I have gone to the "Dark Side"

[ignatzami]

Confessions of a 'Chunner.

I started training in BJJ last week. After four classes I can now say the following with certainty:
1) two hours of BJJ + 1 hour MMA/Boxing is the roughest workout I have done in a LONG time.
2) being choked sucks
3) Humble: defined as rolling with a purple belt, for an hour.

That having been said I have several questions to aid me in my transition from 'Chunner to BJJ Nutrider.

- The morning after class I find that my traps and the back of my neck are stiff and sore, is this normal? is there a way to stretch to minimize next day soreness?

- Roughly how long (assuming three classes a week, 2 hours a class) does it take to go from skill level: "utter embarrassment" to skill level "bad"?

- I'm finding it very difficult to apply even basic techniques while rolling. I spend most of y time and energy trying to not get choked/submitted. Suggestions? or should I keep rolling and hope for the best?

- Any other gems for a first timer? existing threads? links? etc. Thank

P.S.

If this belongs in Gitmo feel free to move it.

[Kintanon]

First of all when you're rolling, relax and remember to breath. Right now you'll probably get schooled every which way from every position all the time. you can expect this to continue to occur until you have some idea of what is happening.
I recommend not worrying about getting submitted. Pay attention to what the person is doing and work on defending it, but don't worry too much when you get toasted. In class you should get taught some submissions and escapes and stuff. Whatever you get taught that day, concentrate on using it when you're rolling. If you get taught an arm bar, continually work for the arm bar. Find out what you need to do to set it up, see how you need to move to manage it. Ask your training partner for advice/help. Most higher ranks will be glad to give you pointers while rolling.

I'd say it takes about a month - 2 months of solid class time to go from Utter Embarrassment to Bad.

But take all of this with a grain of salt, I'm pretty much a grappling n00b myself.

[slideyfoot]

- Any other gems for a first timer? existing threads? links? etc. Thank
.

I'd recommend the following:

First Day Lesson
Fundamental 5
Maximizing what you get out of rolling
Protecting Yourself During Sparring
Training, Stagnation and Tapping

[ignatzami]

I'll take a look at the links when I get out of work, thanks for the help!

[Fighting Cephalopod]

- The morning after class I find that my traps and the back of my neck are stiff and sore, is this normal? is there a way to stretch to minimize next day soreness?

There's always going to be soreness, because you're using muscles in ways you're not accustomed to. Get more sleep and consider raising your protein intake.

- Roughly how long (assuming three classes a week, 2 hours a class) does it take to go from skill level: "utter embarrassment" to skill level "bad"?

One of the things I notice about new guys is they tend to be discouraged and think they suck and aren't improving - until an even newer guys comes in. Then, they're amazed at how much better they are.

Try not to compare yourself to the other people you train with - they're all getting better too, so you getting better doesn't mean you'll suddenly be better than them. Just concentrate on rolling better each class than you did the last class.

And stick with it. Persistence and consistency in training is, ultimately, going to take you further than almost any other factor.

[Shuma-Gorath]

P.S.

If this belongs in Gitmo feel free to move it.

I'll keep this here since each thread about how someone left wing chun for BJJ is another bullet in our gun.

[elipson]

I spent a long time just trying not to get submitted. Its natural. There is not much you can do about the soreness, other than to train more. The more your body becomes accustomed to it, the less it will bother you.

Like Kintanon said, when sparring focus on the technique you learned that day. And try sparring new ppl as well as good ppl. That will give you a better idea of how much you suck.

[WhiteShark]

Relax. Relax. Relax.

We have a guy at my gym that just started about 1.5 months ago he left all frustrated the other night and declared "I have no talent for this sport." As soon as he walked out of the locker room a long time blue belt who occasionally teaches the beginner class chuckles and says, "Didn't that guy just barely start? How can he possibly expect to be good at this yet?" So there you go from a guy who is smarter than me, more than one month is still just barely starting.

I'd say your goal is to know why you are bad after 2 months.

[GoldenJonas]

- The morning after class I find that my traps and the back of my neck are stiff and sore, is this normal? is there a way to stretch to minimize next day soreness?

As fatherdog suggested, increasing your protien intake will help to combat some of the muscle soreness. Also, heating pads and tiger balm are you new bestest friends.

- Roughly how long (assuming three classes a week, 2 hours a class) does it take to go from skill level: "utter embarrassment" to skill level "bad"?

BJJ class for new cherries is an all-you-can-eat buffet of humble pie. The quicker you accept that and move on the quicker you will be in the right state of mind to learn and thus improve your game. Stick to the basics, drill, drill, drill, drill, mat time, mat time, mat time, mat time.

