and so on.
But our friend left the idea of mindset on the table in his question. So I imagine he thinks your mindset in BJJ has something to do with skill progression. And it does!
So I stuck with that as a focus as to a factor of faster BJJ progression.
Assuming all things are equal. Mindset is one of the biggest factors to progression in Brazilian Jiujitsu.
I know from personal experience. Simply changing my mindset literally make my game completely change and jump, in a positive way, in around a year.
It wasn’t the easiest thing, as it required me to relax and let go of some of my personal baggage. And only came after a tough conversation that transpired with my coaches. But boy did it make a difference.
While this video may not be applicable to you. Because maybe you already represent "Student B” on the mats. You can use the idea of staying relaxed and being more open to information for just about anything.
thanks for watching!
-Chewy
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Another factor is obsession. I can’t talk for my teammates but when in the gym, I LOVE what I’m doing. When out of the gym, I’m analyzing techniques, I’m watching black belts rolling, I zone out during work and just thing about jiu jitsu... obsession is a HUGE factor.
@Doctor Sykadelix It’s like when I was in high school, I saw a break dancing show and asked them how they got the strength to do all that. I wanted to break dance so badly. They said, just start doing push-ups. I fell in love with push ups and forgot all about break dancing.
@@XieTianXieDi888 you fell in love with push-ups? 😂
@@stupidandboot4507 Yeah. I was able to get up to 100 straight at one point.
@Beom Hee Kim it was never an obsession. I ended up getting into Capoeira. It’s not breakdancing, but it’s similar and helped build a lot of upper body strength.
Couldn’t agree with this more! I think even watching the UFC for years has given me a certain level of understanding of ground game… certainly compared to someone who’s getting into BJJ fresh and doesn’t watch combat sports
People who get better at BJJ faster, are annoying. By annoying I mean that I'm jealous.
Haaaaaha Funny stuff
Hihi 😎
Relatable.
😂😂😂
There is always someone better their always will be so it really doesn’t matter
Student A is competing with others, student B is competing with himself.
Frank Brown osssssss
BOOM!
So true
Student c trains one a month
Student d neverr trains
If you wrestled as a kid, you just understand how to manipulate another body in a fight. You never unlearn leverage and the importance of a good base. Just like languages, the earlier you learn in you life, the deeper the imprint on your instincts.
Word!
Word to the woooorrrrrrd !! Lol , but worrrrd !!! Awesome for real , explained very clearly and got your point through deep af ! Preach it brother !! 🙂🙌. And also awesome channel for BJJ ! 💪😎👍
This, I faced off with my wrestler friends growing up (I wasn't a wrestler) and could always win or stalemate them because we wrestled constantly.
All the beginner white belt former wrestlers I’ve rolled with are like this. They know what’s going in a way that the newbie to Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t.
Montreal Roller so true. I used to wrestle as a kid all the time. I thought I invented the crucifix lol. I called it a double I’m bored as a kid. Turns out I was doing jujitsu as a kid without knowing it just having fun
It’s crazy. I’ve been training 10 months straight. This guy who’s my age (25) started 2 months ago. At first I let him work. But after week 6 I noticed that 1. He doesn’t get tired AT ALL. He’s very very active at passing the guard. (He’s never done wrestling. His passing also needs work but it’s so constant that after a while I get tired). Also it doesn’t help that his balance also improved. And he hasn’t submitted me but has gotten very close. I has to go try hard and even though I submit him…. Mentally I feel like I lost because he’s getting sharper faster. Just today it was a scramble and a tie. I mean technically by points I won but man… 2 months in and I’m having trouble… it sucks! But I’m also happy and looking forward to train with him. Nice guy and very humble
Great mind-set bruh keep it up
How'd this pan out?
Keep grinding dude! Just remember you’re not trying to get better compared to him or anyone else. You’re a better version of yourself every time you train.
Open your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water
My friend
water can crash, water can flow
stay liquid
Bruce Lee sucked at BJJ. 😉
I cant swim
The attractive woman analogy is super relatable and a very good example to use in this case. Another amazing video!
