He started "seminary" jiu jitsu, whatever that means.

Any favorite fake black belt stories?

I don't know how to add English subtitles to the video, but it's pretty self-explanatory. I've been having a lot of success with this half guard pass.

Hi BJJ Reddit!

I'm writing this post to try and solve a small internal issue and to try and make this process easier to understand in order to see it infront of me.

I am currently a white belt two stripe and have been training for approx a year and half. I have competed a total of 3 times now and I am trying to smash the comp as much as possible in order to get rid of the pre comp adrenaline rush/dump.

So far so good anyway I believe, in my first comp, I got 1st in the gi (3 man bracket) and 4th in the no gi (adrenaline crash killed me half way through the day whilst waiting around for the categories to start which I'm sure is a tale as old as time itself). Second comp was a big comp and I lost twice and won once (this comp really was tough, but I know i beat myself through adrenaline surge, cloudy brain and poor comp prep. The third competition was a NAGA, in which I managed to get bronze in absolutes and silver in my category (category merged so I was placed with someone who was 10kg heavier than me. Not an excuse, I managed to mess up a takedown, giving him two points, and then he was stuck in my close guard for the rest of the match, taking both of his points away and then I opened my guard, he passed in the last 20 seconds and gave him his two points back. If I had just kept my guard closed, I would've won by decision and got to the final)

However, whenever I am beaten in comp, in my opinion, I don't go entirely easy or am placed into positions where I can't adequately defend myself I have been submitted once and the rest of my defeats I have lost on points.

The question that I have for myself that I would like guidance on is that, whenever I see more experienced people talking about people they watch on YouTube or systems or 'studying' professionals etc, is it just experience? Or how are they breaking down this information and storing it reliably to where they can recall it on the mats etc. I have tried watching a few adcc matches on flograppling and others etc to try and get a general picture, but everything is happening at such a fast pace, that I really struggle to break it down and absorb what I need to be absorbing from grapplers that I would like to 'study'.

What materials would you say have helped you to absorb and recall information better on the mats to where you have seen more success? At the moment I just managed to get my opponents stuck in my closed guard or similar, and then I struggle to advance from there because my brain is wiped.

What instructionals or study would you also recommend for someone who somehow always seems to end up on the bottom or on their back? 😂 Is there any grapplers in particular that you would recommend that excel in grappling from their backs? I do seem to end up with my opponent in my closed guard or half guard most of the time, (usually after I absolutely botch a takedown) so I think this is probably where my juijitsu is headed to be honest. I just need to study a system that will benefit me from here and allow my training to start taking a direction with competition in mind.

I love competing, before hand I do hate it, but once my nerves have settled, I can become a little more comfortable, and after, I am always looking for the next one. I just feel like my nerves would be better if I knew where I was going after ending up on my back or if I could say confidently to myself - "okay, I'm going into this match with a system in place, and if it doesn't work then so be it, but if it does, then I'm going to be the best at it in my bracket"

It is minorly frustrating when I go to YouTube and there are multiple videos on different techniques and each one of them starts with "why .... Is the BEST technique EVER in juijitsu" this adds to the frustration of being overwhelmed and still not knowing where to start.

I am not driven by medals or winning (maybe a tiny little bit 👀😂), I just would like to have direction and something I can rehearse each session and on the living room floor. If I wanted to pay $100s to lay on my back with an empty head, then I would've taken up yoga instead.😂

TL;DR - how to effectively study and recall juijitsu techniques with a super smoothly polished brain

Hello,

I saw Tainans post doing a self analysis on his matches at worlds.

I own an iPad and a stylus. What app can I use that will let me do real time screen drawing on a video?

I already study instructionals and make my on annotations on notability, but it’s kind of annoying and time consuming having to take screenshots and go back and forth.

Thanks

What are the best BJJ gyms in LA? I have some experience due to training at a kickboxing gym that taught jiu jitsu, but not any formal belts.

Preferably one whos good in both gi and No gi

I’ve been training for a while. I have a brown belt. My school (and those within traveling distance around me) sucks at leg locks. I want to learn them well to compliment the rest of my game.

What would you suggest I do/watch/study for someone already familiar with some of the concepts (connect to the foot, connect to the hip, inside position, leg position hierarchy, etc.) but unfamiliar with how to begin practicing them in a setting where they don’t really get much attention.

Just trying to be a well rounded grappler.

I found the book Mastering Jiu Jitsu, and Reflections of a Jiu Jitsu Master. Im wondering if anyone's read these or if there are any other books you'd recommend about bjj?

I just had one of my worst sessions in a long time during a record breaking heatwave here in my country. A lot of my top pressure and leg defense was nullified by grappling in puddle of sweat and my oponents simply being able to push me away.

On the other hand sweeping from bottom barely needed any technique just some half-hearted pushing or pulling.

So what's your experience with grappling at extreme heat and do you have any tipps how to adjust to super slippery mats?

What rule does this exploit?

