Joining a BJJ School - A few questions

[dete]

to any1 interested in joining a BJJ school, this message is for you.

BJJ = combat sport

like Sambo, Boxing, Wrestling, Thaiboxing, etc.

since it's a sport, you must become an athlete (whatever level you choose).

your not gonna be able to learn or survive in class being a couch potato.

if your already an athlete then it will make learning easier for you physically.

If your not, you have to do that plus learn the skills (double the work)

My 2nd point is that since it's a sport, any decent competitor or athlete will get injured if they have been practicing their sport long enough. You do not have to compete, but mark my words you WILL get injured. This could be as minor as some micro damage in your neck so your neck is a little stiff or as severe as permanent spinal damage. Much more common is the popped ligaments and tendons from the joint locks.

It looks like a dojo, you wear a gi like in a dojo, you learn techniques like in a dojo, but it's a gym, only the strong survive, it's all about the sparring.

[bushido_man96]

It looks like a dojo, you wear a gi like in a dojo, you learn techniques like in a dojo, but it's a gym, only the strong survive, it's all about the sparring.

I don't really agree with this assessment. I think that BJJ gyms begin to look this way, because of the prevelance of BJJ in the MMA sports. However, if you read anything by Helio Gracie, he will tell you that he was not athletic, and he modified the moves of his brother's Judo to work better for him, since he was not a strong, overpowering person. We hear this kind of thing a lot with the Martial Arts in general; proclaimed to help the weaker person beat the stronger person. Now, we see what happens when strong people begin to do the training as well.

I agree that being athletic will help; that will help in many endeavors. But I don't think that the gym survival is as universal as you describe.

[NightOwl]

Strength helps A LOT. You will start right off the bat being able to hold your own, and many times you can hold your own without need of too much training in the first place. However I can tell you from what I've seen, that if someone who isn't strong puts in the time, they can do very well in BJJ. The place that I did some BJJ in had a small young woman of about 24 and definitely MUCH lighter than my 134 lbs....she was a blue belt and she easily kept up with those of her rank and handily beat those of lower experience. She wasn't the only woman who was there and did well, but she was so light and small looking that it really took you by surprise when she submitted you. I talked to her afterwards and asked her how she got used to BJJ and she said it took many months before she finally started getting it- 1 year before she was able to submit and take on pretty much anybody. If she was 2X the weight, a guy, and able to bench 300lbs would she have progressed faster? You betcha- but she didn't let that get in the way, and as far as I know still now can tap out over 200lb guys wile making it look easy.

[dete]

But I don't think that the gym survival is as universal as you describe.

I hope so,

when I was training BJJ I tried not to distance myself from the Helio way, unfortunately many people thought that his methods were outdated.

[bushido_man96]

The story NightOwl shared above makes it sound like it is still around. Just fewer and farther between, maybe.

[ps1]

It looks like a dojo, you wear a gi like in a dojo, you learn techniques like in a dojo, but it's a gym, only the strong survive, it's all about the sparring.

Wow! I'd have to respectfully disagree with this assessment. Being directly associated with Pedro Sauer and having worked with excellent practitioners such as Saulo Ribeiro, Royler Gracie, David Adiv, and Sydney Batista I have come to learn that Jiujitsu is far more about being cerebral than strong.

There's no doubt that being atheletic is a big advantage. But the same goes for anything that requires human movement. It's not necessary however. In fact, BJJ at it's highest levels is about using the minimum effort for the maximum effect.

Additionally, sparring should only be about 30% of training. We have a few guys who come in three or four times a month and just pay a mat fee and grapple. They are big guys who used to be wrestlers and think they are tough. I crush them. They go so fast and hard that they make huge mistakes. Muscle and atheleticism are only helpful if applied in the proper manner.

In January I will be promoted to Purple belt. This is faster than some of the others and even passes some who were there before me. I attribute this to taking the advice of my instructors and putting my focus on drilling.

As a last point I would like to point out that the art's founder (Helio Gracie) is still capable of performing the techniques of the art. Certainly, he's not going to win a world champoinship, but that's not the goal. The goal is self preservation. If a 96 year old frail man can do it...almost anyone can learn it.

A good point however is about injury. There will certainly be some injuries. The most common are little bruises up and down your arms and legs from people grabbing and holding. Sore muscles from a good workout and some stiffness are also common. If you acknowledge submissions intellegently by tapping out you will rarely get pulled muscles or injuries in the joints. There's really no excuse for getting injured due to a submission. But that refers back to my original post in the thread.

The other thing that's important is to pick training partners with similar goals as you. Don't train with a guy who wants to go into MMA or be a world champion unless you want a really hard roll. Similar goals will equal similar styles of rolling.