I started a definite hard core type A. After a while I realized I wasn't really learning jiu jitsu, more like applied wrestling in a gi. So I started forcing myself to pull guard every time to force myself in bad positions and learn and train proper techniques for submissions from bottom, sweeps, etc. I really started progressing much faster after that.
hahah same for me😂😂😅
I was student A and I pass to student B, the day my coach tell me to stop try submit my opponent and and focus on sweep, motion and kept position! Best advise ever
I wish my coach had made me do this sooner. As a whitebelt I was so obsessed with all the weird unorthodox submissions and actually got decent success and could tap a decent amount of the blue belts in my gym. Not consistently but a decent amount of the time I could do it. So I began to wonder when I would get my blue belt and my coach told me I wasnt even close since my sweeps and passing were absolute garbage. This switched my mentality and my goal was no longsr submission but I measured my success by the number of sweeps/passes and amount of top control time I could get and my improvement skyrocketed
I found my BJJ started improving most when I a) decided to make my strengths my weaknesses b) forgot about ranks and belts and c) dealt with my mental health issues. As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, frustration can set in easily, hampering any possibility at success. Now that I'm a bit more clear headed I care less about getting tapped and more about improving. Being student b is much more fun than being student A :)
Em Shef Confused on “make my strengths my weaknesses” can relate on mental health. Strive to improve and that’s all anyone can ask, everyone grows at their own pace. I was only training once a weak or every other week due to mental health but as soon as I was clear headed I was going 2-3 times a week and saw a massive growth. Trying to roll with depression is hard, I know. Give you credit it’s not easy to do so.
People that are scared to be tapped shouldn't train at all, they ruin the concept of bjj and the whole process of improving
bizzle manizzle It takes some people a while to get used to it
Somnus HD earlier tonight this youngster was giving it everything and laughing at my attempts to submit, he got cocky then he got caught with a triangle, I got up and said "you ain't laughing now are You" he didn't like that and wasn't allowed to roll with me again for the rest of the sparring
@@bizzlemanizzle8820 That’s idiotic. How are people supposed to improve if you don’t give them a chance to?
It's so cool having a channel more dedicated to the philosophy and mindset of BJJ. I love listening to Chewy. Chills me right out
So much wisdom in this. I've seen this with so many people and in so many domains. It's frustrating for people who care so much to see people who SEEM to care less be more successful, but I've seen it so many times.
1. Pure motivation, being relaxed in training and pursuing to learn more from rolling.
2. Past experience(in other sports, let's say as an example a lot of breakdancers would feel familiar with the stances in BJJ, being on their back or in awkward positions)
3. Body conditioning, a person with a good diet, good excercise and such.
This is just the way I see it.
Hi. I've been training for about a month. Here in Russia bjj is far behind as a martial art, especially in my state. So I thought I might find some content on TH-cam. I searched and I found your videos very helpful, not just to improve my technique but how to handle my mind in different circumstances... Hope I am on the right way. Thank you! Keep doing this type of content, it would come in handy for people like myself.
True!!!
More relaxed you are more capable you getting....
No doubt about it!
Been relaxed, remain calm no matter what you doing in life is a skill and takes time to learn and understand it definitely.
I think some factors at play are a willingness to not always be right, which opens you up to corrections instead of fighting them. Also, an understanding and acceptance of how you learn.
I learn slowly at first. There are so many steps to many of the basic moves in bjj. Some of them are counter intuitive. Actually.. several of them are. I have to reprogram my instincts. I need to break things down into small parts. I saw a video at the Gracie Academy that broke down an escape to doing ONLY the shrimp, by yourself. This taught the mechanics of it so I could learn it without being overwhelmed by all the moves of the larger picture, and also it gave the opportunity to see more details. I am VERY detail oriented. The next time I showed up for class, I took some time to practice the shrimp on the sidelines while waiting for the prior class to end. HUGE difference in my learning curve after that! You have to be willing to understand how you learn and to work with it. Also, be willing to look stupid and to ask questions. In other words, be fearless!!