Somewhere around your 5th or 6th month you'll get paired up against someone who is in the same position you are in now and you will shock the hell out of yourself when you pulling sweeps, transitions and subs that you have not been able to pull on the more experienced guys. It is at that moment that your first BJJ light bulb will turn on and you'll say "holy shit, I have learned something!!!" relax and be patient. WE HAVE ALL BEEN THERE.

- I'm finding it very difficult to apply even basic techniques while rolling. I spend most of y time and energy trying to not get choked/submitted. Suggestions? or should I keep rolling and hope for the best?

Keep rolling, drilling, and learning and the best will come.

[Teh El Macho]

[OldDog53]

Try not to hurt or get hurt. I've been hurt so many times I can hardly remember, and in hindsight mostly due to spazzing which I didn't think I was doing at the time. I thought that other white belts were hurting me, but in a round about way I was hurting myself.

So for the first few months you mostly WILL be a training dummy for more experienced players. Just concentrate on t-rexing your arms; and learn how to bridge and shrimp so you can start learning escapes.

Unlike inanimate training dummies, we living training dummies manage to learn even while suffering defeat after ignominous defeat (I tried to leave my ego at the door, but it followed me inside), so it isn't all a waste of time.

It does answer the question whether brute strength, athleticism, and a will to win are enough to win in a fight. The answer is no. That's why we are learning and training.

[ignatzami]

My biggest issue is I am at a point in my life (finishing college) where I have ammassed a certain girth. So I'm looking to loose weight (40-60lbs) and train.

I've also been used to a 1.5/2hr WC class and/or a 2hr Kali class. So aerobically I'm not where I should be. Hell, the WARM-UP still sucks. Shrimping.... so not-good.

I have not been asking a lot of questions as last night was my first "open mat" time and it was painful. Now that I know what I'm in for I'll begin asking more questions.

All in all, BJJ is proving to be a fun, painful, humbling experience.

Again, thanks for all the help.

[T3hJudoChop]

Is this out at Tai-Kai? Sounds like the classes are fun.

[Fearless Ukemi]

Confessions of a 'Chunner.

I started training in BJJ last week. After four classes I can now say the following with certainty:
1) two hours of BJJ + 1 hour MMA/Boxing is the roughest workout I have done in a LONG time.
2) being choked sucks
3) Humble: defined as rolling with a purple belt, for an hour.

That having been said I have several questions to aid me in my transition from 'Chunner to BJJ Nutrider.

- The morning after class I find that my traps and the back of my neck are stiff and sore, is this normal? is there a way to stretch to minimize next day soreness?

- Roughly how long (assuming three classes a week, 2 hours a class) does it take to go from skill level: "utter embarrassment" to skill level "bad"?

- I'm finding it very difficult to apply even basic techniques while rolling. I spend most of y time and energy trying to not get choked/submitted. Suggestions? or should I keep rolling and hope for the best?

- Any other gems for a first timer? existing threads? links? etc. Thank

P.S.

If this belongs in Gitmo feel free to move it.

Hey,

My story is similar, only I switched from aikido rather than WC. The pain and stiffness is something that will only improve as you attend more classes, gain endurance, gain skill, and spend less time in bad positions.

The part highlighted in bold is what I will address, since I only have a year in and can relate. What you are describing is how I progressed. When I first started rolling, my main focus was on defense and how not to get submitted countless times in 6 minutes. My first year was spent mostly concentrating on not being submitted and escaping from bad positions. As you improve, you will be finding yourself in dominant positions more frequently. I find myself now concentrating on stabilizing the position and distributing my weight so as to prevent my partner from escaping. Submissions are easy, but getting in position and staying in position to apply them is the real challenge. It may be several months before you submit anybody, especially if you are the only beginner at your dojo.

As far as how long it takes to stop sucking; that depends on a lot of things, but it mostly depends on how much time you are willing to dedicate to improving. I have seen guys come in with no prior experience that have gotten better than me after only a few months when I have been training for about a year now, so natural ability will also be a factor. I would stay focused on the improvements you see in yourself and what areas you need improvement in than worrying about how much you suck. Everybody who is good sucked at one time.

EDIT: Adding to what others have said about eating more protein and getting enough sleep - make sure you also drink lots of water. Flushing out the lactic acid that builds up in your muscles from constantly working them will help alleviate the soreness. Not to sound gross, but if your piss is dark yellow (and it isn't your first piss of the day), you aren't properly hydrated.

[roly]

i give this advice to every newbie i ever see

tap early even if you think you "might just get away" you may escape this time, but next time you might just hear a pop
pops are bad
(note, chokes are ok to try your hardest to escape. armbars not so much, you recover in minutes from a choke, it takes months to recover from a broken arm)

if someone does ANYTHING to your leg/knee tap straight away, a fucked up knee never truly gets better

if you cannot tap with your hands, tap with your feet, say "stop", scream like a schoolgirl just let them know somehow that you submit



also take notes after class, this really does help