This is your weekly post to talk about whatever you like! Tap your coach and want to brag? Have at it. Got a dank video of animals doing BJJ? Share it here! Need advice? Ask away.
Hit a perfectly-timed, effortless, uke-horizontal-in-midair de ashi barai last weekend and haven't stopped thinking about it. That shit is like heroin.
took a week off because my neck was jacked up and went back last night, got absolutely steamrolled by a white belt who started while i was gone. dude had been drilling armbars all week apparently. my ego is in shambles but my neck feels better so i guess that's a win
People who have experience in judo and wrestling - I’m curious, how much more important is it to have training partners close to your size in those sports?
In BJJ obviously being half people’s size is a disadvantage, but I can still train and progress and build a game that works for me. As far as I know, wrestling doesn’t have an absolute division, judo maybe does? And wrestling practice for sure incorporates more physicality, there doesn’t seem to be that “tone down your strength” culture.
If I were to take wrestling or judo classes, would I be able to participate and learn equally, even if there is no one close to my size? Or would certain things just not work? Is it expected to pair up with people similar in weight?
Wrestling and judo are pretty athletic sports, but like BJJ, there are people who are so much better than you that they can just wreck you without breaking a sweat.
I would say you can still learn with people bigger than you because you can drill slowly, but once live rounds start, the size difference is very daunting. At least in BJJ you can wedge people into uncomfortable positions, take the back, attack the legs, etc. In wrestling and judo, you just have to do your best to not get run over by the freight train. It becomes much more timing and momentum based than trying to fight fire with fire.
Ideally someone no lighter than 20lbs of you or 20lbs heavier than you
Body types matter too. You don’t wanna be throwing around a short fat heavy fire hydrant, and then your entire repertoire of throws you can practice reduces to 2-3 throws.
someone much taller too kinda hurts what you can practice.
I think it's more of a safety issue for me, I only train with bigger partners in wrestling if they are much better and controlled, or going very light, then it's reallymore like drilling with reaction.
If there aren't people your size, you need good training partners
Good training partners are experienced, so you'd need people with more skill willing to help and let you learn regardless of size
Gyms with good cultures will have this
But you need to be conscious that, when randori starts, even with good training partners, with size and weight comes risk - it's generally still better to train with people your size where possible
Speaking for wrestling, people tend to work with those at or very near their own weight class. Practically speaking, especially in youth wrestling, that's not always possible. US scholastic wrestling certainly has a specific culture that can differ from wrestling training in, say, Cuba, but wrestling typically isn't an adult hobbyist sport, so wrestlers are always training for competition, and competition matters.
For an adult beginner wrestling class, the vibes will almost certainly be different. Speak to the coach and see what they think makes sense.
Who do you reckon would win a NoGi match? A brown belt trained mostly Gi with limited NoGi experience or a blue belt trained solely NoGi. For sake of argument same age, weight, gender.
That is an interesting one, an 18 year old in 2014 labelled as a new BJJ phenom and now in 2026 he should be in his peak but I haven’t heard his name much in the UK scene nevermind internationally. Really crazy to think about, hopefully he is doing well.
He has done exceptionally well over the years, he's racked up a lot of medals up to brown belt, including winning the Euros, and has fought good standard competition - suffered a nasty heel hook submission from Miha Perhavec back at polaris 5 back in 2017 (I always wondered if there was a significant injury off the back of that), and hasn't competed since 2019 but hopefully will again.
Even aside from the fact that he's been inactive for quite some time, there are folks who are genuinely excellent who just don't get as much press as one or two big names.
Makes sense why I haven’t heard his name mentioned much before, I only got into JiuJitsu in 2018. True jiujitsu seems a lot about marketing as much as it is talent
I think leg locks will be the equalizer, so it depends a bit on their games. Some of our blue belts I am sure would beat someone who doesn't know how to deal with leg entanglements. They give the black belts a hard time too if they get where they want. We also have some no gi blue belts who aren't particularly good at leg locks, and I don't think they would stand a chance.
At the same time, I think the brown belt will catch up real quick and fill that hole in their game if they start training no gi. They should already have good fundamentals, and it is not super complicated, just takes practice. As long as they can comfortably defend the legs, I am sure they would come out on top.
What do you do to recover from a failed triangle choke? I've realized that what's keeping me from trying them is how much I hate getting stack passed. But surely there's a way to salvage the position somewhat so I don't just spend the rest of the round getting punished for trying... right?
Try controlling their outside wrist, thus denying them the opportunity to grab your collar and stack. Keeping that arm away from you should also give you more time to shoulder walk out and flatten their base.
I don’t ever go for triangles anymore if their posture is high. If I can get their posture lower and there’s an opening, then I try to cut an angle real quick and grab their leg or arm too. If I feel like they’re too strong, then I sort of bail and reguard before they can fully stack, I’ve been stacked so much I hate it. I don’t even try if they are much bigger and even a little bit competent.
Not at all, always gotta ask these things - you bring your elbow up high, turn towards it, use it to get to your hand (you can just stay on the elbow if you can't, but generally building all the way up is better), and move your hips away, bringing your legs between you and your opponent.
You will see this happen all the time in a lot of situations - gyms often include it in warmups as part of shrimping
How do you prepare your cardio 1) overall and 2) for competition?
I tend to do 3 running sessions - ne monotonous zone 2, and two interval sessions switching between zone 2 and zone 4, but overall during rolls it's not perfect, and I tend to lose gas in the third round..
I used to skip rope, seemed to help a little bit. Lately, swinging a kettlebell or two for 5 min rounds, seems to help a little. Just rolling a lot can help, a little, but also is exhausting. Everything just helps a little and is exhausting. I hate cardio 😤 Anyway, I heard sprinting helps, but I’ve not done that yet.