Examining your goals is a good portion too. Of course I want stripes, I want belts, and I want to get good enough to give my instructor a hard time some day, even if I can't submit him. (Seriously... I just really want to make him work to submit me... some day) but those are all just background noise for me. Fuzzy, in the distance stuff. I just like constantly testing myself against how I did yesterday, so to speak. I like trying myself in more chalkenging situations to see how much I remember, how much I forget, and what level of execution of technique I have in a challenging situation. I learn SO much about my advancements and the areas I need to work on the most that way. When your main opponent is the you of yesterday, there is no such thing as stubbornly clinging to forcing the wrong technique to be right. In this way, I learn to internalize what I am learning, and that opens up whole new worlds to start seeing real applications and then adaptations in the moment. Next will come an understanding of flow and setups... like playing chess. At each new stage of understanding, my rate of learning increases to a faster pace. I am seeing it already. Figure out how you learn, and ROLL with it! Lol
Kit Dale is an intriguing guy who got his black belt in 4 years or so, with only minimal training. I'd love to hear your thoughts on his explanation of how he did it. He downplays techniques and drilling and instead focuses on concepts.
At the beginning I was student b. Super relaxed, didn't mind getting tapped just wanted to learn. Then I started seeing all the people my level improve faster and even got subbed by people newer than me. It made me really frustrated and I started to be more like student a. This was a good reminder to focus on improving, not just winning
Guys. Meditate. Meditating even just like 5m a day will improve your jiu jitsu learning long term a shit ton. And not only jiu jitsu, but all learning
Stephen B definitely agree. Jiu-jitsu and meditation help knock the selfish ego out of people and allow the mind to open up like student B!
@Ivan Stefanovic you're bullshit
This is a very underrated.
@Ivan Stefanovic Basic
How does one get into meditation?
I'm so the Type A student. Tense. Failing to breath. "Relax" is easy to say, hard to inculcate. Working on it, though! Thanks for this video.
Hey chewy, first time commenter here but ive been watching since just before i started my bjj journey. Your videos have been immensely helpful and relatable so thank you! I struggled with my breathing for the first few months of training, especially when i got to rolling. Ive had exercise induced asthma for over 10 years. I rolled with my coach and told him about my struggles with breathing and he said that usually comes from a frantic mindstate. I found that staying relaxed in my mind helped me to keep my breathing completely calm and i can roll every round now. Not only that i have feel i have a higher awareness when rolling, things seem to flow easier when i stay relaxed. So i completely agree how being relaxed is key to your game. I really appreciate all of your videos! Keep them coming :)
At the begin and was really aggressive, however now I’m learning how to be more relaxed, completely agree with you bro
Even though I ve had a surgery recently, this channel motivated me to start bjj again as soon as I can. great video btw
That's an amazing insight. I'm sure many people can relate to this. More coaches need to tell new students this, so they can skip that first step of stress rigidity, and move on to fluidity.
Love your vids - I'm an older BJJ noob hobbyist, very mellow, but I find your high-energy personality invigorating to watch!
In education, teachers often find that the students with grit do better than students that are naturally gifted.
Grit is a better predictor of success than talent but you also have to account for the fact that there are also loads of talent people who also have grit
For me it was figuring out what positions worked better for me and how to constantly get there. Took me almost 2 years to figure out that Half-Guard and North South were my go to positions. After that i experienced exponential growth. Also started adding judo, weightlifting and cardio to my workouts which made me a way better grappler.
I find myself being between A and B
I always go in ready to put up a fight not to win but to not lose. I’ve attended only 9 classes so far and my last class I was able to for the first time not get tapped by the other white belts even though they’ve been there longer. I also managed to tap two of the white belts I rolled with.
My goal is if I can’t win then instead of winning I’ll resist the loss. If I am going to lose I’m gonna make the other guy work for it. So far my instructor is really pleased with my progress. Said I’ll be a beast once I learn the techniques.
I like watching TH-cam videos and reading steps and analysis on how to move during a role and then put it into practice at the end of class when we roll however we please. It allows me to try out things I learned both from class or from my own research.
This was such a good thing to hear. Ive been getting really frustrated since I cant get anything going lately. The more bad days I have, the more I try to break the bad day streak. This leads to more bad days instead of a good one. Thank you for discussing this topic.
