I have four years of Krav Maga experience but I had to stop a few months back when my teacher left. I also have a brown belt in Judo but have not been in a judo dojo in about 15 years.
This week, I decided to sign up for a free week at a local BJJ school and I don't think I'm going to fit in there.
During a two hour class on Saturday, I was told by three different partners that I was either going 'too rough' or I shouldn't grab their gi so hard or I need to be careful while sparing because I 'almost punched' a guy when I went to grab the neck of his gi. Also, people were freaking out if you came within a few feet of them while you were grappling with your partner.
Tonight, my partner (a fellow white belt) asked me not to grab his gi so hard because it was scratching his arm. Later I was practicing a sweep and when I got on top of him, he told me I was going 'too hard.'
In my Krav class, people got hit in the nose and face regularly. A little blood would get spilled every few weeks but we just cleaned it up and continued with the lesson. No one seemed to mind. Guys (or gals) would shake hands to show that they were alright and no one got pissy about being hit. If you did, then you didn't stick around too long at this school.
On the other hand, this bjj school seems to be very competition oriented. Is it typical that the guys there would be such prima donnas and complain about little things like having their gi grabbed too hard? I am looking to use bjj to round out my self defense repertoire so I'm pretty serious about pushing hard when practicing a technique and using explosive power to my advantage. My experience at this bjj school thus far seems to indicate that the guys there are not willing to work with someone who wants to go full tilt - in other words, the same way you would react to a situation in the street if you happen to find yourself on the ground.
I have to say that after a few days with these bjj guys really makes me miss my old krav teacher and class. It's a real effin shame.
After typing this whole thing out, I think I'm pretty sure I won't sign a long term contract with this bjj school. Doesn't seem like a good fit for someone interested in self-defense. BJJ actually seems like a waste of time unless you're interested in trophies or going into the UFC.
This week, I decided to sign up for a free week at a local BJJ school and I don't think I'm going to fit in there.
During a two hour class on Saturday, I was told by three different partners that I was either going 'too rough' or I shouldn't grab their gi so hard or I need to be careful while sparing because I 'almost punched' a guy when I went to grab the neck of his gi. Also, people were freaking out if you came within a few feet of them while you were grappling with your partner.
Tonight, my partner (a fellow white belt) asked me not to grab his gi so hard because it was scratching his arm. Later I was practicing a sweep and when I got on top of him, he told me I was going 'too hard.'
In my Krav class, people got hit in the nose and face regularly. A little blood would get spilled every few weeks but we just cleaned it up and continued with the lesson. No one seemed to mind. Guys (or gals) would shake hands to show that they were alright and no one got pissy about being hit. If you did, then you didn't stick around too long at this school.
On the other hand, this bjj school seems to be very competition oriented. Is it typical that the guys there would be such prima donnas and complain about little things like having their gi grabbed too hard? I am looking to use bjj to round out my self defense repertoire so I'm pretty serious about pushing hard when practicing a technique and using explosive power to my advantage. My experience at this bjj school thus far seems to indicate that the guys there are not willing to work with someone who wants to go full tilt - in other words, the same way you would react to a situation in the street if you happen to find yourself on the ground.
I have to say that after a few days with these bjj guys really makes me miss my old krav teacher and class. It's a real effin shame.
After typing this whole thing out, I think I'm pretty sure I won't sign a long term contract with this bjj school. Doesn't seem like a good fit for someone interested in self-defense. BJJ actually seems like a waste of time unless you're interested in trophies or going into the UFC.
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