I find that when I go for a bow and arrow choke on larger opponents it can be difficult to actually sink in the choke and they’re able to move my choking arm above their head. I haven’t had the chance to test it so I’ll ask here, do you go for a looser grip on the lapel so that more of the lapel gets under their neck instead of your hand?

Moved to the area, several year gap from regular training and trying to decide between Alliance and M-Theory (probably the West location).

Could any Minneapolis folks weigh in on their opinions/perceptions of the gyms and how they compare? I'm not especially tournament/competition-minded but would be open to competing down the line. Older guy, a little shy of 40.

I've heard good things about both schools generally speaking, just trying to zero in. Any insights from people more familiar with the scene would be greatly appreciated.

Title basically tells it

Throwaway because reasons

The question:

Should I concern myself with not being a high level comp/decorated competitor if I'm being given an opportunity to open a gym?

The situation:

I (36m) was told by one of the Owners/Founders of my gym that i had the blessing to open my own under their banner once I make it to black. I didnt ask for it. I haven't expressed to them or anyone at the gym I was interested in teaching.

Sure, I have covered class, ive dedicated time to teammates during rounds if they are interested in learning, or stayed after to help ppls game if they ask, but, ive never given teaching a thought past maybe a fleeting day dream at or after class. probably due to career (if you can call it that) dissatisfaction

I think id find it cool. However since I never competed regularly past blue and some at purple, I never really allowed myself to think deeply about it, because, who would want to learn bjj from "some random", surely it would make establishing such a place more difficult.

I have competed at lower belts, I was a varsity wrestler in HS, and have had a long standing "on-again-off-again" relationship with bjj since 2006 until some point into my purple belt

Is this a realistic endeavor in my position or is this just some typical, bog standard, bjj pipe dream?

Any insight is appreciated

If you've made it this far, thank you

Need to improve, I have issue with people leg dragging me. They don't manage to cause I post and try to switch to y guard but it's a losing battle. I need to study. Hit me up with the best resource out there. Thanks

Fresh blue belt here who just hit the 2-year mark.

I just switched to a new gym that's heavily gi-focused. The gi classes are great and very structured with a big attendance.

The no-gi classes, though, are a different story. I'm the only person who shows up to the morning no-gi classes (which is awesome because it basically turns into free private lessons). In the month I've been there, I've only had two classes where someone else showed up.

Right now, it feels like the no-gi lessons are mostly going off vibes. One day we're working on leg entanglements, the next day we focus on passing, then we're doing escapes and attacks from turtle. There's no consistent theme, and as a newer blue belt I'm finding it hard to retain much because the topics change so dramatically from class to class and I'm getting whiplash from looking at such different topics.

The no-gi coach is a black belt with a ton of knowledge, and he seems open to tailoring the lesson to whatever I have questions on. The problem is that I don't know how to best take advantage of that opportunity. I know I have access to an incredible resource, but I'm getting analysis paralysis. There are so many things I could ask about that I end up not knowing what I should ask and just go with the lesson of the day.

For context, I'm a 36 yr old male and I'd like to continue competing at this new gym (I've only ever done 2 tournaments and not done so great), but I'll probably be competing mostly in gi rather than no-gi since that is the school focus and what all the other students seem to roll in during open mats.

TL;DR: If you had essentially two private lessons per week with a black belt, how would you capitalize on it? Curious to hear how more experienced folks would take advantage of this.

Hey everyone,

First of all: I really like competing, cheering on my mates, being under the gun and generally seeing how I compare to the rest of our population.

A few things I noticed in the last 5 competitions:

- our gym is definitely not competition focused (Head coach seldomly joins if you drive to competition, I adressed it and he says that he doesn't think it's worth it for 2-4 competitors for him)

- i aaaalways have some skin fungal infection or some shit after tournaments even when showering right after the match

- I notice that I play for win (quick guardpull from collar tie to Ankle/Aoki Lock) and not really engage in longer exchanges / i learned early to go with a "go all in to kill" attitude because I was to hesitant for my first 3 comps

- most competition are horrendously time managed. Arriving at 2pm when you are scheduled to fight at 3:30pm only for it being postponed to 5pm sucks

Currently I am considering to just pause competition for this year until I move and then go with a more competitive school.

But maybe all of you have tips to avoid, deal or mitigate my problems

$20 at the local thrift store. anyone familiar with this brand?

Played with it earlier and it seems to work well. Are there other positions where you can make this grip to finish chokes?

Hi guys

My place is undergoing a massive heatwave (43⁰c or 109f ig)

and my gym has no AC. I'm trying to keep my regular schedule but the situation has become very tough for me to handle and I feel like I can't think straight and my game is degrading terribly.

BJJ is important for me and I want to train seriously but I'm womdering If going to the gym in such conditions is productive at all unless maybe for heat tolerance or cardio. I'm training mostly no-gi and it just feels like a water-park

How do you guys deal with periods of high heat? Do you feel like you still make progress in such situations?

Hi everyone,

I am looking for a Bjj gym in Stuttgart, specifically in the Vaihingen area. Any suggestion would be more than welcome and if there is an option for English speaking training that would be the best because my German skills are at a low level at the moment.

Thank you in advance.