I asked myself this question for a long time and I actually agree with this. From personal experience, when I first started BJJ, I was person A. I always considered myself a quick learner and pretty athletic. After a couple of years in BJJ, I noticed that everyone around me was progressing a lot faster than me and it frustrated me. I didn't know what was wrong. It got to the point where I really thought BJJ wasn't for me so I quit. About 5 or 6 years later, I decided to start up BJJ again with the mindset of person B. It's been about 3.5 years now and I'm still doing BJJ and I love it more than when I did 6 years ago and have been progressing faster than I ever did. It never really occurred to me what changed until I saw this video.
I've had a considerable amount of training, approx 3 years collectively - albeit i have had a few layoffs due to injuries, life, etc. There is a guy at my school who has only been training for about 8-9 months and hes already better than me. He is already more stripes ahead and when we roll he now pretty much has his way with me most of the time. I could be jealous, but that does not help me. I recognize that he is gifted but hes also dedicated. He was a wrestler in high school and trains almost 7 days a week. I don't avoid rolling with him because I know he will smash me, I now seek to roll with him because I know he can teach me things that I don't know. When i let go of the jealousy and started seeking to learn from him I started getting better too.
A guy I train with said to me we we're on the same level a few months ago and now you're miles ahead of me... He'd taken a few months off to compete in another sport And I trained twice as much as him when he was coming regularly plus I'd been to 5 comps in the time he'd done 1 but in his head because we'd started about the same time we should be the same level
Great video. I've been training for a couple of months now and your videos have been instumental in my journey so far. I believe the correct mind-set is very important when it comes to long-term success in BJJ. I agree with your observation that the most consistent guys are by far are in category B. The turnover rate of White Belts is ridiculous and most of the time it's because they don't have the correct mind-set.
I'm a 53 year old that just started my journey. My mindset is definitely Student B. As someone who has come into the sport after a few years of illness, my goals are simple...survive! lol. So far, I haven't died in class, and I am actually getting some techniques down. I also have times where I have two left feet...and that is OK. I realize others will get better faster than me and I am cool with that. I know I will have my moments of "WTF am I doing here?" but that is also OK. As long as I keep coming, have a beginner's mind every time, listen, ask questions, and give all of myself to teaching and getting in better shape during and outside of class, the rest will take care of itself.
Thanks for your videos man.
Not going to lie chewy, I am somewhat of an example of student A. I realized this awhile ago when I would do good but I would get gassed so fast and slot of my rolls went really hard. I mainly attribute that to me being from a wrestling background and im used to go go go. I am slowly trying to adjust the way I roll everyday. Not trying to just win or treat every match like “a championship match” like you said. This video basically hit the nail on the head of what I’ve been and is sucks because I’m trying to make the adjustments to be a better bjj practitioner. One of my instructors told me the other day “don’t be afraid to lose or tap out, tap early and tap often”. Keep up the great videos brother.
I don't practice BJJ, I don't have a taste for it but these volgs are so useful if you practice any martial art, it's so universal and well thought out. Keep it up!!
Glad to hear you get some value from them outside of the Martial Art we're a part of. Thanks for sharing.
I think it's best to be able to simultaneously relax mentally and intensify physically
This page is my favorite BJJ TH-cam page love this guy breakdown and explanation on everything just the way he talks just makes my BJJ journey more enjoyable
I can use this to improve my dancing. This video's lesson can be applied to so many things.
Did some judo when I was teenager. Took a brake from martial arts and came back at my 20's. Still got the confidence from judo being unden pressure (actually a bit enjoy it lol). So when I roll im not seeking to win so much but to try out new stuff instead. That being said I think im a student B.
Great video thx!
Whew!! Thank goodness, I’ve been student “B” all along. Thank you for the reinforcement!
Excellent answer.
I
Some people can just figure out how they learn, apply it to anything , and they can learn faster.
I love this guy. every video just a pure positive
This is a great channel, master! Just started my BJJ journey this month..
spatial awareness is extremely important whether doing standup or grappling.. if you can "see", in your minds eye, the scene accurately then you have a big advantage
I'm a judo white belt, and I really cannot agree more with what he says. I'm 25 so when I stepped into the mat not only did I have no fancy schmancy expectation for myself (I still don't), but one thing was clear as day: I would get my ass handed to me each and everytime.
