BJJ Noob - Gassing advice?

[Poo-Jitsu]

Because I am old and trying to balance another sport with jits, I find that I can't spar more than 3 times a week. I make up for it by drilling more. That's like 5 or 6 hours of jits a week. Paltry, but it works for me.

As for the "bumps and bruises" issue - it all depends on who comes to train that day. Somedays it's all noobs and I leave without really feeling like I trained at all. Other days the tough guys show up and I leave limping.

[Finnegan]

Some of it is adrenaline management, which goes with the "relax" theme.

Adrenaline and adrenaline management is definitely a new and interesting concept for me. While I'm (more or less, albiet, craptasticlly) able to roll for the duration at this point, when i was having problems during my first few weeks it wasn't during the roll itself per se that I had the real problems. It wasn't until the coach called time and I stood up that I found myself REALLY gasping for air and feeling wobbly.

Adrenaline dump I guess. Something that can probably only be managed by mat time.

Makes me wonder how those dudes in the "1 bat vs 10 drunk retards" thread currently in YMAS felt as they were walking away. Some of them took some hard fucking hits. They may have looked nonchalant but I'll bet at least a couple of them had some broken bones . . . the adrenaline dump from that must have been fucking huge.

[Finnegan]

It seems strange but maybe taking a break was a good thing. Anyone experience something similar?

[Grey Owl]

As someone who suffers from asthma and has damaged lungs I can relate to your problem. I thought it was down to a lack of cardio but I have found that it was more psychological. I needed to relax more, forget about winning and focus on developing a game. I also found that I tried to explode too much to escape from difficult positions out of fear of being crushed and passing out due to lack of oxygen. By trusting my training partners (they are after all there to help you train) and focusing on technique I have found that you economise what gas you have and be strategic about when to be explosive and when to bide your time.

[fightclubfreak7]

I tend to get gassed sometimes as well, but I have been improving a lot simply by training more. As everyone has said, more time on the mats is the best solution. However if you have spare time with no training partners setting up some circuits or working rounds of alternating heavy bag, shadowboxing, wrestling and bjj drills, etc etc with a timer is a great way to build applicable cardiovascular strength.

[JSK_83]

When sparring, never hold your breath. ALWAYS breathe, no matter if you're in control or if he's in control. A mistake I used to make is when I first started training, I would panic, which caused me to hold my breath. Holding your breath only makes you even more tired.

[Vi11AiN6]

Hello all,


I'm a BJJ n00b as well (4 months) and I have made sure to increase my daily jogging. The more cardio the better but the best and truest advice I've received is to just RELAX and BREATH. I found and still do quite a bit getting worn out on the first roll. I realize that it's because as a n00b I am straining all my muscles to either hold my position or to just keep my opponent from moving. I don't really know very many submissions and I realize that is what wears me out. The more I relax and work technique the longer I seem to go.

[Southpaw]

Remember it is always easier and takes less energy to move yourself than to move the other person.

If you find yourself pushing/pulling/growling/huffing/puffing, then chances are you are trying to force the other person into a position instead of moving yourself into it. You will kill your cardio that way.

Reread this post everyday. It's a good one.

[gregaquaman]

As a noob myself I found out one today. Do what you have been trained to do. Trying to make up stuff as you go along is inefficient and energy wastefull.

[Southpaw]

I wouldn't necessarily agree w/ that one b/c you likely haven't been trained to deal with every situation and scenario. There is a lot to be said about experimentation.

[M1K3]

One thing to try is to work on your defense.

Someone has you side control work on keeping your arms out of danger, blocking their move to mount with your leg and framing against their hips. You don't even have to go for the escape or guard recovery just keep them from advancing their position. If its someone at or near the same skill level as you wait for them to try to force something and then use that as your opening to move. If they are more advanced see how long you can keep them from advancing.

The better you are a defense the easier it is to try new stuff because you're not going to panic if you miss it.

Remember Frame, Bridge, Shrimp. And as was already posted move yourself not them.

[Vi11AiN6]

Thanks to M1K3 because your advice is spot on. I realize that my biggest mistake is that I keep wrapping my arms around the top mounters back and that is just
A) setting me up for armbars
B) I can shrimp or bridge the guy off me if I am hugging him to me.


So getting my arms in tight has really helped me to push off and bridge long enough to shrimp and set my feet on my opponents hips to push off back into full guard or escape. Thank you for this input and it's the edge that I've needed..