Ultra Newb BJJ tips

[money]

jspeedy, when the big strong guys hold me down trying a not-really-submission like some torso squeeze or half-assed head crank, I will generally tell them, "you aren't going to be able to sub me with that." Sometimes they don't know, and think with a bit of adjustment, more strength, a different angle they're going to get it. Rather than sit there and let them exhaust themselves on something that won't work, I let them know so they can try something different.

Now if it's an actual technique that they need practice on, I will let them try all day - it could help them find ways to get around my defense and it lets me work on my defense and escapes.

[WhiteShark]

Jspeedy, Money answered your question. In my personal experience sometimes I just immediately tap and tell them that wasn't a choke it was just an uncomfortable neck crank. If they ask later I'll tell them that I have a day job but in tournament no one will tap to that.

[AlphaFoxtrot51]

If you have spare time between training and other things, work on your cardio.

[jspeedy]

Jspeedy, Money answered your question. In my personal experience sometimes I just immediately tap and tell them that wasn't a choke it was just an uncomfortable neck crank. If they ask later I'll tell them that I have a day job but in tournament no one will tap to that.

Thanks Money and Whiteshark, sometimes I do the same tap and tell them it wasn't there I suppose if I added it wouldn't work in a comp I'd feel better about it. Sometimes I feel like a douche saying that because I'm still relatively new, I feel like if I were a blue or purple belt I would sound like less of a complainer but I suppose I have to start somewhere.

[Uncle Skippy]

Move yourself, not the other person.

Don't push/pull/throw the other person around. Use your grips/hooks to hold them where they are and move yourself.

You will notice a massive decrease in energy expenditure and will be able to roll for more than 2 minutes at a time.

Even more to the point

- Frames, underhooks, and grips are for holding a person where they are, not pushing them away

- With a frame/underhook/grip, if your elbow isn't on your body or your arm isn't perfectly straight, you are muscling it.

- Sweeps: the sweep itself happens because you disrupt their base (knock them off their base, knock their base out from under them, or become their base), not because you tossed them around. Disrupting their base happens because you move yourself (read: your hips) into position, not because you forcibly moved them out of position.

- Experiment, experiment, experiment. Try different arm positions. Try moving yourself to the other side of your body. Try driving your hips forward, then quickly falling back just to see how they will react. If it fails, then remember it is ok to tap out repeatedly. If you aren't tapping out often, you're not learning much.

[WhiteShark]

Tap more, learn more.

[mrgoshthereturn]

Best tips my instructor gave me:

Train more, you get good with mat time, not some secret technique. It takes time and patience.

There's no short cuts, the more you practice, the better you get.

Finally - we're all here as a team and for the same reason. Don't try to kill each other, your training partner is the most important tool you have.

[Vorpal]

Move yourself, not the other person.

Don't push/pull/throw the other person around. Use your grips/hooks to hold them where they are and move yourself.

You will notice a massive decrease in energy expenditure and will be able to roll for more than 2 minutes at a time.

Even more to the point

- Frames, underhooks, and grips are for holding a person where they are, not pushing them away

- With a frame/underhook/grip, if your elbow isn't on your body or your arm isn't perfectly straight, you are muscling it.

.

With so much advice on this thread I think it's important to highlight this. Huge. Well written brother, thanks.

[submessenger]

Tap more, learn more.

Agreed, and expanding: as a newb, I would say "tap early and often." I've only recently really grasped the importance of this: I've figured out that if I don't tap soon enough, I'll end up nursing a sore elbow or some such for a few days.

You can't learn if you're on the injured roster, so make sure to tap. If you don't know when you should tap, ASK! Figure out where it starts to hurt and tap before that happens.

[Naszir]

Breathe. Seriously, breathe. You'll forget to do this when you attempt a technique and be sucking wind in no time. It also alerts your opponent to when you are going to do something. "You don't fight underwater so why you hold your breath?" - Rigan Machado

Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint, so drill, drill, drill and roll.