But the thing is that whenever I'm on that mat I'm the happiest guy in the world, and while I'm at it, believe it or not, I get the occasional compliment from the coach and the higher ranks guys, especially when I try some new techniques to get the upper hand on the ground (I fail every single attempt).
Having fun and loving what you do really does make the difference!
So true I’m white belt, just got my 1 stripe, and usually beat others with 1year experience! I love rolling and enjoy learning. I don’t mind to loose. I always smile
I can agree, I made progress fast in bjj but everyone used to think I don’t take it seriously. I don’t mind tapping because I’m always trying new things instead of reverting or sticking to what I think will make me win the round.
I been wrestling since i was 12 im 22 now and just got into BJ. i dont like losing and against all white belts i get my way thanks to the experience in wrestling. i also do well and can sometimes hold my own against higher rank ppl.But I do want to progress and get better in the long run and i must admit im more like student A lol. From now on I'll make it a habit to be in positions i dont feel comfortable and try to learn and not have a compete first mentality. After all its practice and not a competition. Thanks alot chewy!!!! Loving the videos
This is exactly what I needed to hear.
I’d say personally I’m a student B and currently a white belt. Because I take my time more I’m starting to beat a lot of people who are more minded to the A mentality who used to completely destroy me when I first started.
That being said, there are still a select few white belts with the technical knowledge, and the ability to be explosive at the right times who get the better of me every roll. It’s beginning to become frustrating but they’ve been training a lot longer than me. I personally think hours on the mat is the most important thing, especially when you first start - and have the ‘B’ student mentality. Thanks for the video chew.
4:28 WISDOM with Chewy.
4:43 I’m not joking this is legit wisdom.
This shit is REAL
As a white belt; Just survive and don't be too critical of yourself. I'm a white with 1 stripe and I'm learning to just look at every win and loss and a learning lesson. Although it does feel good when I win, it also feels good when I lose because at this stage my expectations aren't that high. Great video.
I just realised I'm a student A type. Thanks a lot for this extremely perceptive insight!
Just keep showing up. You'll get better than you were when you started.
Awesome advice! Thank You for putting this video up, it is exactly what I needed to hear.
I just started bjj and I think I’m a mix of student A and B. I love learning the techniques but when it comes to rolling I feel like I’m simply fighting for my life. I just refuse to give up vulnerable positions but my offense is non existent. Next class I’m going to just work on technique whether I get submitted 1 time or 10 times. Great advice and reality check
My experience its more about you are consistent in your training every week over many months and you have a goal when you are training and not just doing random stuff (like the tense person who are talking about) , this will no doubt make you better compared to guys who are not consistent and have no plan when training. OF COURSE a few freak athletes with maybe good background can become good SUPER FAST, but thats just 5%.
Love your your videos, so useful as a new guy to BJJ, keep it up!
True words, I am that want to win type and that only has enabled me to get injuries from defending for too long. I am always. (against my belt range) on top which is limiting. I made a conscious decision after nearly breaking my elbow that ego can do one, I start on bottom when sparing now and try different positions, half guard, de la viva and full guard and working on sweeps and subs from there. Although I'm having less success, in the long term I will be a better fighter. Osss Chewi, love you vids dude.
A lot of it has to do with the motivation of why you’re there in the first place.
If you’re there just to get in shape and not much else, you’ll be a blue belt forever, and that’s okay.
If you’re in there to learn how to defend yourself in life and death situations, win competitions, or both, you’ll be giving 110% every time cause it matters that much more.
Great advice, thank you! This will really help in training, I noticed myself doing that and i was missing out on learning opportunities. This applies to life too, gotta know when to ease up and when to focus hard.
This dude just changed the way i view everything with a 6 min video
Great video. The student A and B comparisson is a great analogy.
But, I think it's a little black and white. Here is what I've noticed in my time.
Student A:
-As a beginner, pushes hard with intention win, even if/when they don't know anything yet. Then gradually replaces empty drive with technique.
