Should Noobs go to seminars?

**Gidi** · Posted On: 7/19/2011 8:20am

This is a general point but also a specific one.
My judo team is currently on hiatus, and I'm contemplating doing BJJ in the meantime with the option of doing both when judo starts up again.

But that's not the point, the point is that the BJJ place I'm trying is offering a 3 hours Seminar with Ricardo De-La-Riva! for not a lot of money, a couple of weeks from now. It seems like an incredible opportunity, but will I be wasting my time?

I'm an absolute noob in BJJ, and very noobish in Judo as well (8 months roughly).

So, should Noobs go to seminars?

Off course I'll ask the coach, and find out more about this particular seminar, whether it's for advanced stuff or basics, but as a general point, does a noob have any business there?

**judoka_uk** · Posted On: 7/19/2011 8:37am

Go for the stat.

There'll probably be a mixed ability crowd so he'll teach stuff that covers the spectrum from white belt to advanced, but you'll never remember it all anyway. Just try and remember 2/3 beginner moves, writing them down as soon as the seminar is over or having someone from your club film it all.

Oh and get a picture of the two of you in a loving, but sweaty embrace that seems to be compulsory for BJJ seminars.

**Gidi** · Posted On: 7/19/2011 8:41am

There is no filming.
I will undoubtedly document as much as I can there and later on my training log, right here in BS.

**judoka_uk** · Posted On: 7/19/2011 8:51am

Originally Posted by Gidi

There is no filming.
I will undoubtedly document as much as I can there and later on my training log, right here in BS.

Oh they're not doing that faggotry are they?

Fucking BJJ-ers need to get over themselves.

**Killbot** · Posted On: 7/19/2011 9:01am

I say do it. How else will you get a picture of De la Riva with his arm over your shoulder and you giving a thumbs up standing infront of (mostly likely) a Brazilian and American flag? Later you can put on your website how you've "trained under great black belts such as De la Riva, etc...."

Seriously though, do it, you might learn something. Concentrate on what seem to be fundamentals. You know enough Judo to recognize a fundamental. Everything else might inspire you a bit.

**Ignorami** · Posted On: 7/19/2011 9:03am

If you go as a noob, you will use up some seminar time of people more experienced than you, while they help you instead of learning.

That's fine as long as you remember it in years to come, and be generous with your time to the next generation of noobs. If everyone pays it forwards, it works well.

Anything that gets noobs (and sadly some veterans) out of their own dojo and viewing the wider world, is worth more than gold.

In my experience, seminar instructors either teach basics, so as not to conflict with any minor style differences between visiting clubs, or they teach super-complex stuff to 'impress'. If its the former, noobs benefit from the instruction. If the later, then from the experience.

**Tonuzaba** · Posted On: 7/19/2011 9:31am

Everything has been said, close the thread. :-)

Seriously, if you've never been to a seminar of a big name and you have the money and time for it, do it.

Generally speaking, attending your normal training sessions regularly will do more for your (beginners) game than a single seminar filled with too much information.

But it's fun.

**Cake of Doom** · Posted On: 7/19/2011 9:41am

If you manage to get a picture yourself and De-La-Riva; make sure you're holding a black belt. It will do your facebook profile wonders. /jk

Other than that go and have fun mate.

**Gidi** · Posted On: 7/19/2011 10:59am

Yeah, people wrote what I already suspected.
I'm going again to the bjj place tomorrow.
So I'll ask what the seminar is on, and get the coach's opinion on coming to the seminar.
If I do go, I'd have roughly a month of BJJ training until the seminar, so I should at least have some general idea as to what he's talking about.

BTW, it's a pretty smallish dojo in Israel, so I doubt there'll be many flags. The American is most unlikely :P

**money** · Posted On: 7/19/2011 11:08am

It really depends on the level of techniques they're planning on doing. I say this because I once went to a Eddie Bravo seminar that ended up being filled with advanced students so he moved right into the hard stuff. I don't remember a damn thing we went over because my game wasn't at a level that I could incorporate any of it. :Baww: