I agree with Both dragonUK and FitScot. BJJ is not easy but I like it, actually addicted to it. I do prefer no gi but I do both. Yes it has been 6 years, even allowing for injuries am still only a blue belt but I do train most days now. I do have probelms with being muscled and am taking a weekly gymnastics class (men's apparatus) to build my strength as weights is just too boring. I do run in to a tremendous about of ageism on the site despite the fact that I roll almost every day with people 30-50 years younger than me. Despite the fact that San Diego has over 50 listed members and if you include the outlying and nearby suburbs close to 100 I still have problems getting anyone on this site to practice with me. Fortunately I have both my BJJ school and a local University to take classes, go to open mats, and train and since one does NOT need a car in San Diego get around easily to all these places. BJJ is it, it is a sport that cannot be matched by any other, Just wish more here would appreciate it. Thanks
Thanks for the post. As a long term practioner of BJJ I recognise what your saying.
It is cliche, but true to say BJJ is the long path. An art where it can take 10 years or more
to obtain a blackbelt (whereas for most other martial arts you turn up for 3-5 years and
are black belt and teaching). Belts in BJJ are given on merit not time served, and there is
no real system, and yet it is obvious to those you train with, and importantly your coach
when you have attained the next level. You can start at any
age , and there are many shining examples of guys in their 60's even 70's getting
black belts. However this is more the exception than the rule, and along that road, you
will be training mainly with much younger , fitter, and stronger people. Hovever at its
heart, BJJ has a good ethos of inclusivity, non-bullying and the main opponent is your ego.
All you have to do is turn up to regular training, and a process of working on your body and mind is initiated. If you
thought you were going to be made instantly, more powerful by bjj you should think again quickly.
Even the most mighty are served their ego on a plate. There is always someone better,
and more powerful to beat you down and make you tap.BJJ is the road of selfdiscovery,
humility and patience.It is really only when you meet people without any BJJ training
you suddenly see how much you have learned.
In terms of BJJ and this site. I have met and trained with an increasing number of people
who have trained some BJJ or were curious to do so. It is the logical martial art for anyone with a passion for
submission wrestling or fighting. By joining the BJJ community you have a instant access to
a large number of wrestling addicts of all types, sizes and ages. It is the utlimate
meet fighters. I am proud that I have introduced a few people ive met off here to
BJJ. Some have taken it up whole heartedly gained more competency than me, and and some just liked gaining a few
new moves. I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it, It will
give you an arsenal of great wrestling techniques, the bst fitness you will have had
in your life, plus access to a great community.Keep training!!
Dragon.
So I used to blog up my jiu-jitsu classes on here, until time began to get the better of me, and I also began to feel that a lot of the stuff wasn't making sense. I also began to really doubt that I was getting anywhere with my jiu-jitsu, quite a few times I came home thinking it was best to just throw in the gi, to which my partner shook his head and told me to get on with it.
Couldn't be more thankful that he - plug a few of you on here - told me NOT to give up, especially as it was pointed out to me by a coupl of you the first year of BJJ is the hardest. 10 months in of going 2 - 3 times a week and I've noticed a difference. I am putting up a lot more of a defence against the blue belts (sometimes hitting stalemate with the less-experienced) and also getting some tap-outs off the newbies. I'm starting to actually learn what the moves actually are a bit more, and I'm also beginning to get more of an idea what the instructor is talking about. Its been dififcult, but a bit of perseverance has really helped.
If i don't get a tapout, I'm at least getting the odd move in or learning where I'm going wrong. Today I managed to do a legsweep when in defence too, and managed to get past an open guard. I asked one of the guys I was rolling with for help escaping from closed guard and realised I'd been forgetting to hold onto the gi and grab onto the belt. I told my instructor that the bow and arrow choke had failed after rolling with someone, and he took the time out to explain where I'd gone wrong - I'd got the basic position right but forgotten a couple of finer details. Noted for next time.
I come out of the classes now, happy, confident and immediately thinking of when I can do my next class. I go away for work sometimes and always try to fit in a jiu-jitsu class, and in one place I've found a school where the instructor and class attendees could not be friendlier and I'm given a warm welcome each time I go in.
I feel really sad that a lot more guys on Meetfighters don't tend to do jiu-jitsu as this martial art can be taken up at any age. Not only that but it does actually help when you're rolling if you have a match from here. My last MF fight I lost, but my opponent remarked I managed to get into mount 70% of the time, and my second last fight I won, two of the points were by putting on chokes I'd learned from BJJ that my opponent couldn't see a way out of.
After typing this up, I've hit upon the idea of reproducing this post for an actual blog as I think more people would really benefit from doing a few classes in BJJ (rather than preaching to the choir in this group) . For myself, I plan to keep rolling - for as long as possible.
