Report on first BJJ class.

**Yrkoon9** · Posted On: 6/18/2006 2:44pm

You begin to notice a common thread about peoples first day in BJJ class and thier perception about thier previous training?

**bushi51** · Posted On: 6/19/2006 1:12pm

Amazing isn't it.

**MuKen** · Posted On: 6/19/2006 2:21pm

Originally Posted by FictionPimp

The biggest tip I give newbies is to never sit still. A lot of guys just starting dont know what to do and just lay there in guard, flat on their backs thinking. You need to always keep the other guy working and the best way to do that is to keep moving.

I hear people say that to new people all the time, but I never see the new people start being more active as a result. I think it's hard to just "be active" when you don't know what you're supposed to be doing. Better advice is to give a simple, but constructive goal for the guy, like "keep your hands and arms inside of their hands and arms". Now instead of just sitting there confused, they have something to fight towards.

**SuomiPerkele** · Posted On: 6/19/2006 3:23pm

Sob...I wish I could train BJJ.

G8 · Posted On: 6/19/2006 6:22pm

Originally Posted by MuKen

I hear people say that to new people all the time, but I never see the new people start being more active as a result. I think it's hard to just "be active" when you don't know what you're supposed to be doing. Better advice is to give a simple, but constructive goal for the guy, like "keep your hands and arms inside of their hands and arms". Now instead of just sitting there confused, they have something to fight towards.

agreed ... stress posture and positioning, and let them play a little ... but the last thing in the world I want to do is encourage them to be any more spastic than they already are.

**Binary** · Posted On: 6/19/2006 7:47pm

I'll add onto this saying that Ive dont just vanilla Ju-Jitsu for about 9-10 months now, being an orange belt, we recently had a BJJ instructor come in, he teaches whenever he can get off from work.

His english is very poor, but as a result I end up learning more because he just make sure to communicate physically. He uses sound effects to replace any words he doesn't know. He also doesn't have a concept of push or pull. He just says
"Pull away from you."
But he is a purple belt from southern Brazil.
My first class with him, which was recent, about blew my goddamn mind. Especially because he asked to roll with each of us to get a feel for where we were at.
I gotta tell you, never have a felt so inferior in my entire life.
He moved like water and just always flowed from one thing to another, he never tapped me out, just kept working me.
I rolled with him for about fifteen minutes straight, most of it was spent going from one hold to another, and he would let me sit there for a few seconds and watch me try and work out of it then work to another.
I'm right there with you man, I now realize that being an orange belt in Ju-Jitsu means approximately dick.

It was a real eye opener. It was cool though, I worked him into a triangle choke with my legs and it dawned on him what he had just let me do. And in a voice almost inaudible he goes
"****!"
I find it funny that he doesnt understand the concept of push, but he knows how to properly swear.

He then worked out of it and tapped me out, then moved onto the next student.
But yeah, my first BJJ class was a rather eye opener, as one of my friends in the class said.
"I knew I didn't know anything but now I know that I don't even know anything about not knowing anything."

**FictionPimp** · Posted On: 6/19/2006 8:13pm

Originally Posted by G8

agreed ... stress posture and positioning, and let them play a little ... but the last thing in the world I want to do is encourage them to be any more spastic than they already are.

What I ment was I encourage them to try new things. Half of the new guys just sit in my guard and push on one knee, or lay flat on their back when I sit in side control. The other half flap around wildy and attempt to twist and push anything. I just try to encourage them that movement is important. When in doubt, try to shrimp crawl. If you stuck on top, try to posture up or even stand up. They will learn what they need to know in good time. The hardest part for me in the begining (Which wasn't so long ago) was to just try stuff and stop thinking about what I wanted to do.

**Kokujin** · Posted On: 6/19/2006 8:55pm

Just recently I conviced my two best friends to come and watch bjj practice. Talk about a eye opener for them. My instructor even "conviced" them to train with us and talk about a hard training for them.
You just end up doing something completly different of what you're used to and you just look bizarre while doing it.
The happy part is that they signed on and are going to train with us next wednesday, which is uber cool!

Me, my two best buddies...next on the list are my two cousins and sister. The bjjihad rages on.

:occasion1

**Copperpot** · Posted On: 6/20/2006 8:22am

Hey, I just checked out the Nolabjj site, and Kristian from the ultimate fighter is the head instructor. Nice.

I wish my school focused more on rolling. THe classes aren't super long, but usually only about 25-35% of the class is rolling, the other % is drilling and learning techniques. THen again, I roll for about 2.5 minutes and then I'm completely gassed.

Also, how long did it take you guys to get stripes? I've been training for about 6 months, I have 0 stripes, and yet on saturday I caught a blue belt in a beautiful triangle and tapped him out. Am I due, or am I still a total Rook?

OK, the blue belt was only promoted 3 weeks ago, but it counts damnit !!