-pros: Doesn't over think, uses any movement they please, only gradually eliminating positions/actions that make them lose. Become very dynamic and 3-dimensional with moves they do know (i.e.can execute an armbar they learned without relying on any specific arrangement of steps they were explicitly taught), very athletic and tournament ready. Implicitly and intuitively understands their A-game moves (this is the definition of mastering a technique)
-cons: dont retain everything they learn in class, and not develope large arsenals of moves. Become one trick ponies. Don't explore all of the postions while rolling (like using the same guard pass, then when they roll with someone different, they get stuck.)
Student B:
-As a beginnner, sits back tounge tied like "what do I do?" then slowly fills the void with knowledge.
-Pros: develope a lot of technique very quickly, large variant arsenals and have an answer to many attacks, understands what postions they're in at all times, become the best teachers later on.
-cons: over thinks moves and positions, sometimes become rigid with their techniques (this is exposed against implicit/instinctive fighters, like wrestlers for example when they try to do a take down all mechanically, and the wrestler sprawls, scrambles and shuts them down 100% of the time), sometimes tend to be non-athletic people that struggle in uphill battles in tournaments (like ending up in guard or some bottom position in every match)
The type B explained sounds like a higher talented athlete on the spectrum, and type A he described sounds like someone with a learning disability or on the autistic spectrum or something.
Focus and memory is key as well. I've noticed people who can reaaaally focus and remember everything you showed on the first drill. They know how to control their mind to not get distracted by other thoughts. Likewise, the next class they will remember what you showed days ago while others don't. Some of them do mental rehearsal while coach shows the technique. So in their minds, they are drilling already before everybody else starts drilling. Why is so hard to accept that there's people intellectually more capable than ourselves??? just embrace it :)
When you compete with yourself in a healthy way instead of competing with others, you see paths to improvement that you can't see otherwise.
I needed to hear this today. I've been doing well and submitting people and I like that but I have been getting too focused on winning lately and need to recalibrate and focus on learning. Thanks Chewy 👍
I experienced this exact student A/B thing in highschool wrestling! I was just watching the video and I had that epiphany. I started wrestling in junior year because I thought it was fun to beat up on people who don't mind and will just beat me up right back, and I kicked ass that year. I was the best JV wrestler at my school. I was so good I broke my rib right behind my scapula without realizing that is what I had done and I just kept on kicking ass for a couple months until I finally got is checked and stepped off the mat for the season. Senior year I come back varsity and I come back with this huge chip on my shoulder because I was the best JV wrestler last year. I was the kid that fights through broken ribs. I was Mr. Big Deal and loosing wasn't an option, even in practice. It wasn't about fun anymore and I got my face smashed in all year because I had a bad attitude. Now I'm 20 and about to go to my 3rd ever BJJ class tomorrow and I'm just stoked to be on a mat again.
I relate to this so much. I feel like I was student B when I first started. As I continued I struggle I became a bit more aggressive and it helped but due to a few bad injuries I had to take a break from training. It was a bummer but I can’t wait to get back into it.
Best advice I gotten yet !
They're definitely some parallels with my high school/middle school wrestling days. Of course our coach taught us only to learn 2-4 moves max and always drill/practice those. Kind of limiting looking back, but those things had to be learned and mastered in a set amount of time. There's no time limit for jiu jitsu.
Only been doing BJJ for almost a month but for this weeks sessions during rolls I've set myself up with tasks to do and things to try out. The main focus was to try and attack more and at least get to side control using different techniques and see what worked and what didn't, do some quick analysis and go again. Then when I was on the defence its all about survival and trying to survive as long as I can without being spazzy and trying out a couple different techniques to sweep or get out of possible sub threats. After those couple sessions I have improved greatly so the best thing to do, especially as a newbie (I think) is to experiment with your small toolset and don't be afraid to try out new things you're taught by your coach :)
Awesome stuff Chew. Have you thought about shooting your "talking video" with the background much closer to you? You have a cool mural btw. Thanks for the contents, looking forward to your future videos.
I agree👍 I've had teammates say it's crazy that I can learn a technique and then use it in live rolling that night. I have no special abilities I just am excited to try the new move! I do feel some people catch on easier than others just like some people naturally have a better ear for music and instruments.