BJJWrestlerLasVegas (14)
31/7/2016 07:04I agree with Both dragonUK and FitScot. BJJ is not easy but I like it, actually addicted to it. I do prefer no gi but I do both. Yes it has been 6 years, even allowing for injuries am still only a blue belt but I do train most days now. I do have probelms with being muscled and am taking a weekly gymnastics class (men's apparatus) to build my strength as weights is just too boring. I do run in to a tremendous about of ageism on the site despite the fact that I roll almost every day with people 30-50 years younger than me. Despite the fact that San Diego has over 50 listed members and if you include the outlying and nearby suburbs close to 100 I still have problems getting anyone on this site to practice with me. Fortunately I have both my BJJ school and a local University to take classes, go to open mats, and train and since one does NOT need a car in San Diego get around easily to all these places. BJJ is it, it is a sport that cannot be matched by any other, Just wish more here would appreciate it. Thanks
dragonuk (21 )
31/7/2016 05:47Thanks for the post. As a long term practioner of BJJ I recognise what your saying.
It is cliche, but true to say BJJ is the long path. An art where it can take 10 years or more
to obtain a blackbelt (whereas for most other martial arts you turn up for 3-5 years and
are black belt and teaching). Belts in BJJ are given on merit not time served, and there is
no real system, and yet it is obvious to those you train with, and importantly your coach
when you have attained the next level. You can start at any
age , and there are many shining examples of guys in their 60's even 70's getting
black belts. However this is more the exception than the rule, and along that road, you
will be training mainly with much younger , fitter, and stronger people. Hovever at its
heart, BJJ has a good ethos of inclusivity, non-bullying and the main opponent is your ego.
All you have to do is turn up to regular training, and a process of working on your body and mind is initiated. If you
thought you were going to be made instantly, more powerful by bjj you should think again quickly.
Even the most mighty are served their ego on a plate. There is always someone better,
and more powerful to beat you down and make you tap.BJJ is the road of selfdiscovery,
humility and patience.It is really only when you meet people without any BJJ training
you suddenly see how much you have learned.
In terms of BJJ and this site. I have met and trained with an increasing number of people
who have trained some BJJ or were curious to do so. It is the logical martial art for anyone with a passion for
submission wrestling or fighting. By joining the BJJ community you have a instant access to
a large number of wrestling addicts of all types, sizes and ages. It is the utlimate
meet fighters. I am proud that I have introduced a few people ive met off here to
BJJ. Some have taken it up whole heartedly gained more competency than me, and and some just liked gaining a few
new moves. I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it, It will
give you an arsenal of great wrestling techniques, the bst fitness you will have had
in your life, plus access to a great community.Keep training!!
Dragon.
FitScot (38)
30/7/2016 15:27So I used to blog up my jiu-jitsu classes on here, until time began to get the better of me, and I also began to feel that a lot of the stuff wasn't making sense. I also began to really doubt that I was getting anywhere with my jiu-jitsu, quite a few times I came home thinking it was best to just throw in the gi, to which my partner shook his head and told me to get on with it.
Couldn't be more thankful that he - plug a few of you on here - told me NOT to give up, especially as it was pointed out to me by a coupl of you the first year of BJJ is the hardest. 10 months in of going 2 - 3 times a week and I've noticed a difference. I am putting up a lot more of a defence against the blue belts (sometimes hitting stalemate with the less-experienced) and also getting some tap-outs off the newbies. I'm starting to actually learn what the moves actually are a bit more, and I'm also beginning to get more of an idea what the instructor is talking about. Its been dififcult, but a bit of perseverance has really helped.
If i don't get a tapout, I'm at least getting the odd move in or learning where I'm going wrong. Today I managed to do a legsweep when in defence too, and managed to get past an open guard. I asked one of the guys I was rolling with for help escaping from closed guard and realised I'd been forgetting to hold onto the gi and grab onto the belt. I told my instructor that the bow and arrow choke had failed after rolling with someone, and he took the time out to explain where I'd gone wrong - I'd got the basic position right but forgotten a couple of finer details. Noted for next time.
I come out of the classes now, happy, confident and immediately thinking of when I can do my next class. I go away for work sometimes and always try to fit in a jiu-jitsu class, and in one place I've found a school where the instructor and class attendees could not be friendlier and I'm given a warm welcome each time I go in.
I feel really sad that a lot more guys on Meetfighters don't tend to do jiu-jitsu as this martial art can be taken up at any age. Not only that but it does actually help when you're rolling if you have a match from here. My last MF fight I lost, but my opponent remarked I managed to get into mount 70% of the time, and my second last fight I won, two of the points were by putting on chokes I'd learned from BJJ that my opponent couldn't see a way out of.
After typing this up, I've hit upon the idea of reproducing this post for an actual blog as I think more people would really benefit from doing a few classes in BJJ (rather than preaching to the choir in this group) . For myself, I plan to keep rolling - for as long as possible.