[dete]

well I'm not here to convince anyone, it's a perspective I'm offering,

by implying the difference between a gym & a school, I'm saying BJJ is closer to a gym.

congrats on your purple belt, I'm sure your real technical & skillful. I'm sure you made it to that level partially because of your approach.

but think about it, how many purple belts in most schools?

There are more white belts.

you are rare.

[Adonis]

I feel sparring shows me what I need to work on and improve and what is working for me. To actually improve on it I feel I need to drill more. Doesn't have to be non compliance drilling. It can be resistance drilling as well. Which has braught me alot of results in my game.

dete, flexbility, strength, and cardio training are important. I see your point because it allows a person to last longer, and be able to pull off moves they wouldn't otherwise.

[ps1]

congrats on your purple belt, I'm sure your real technical & skillful. I'm sure you made it to that level partially because of your approach.

but think about it, how many purple belts in most schools?

There are more white belts.

That's true. There are more white belts. But the number is increasing I'm happy to say.

[Patrick]

Hello,

We removed a couple of posts from this thread in error. They are below. I apologize for the confusion.

.

Anyway, I had a few questions:

1.) How physically intensive is Bazilian Jiu-Jitsu? I'm looking for something that's physically challenging, since it's either a gym membership or this for me. I'm a broke college student, can't afford both

2.) What's it like to learn? How difficult did you find it as a new student? And any other experiences you had as a newbie coming into the art.

3.) How practical is it? I'm, of course, familiar with the Gracies and their achievements. But I'd like to hear your personal opinion and experiences on the outside-the-mat applicability of BJJ.

Hey Devil Aside- glad to see you checking this great style out- I've been doing it for a long time and am well versed and experienced in martial arts. I'll label what Im addressing since Im late to the conversation

First your questions

1: BJJ is very physical-you will be getting a workout for sure. You'll find muscles you never knew you had (when they're sore the next day). Typically you'll leave the gym drenched in sweat due to training.

2: Its very addicting learning BJJ. You'll be like a little kid in a candy store once you start to learn even a little bit. If you have a passion for it, you'll find that you cant wait to learn just a little more... and then attempt to try your new tricks on your training partners.

3: Ive trained in BJJ, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Kung Fu, Karate, Judo, Ninjitsu, and boxing. Let me say this- its the single most effective self defense system. Its quite commonplace for a blue belt jiu jitsu fighter (one with about 2-3 years experience training 2-3x a week) to fight and easily defeat another stylist with over 10 years training.

Self Defense and multiple attackers

As far as attackers in the street- I've been working at a bar for 4 years and Ive never had anyone stop my first move (because they dont know the proper defense) and I've never had a fight last more than 10 seconds (because chokeholds are easily achieved).

I find those who speak ill of its practicality are often afraid to give it its due credit, perhaps fearing it somehow dimishes the effectiveness of their own styles.

Which brings us to the multiple attackers thing...

-most fights are 1 on 1

-no style can stand against multiple attackers

If someone claims they can defeat multiple attackers, ask them to prove it. If you walk into a BJJ/Judo/Boxing/Muay Thai school and ask them to prove they can use their style to defeat you- you'll find them more than willing to prove it. I've never seen anyone who claimed they could defeat multiple attackers attempt to prove it when asked

Grappling on concrete and the misconceptions about strength in grappling

As far as hurting yourself when you attempt to use groundfighting, try this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQQ7pYgjf1Q

You'll find the person on the recieving end of the takedown is at risk as opposed to the one executing it. Adding a hard surface helps the groundfighter as opposed to the common misconception that it hinders him

When Rorion Gracie first came to the US he once had a sparring match with kickboxing champion Benny Urquidez. Urquidez asked Rorion whether he wanted to fight on mats or on hardwood floor to which Rorion replied, "That depends- do you want to land on a mat, or do you want to land on a hardwood floor?"

As far as strength going a long way- moreso than almost any other athletic activity, weaker more technical fighters are about to easily defeat stronger ones. The common misconception is that grapplers are strong, and that one needs to be strong in order to be a grappler. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, grapplers often feel strong or heavy due to their understanding of techinque. For example, if Im only 150lbs, but I know how to drop my weight when on top of you, I'll always feel heavier than someone who's 300 lbs but doesnt know how to effectively position himself when he tries to hold you down. Contrary to what NightOwl suggested, smaller people tend to progress faster than due stronger ones. This is due to the smaller person having no options but to utilize technique much more effectively- a larger, stronger person can always afford to make up for what he lacks in technique with strength. As a result, the larger fighters often have difficultly learning technically as a direct result of their strength- its hard to not train with everything you have.

Hopefully you decide to go with it, and if you have any more questions, I'll be glad to answer them for you!

Good Post MMA Jim!

Welcome to the forum!