Still Rolling It’s what you should do! It’s how you make sure you’ve got it down. Everyone at my gym does it as well, not at the same time but we roll for an hour so during the time the people who haven’t done it before try it on multiple people.
Somnus HD That's my out look on it too but some people are just stuck in their "game" or they are just not confident enough in the move yet but I like to say what Ol' Jack Burton says,"What the hell"(Big Trouble in Little China) it won't be the first or last time I get tapped or screw up a technique.
I've got a training partner who loves to call out "move of the day" if someone tries the move and is successful on her, or if she is sitting out a roll and sees one of our mates pull it off or gets very close. I laughed my butt off first time I heard her call it out. Even when training gets serious, it is still great to have a sense of humor and to inject a bit of fun.
Chewy is spot on and his point is compounded by the fact that person A is often a high performer and applying a proven formula to improve. I conquered this problem in a prior sport and went from high performer to THE FREAKING BEST (ie- top American finisher in the NCAA championships). I wish I had figured it out prior to being ready to graduate college and being on the verge of quitting my sport. Once I changed my attitude from "I MUST WIN OR DIE" - my training and competing changed. I learned how to have fun with it; I was able to train more and with better results. It was insane. At the NCAA XC championships I deliberately went out and ran the first mile in last place. Even in the 4th mile of this 6.2M race I'd give a thumbs up to my competitors coaches as I would pass them on the course. I just didn't give a fuck. I got beat by the national record holder of Zambia and another guy from Kenya, all of us way ahead of the pack (note they ran the first mile in first place). The year prior I had been scrapping it out with white knuckles to place in the mid 20s... in swarm of a dozen other guys. I will never compete at that level in BJJ, but now 25 years later I feel the same dynamic is in play with my grappling game.
I originally found myself trying to just muscle everything so I started working out about 3 hours before I went to class and I wouldn't have the juice in my muscles so I had to focus on technique and momentum more.
I have a question similar to this, how come some people like Orlando Sanchez and BJ Penn are able to get their black belts in 4 years while others take 8+?
Time and dedication
At least in the case of BJ Penn, he was competing in Judo at the highest level for years before he ever touched BJJ. Of course he worked hard, but he also had mastery of a huge percentage of the art before he technically started jiu jitsu.
Leverage...sooner people understand wedges and leverage....balance and sweeps....they become the base stompers. They remove your life from under you. Marcelo Garcia or Jhon Dhanaher types.
Some people are just better and that's ok. Ive rolled with orlando once, it was the most overwhelming experience of my life. He has pressure and an understanding of his body you might never get in a lifetime of training. I have noticed it seems like the time to get to a black belt level is shortening in general. Lots of people are leveling up like crazy in 2 years. Also its your gym, do you really train with serious guys or dudes that view bjj as a hobby?
Its kind of like IQ, its different from person to person. Same with your BODY IQ, some guys are naturally just more gifted in the fight business.
this is PROFOUND wisdom.
I agree prof chewy it's all about focusing and athletic abilities and genetic is big role too
My coach told me as you get better you have so much more time, when you're new you have time for nothing, when he rolls he tells me he sometimes feel like he has time to take a coffee. I liked the image and now part of my focus is on "building time", which is probably contingent with breathing properly and being relaxed but sometimes a different metaphore can make a big difference.
Definitely had some student A when I first started, then after a while I noticed it was toxic. Then I heard one of your videos and decided I was going to let everyone submit me. Anyone in my same skill bracket, I would let anyone submit me, and that checked my ego, and that helped me let go. Now I realize that nobody cares if a white belt submits a white belt haha.
That's actually a very good general-life advice, not only in learning how to fight ;)
I agree with about getting comfortable with certain submissions and that's all I would go to and wouldn't try anything else.
it's like everything else, not everyone is created equal
time, motivation, drive, athleticism, experience, intelligence, attitude, etc.
3 weeks in. Just got outta practice definitely a slower learner. Rolled with a guy who was also 3 weeks in. He was significantly better than me. Faster, bigger, more strength and techniques. I just can't seem to improve. It's frustrating I feel embarrassed and that I'm letting my coach down because I'm not learning as quickly as others.
Main thing is I'm having fun just would like to Win once in my life.
I've always been at the bottom in life I don't need to a State Champ but at least one win in my life.
I’ve struggled with this a lot. I’ve carried a bad mentality for years that people who get good at something have n innate ability. While there’s truth there, it’s always coupled with humble learning and hard work
I find that the more gassed I am, the less my brain functions and the less I learn.
Saw you at the Trials, Your very good!!
Thank you!
ground work is so technical with so many combinations, better the brain
An analogy which I thought of recently, which I must admit I thought was pretty good. Although it is totally unrelated to the mindset aspect of it. Martial arts can be compared to video games in a way. I'm pretty good at 2D platforming games so if I pick up a brand new one, I would need to learn the mechanics for a while and I'll already be pretty decent. But for someone who has never played video games, they might first need to get comfortable with the controller and controls. Similarly for martial arts, I have realized that if you're bad at the "controls" (i.e. you don't know how to move your body in the right way, don't have the kinesthetic awareness), it will take longer to learn compared to someone who has better kinesthetic awareness and can pick up physical sports and activities with more ease.
keeping it fun and be in a playful and exploring mode all the time and let go of good/bad positions..this is what makes you grow, osu
I feel I am on the cusp of getting good at BJJ. I roll fairly hard but don't take it too seriously. I experiment a lot and a guy recently beat me who has 6 months less experience. Funny enough it didn't dent my ego. I thought if it's meant to be it's meant to be. He starting rolling harder and harder and I started to experiment with more and more ideas until eventually I started beating him in quite a calm manner. I thought to myself I need to enjoy my jiu jitsu otherwise I ain't gonna come back and the way I enjoy it is by feeling I don't roll too hard but still get the better of people.
You are correct Chewy!
Awesome Chewy! Thanks for the video!
Hey Chewy, great channel. I'm a 2 stripe white belt in a gym that every one else is striped blue or higher. I feel like they're frustrated/bored when it comes to training/rolling with me. I give 100% effort and am training 3-4 days a week. When you were coming up in the ranks, how did you feel when you were paired with white belts? It's giving my a lot of anxiety and sometimes makes me not want to train. Is this maybe just in my head? Thanks!
find the ones that
a) take delight in helping you progress, or
b) enjoy the opportunity to try new stuff on you, or
c) are physically weaker and smaller than you so that you can offset some of their technical advantage.
If c), put extra attention to regulating your physicality - don't be brutal, consider their experience as much as your own; if in doubt, ask how hard you should roll
I am a one stripe blue belt and I've heard from video blogs and also experienced myself that rolling with less experienced people (white belts in my case) definitely can be useful. Depending on the opponent, I will probably play my weaker stuff (for me like closed guard/ open guard stuff) and if I can get to a dominant position, I will definitely look to submit using a technique I am playing with at that moment. I won't usually go to my A-game stuff in terms of submissions. In conclusion, whether your colleagues know it or not, rolling with you will definitely help their game with the right attitude. Keep rolling bro. Oss.
please answer this chewfessor
Ohhh, you're gonna get a lot of great experience!
It happens. I got alot of higher belts wanting to roll me because I was hard to submit. My goal was always on a higher belt defend you but off, on a lower belt flow and practice leverage ( submissions will just open up)
for me personally its all about learning and the journey and you have to come to terms with the fact you will get submitted its happens, learn from it and move on, it sucks when you get your ass kicked like I do but when your classmates and instructor say you are getting better its the best in the world
I fluctuate between Student A and student B. When I first started I was B because I had no idea what I was doing so I couldn't be competitive obviously. Whenever I felt more confident in learning stuff and actually got a real submission on someone I became a Student A type. When my partners got wise to the move though and constantly defend against it now I went back to being a Student B to find out what works for me.
This makes lots of sense
Hey Chewie, good video. Been training for 3 years in April and it's got to be said that I was Student B but I find myself envying Student A's passion and determination to win. Something I lack and my competition results reflect that.
How can a person accrue competitive fight?
Good advice/video. Awesome channel.