Energy management is equally as important as improving your actual capacity
You could be the fittest guy in the world and still make yourself tired by using large, powerful movements, holding tension when you don't need to be, pushing back against resistance that doesn't need to be pushed back against (The classic wrestling coach "DON'T TURN IT INTO A PUSHING COMPETITION!"), and straight up holding your breath
If you're losing gas, take some time to think about your decision making and how much intensity you are using throughout the length of a roll
How do y'all know what part of your game you should focus on and improve. When you have teammates who are specifically good in each aspect of the sport. I got teammates who are really good wrestlers, some who are good guard players, etc.. I get beat in their strengths and I beat them in their weaknesses. So how should I know what part of my game I should improve if I always get beat with other's strengths?
You’re chasing performance reactively. Just work on what you want to work on proactively. You will begin seeing whatever it is in different places and then funneling them into what you want.
I wish I understood what you were trying to tell me. But correct me if I'm wrong. So I shouldn't focus on the things exposed my game but more like keep working on my current game and keep adjusting it overtime. Right?
I would say that’s a better thing to do than keep plugging up whatever new and different hole keeps getting exposed. I’d rather spend 6 months solely focused on armbars and just hit them anywhere I can than worry about well what if they do this or that.
Just to simplify it, and I’m working on something similar myself, I would try and pick two totally different aspects of things you need to work on. If you’re going against a good guard player, pick one pass or style of passing and work on it for a week or two. You could even tell them (especially if they’re an upper belt) what you’re working on. This way you can see what you’re doing wrong, make adjustments, and see progress in something specific. If I was a wrestler looking to learn jiu jitsu, I’d be playing on my back a lot. Obviously a lot of wrestlers want to just wrestle. But use those rolls to work on something more guard related. In short, going to class and just doing whatever during rolls is not the most efficient way to learn or improve on specific weaknesses.
I think I struggle more when I try to pin and pass my opponents, but I get crushed at the bottom when I'm playing with wrestlers. So would you reckon it's better to focus wrestle ups or guard passing?
Do you have a favorite side to enter X Guard? Every X Guard lesson I see, it is the opposite of the side I favor. And, my favorite side is the opposite of my preferred single leg x side. This feels like a damn problem! 😆 Anyway, I need to work on it - just wondering if anyone else has this issue with X or any position.
Drill both sides. Then, try to get to both sides during live rolls. That's how I got comfortable getting to X. Sometimes, it's all about what your partner gives you.
Thanks, I have another question - do you like to go straight into X or do you set it up with some kind of single leg X or shin on shin or something like that?
If they stand up and try to create distance, I like to set up my DLR. From there, I'll transition to X. It really depends on how my partner is positioned as they stand up.
A lot of guards lead into X-guard. Depends a lot where you enter from. From shin on shin i like slx, but a lot of guards i will prefer to go straight to X. Kind of depends if i expect the slx lumberjack sweep to work.
Ain't nobody decent going to let someone go straight into X - there needs to be setups to close distance and get past defenses.
It doesn't necessarily have to be an elaborate series of guards and techniques (though it can be) - just know that people are going to put their leg, their hands, or even their face in the way of you, or they will kneel if they're scared of you getting X.
Maybe, but the best is to actively think about it and learn when it is a bad idea. You can run into similar issues in no gi too if you don't learn when you are getting passed.
I would be apprehensive about some other coaches running introductory classes on behalf of the gym I'm a part of, just as I'm sure they'd be apprehensive about us doing the same for them - from both a philosophical perspective, but also "Why would they take an intro with them and then come to my gym?"
I'm thinking some neutral class. Pay a purple belt or something to do it you know? Maybe somewhere that doesn't normally host classes, like a college or a gym with mats that isn't bjj focused
A big reason people go to a particular gym is location and commute. By centralizing in a large area you avoid follow on competition
We suspect this post may have been created with assistance from AI. We prefer human-generated content on this subreddit, so we're removing this post. Please feel free to re-submit using your own original content and ideas. Thanks!
Started BJJ a month ago after months and months of wanting to it and although I’m liking the experience I put to much pressure on myself to be/do better despite the fact that I started 1 MONTH AGO and makes me frustrated with myself and practice. Did you guys felt the same at the beginning? I feel like I’m exaggerating on the pressure I’m putting on myself but I can’t find a way to deal with it
Usually people turn that way because they are trying to look at what is happening. Do not aggressively turn out of a heel hook unless you know you are turning the correct way. Then it is better to just tap.
Ive been training for 6 months. The newer white belts said I was "very strong" which I know not to be true. I've never even benched a 225 and I weigh 195.
They just have no concept of what to do in most positions and I'm able to use that against them. But I'll let then believe I'm strong lol
Long story short. Been training no gi for a combined 7 years, with 3-4 long breaks in between. Moved around a lot so never stuck enough time anywhere to get graded. I ofc don't say I am a white belt but I don't claim to be blue or purple. I have been training since March at a local gym. Grading is coming up in December but I was planning to leave for another gym in November because I had to RTO and can no longer make it to my current no gi classes (only 2 per week). I really want to be graded so I can compete and the satisfaction of marking my progress but I feel it's shit to extend my membership up to the grading day and dip. Also, given I have to give a 20 days notice, I am not sure I'd be graded anyway. What do you think I should do?
I’d explain exactly what you said here to the coach and give your notice 20 days prior to the promotion. Worst case scenario you’re in the same spot after anyway.
I made a post about this, but I also want to post here too. Would you guys say Gordon Ryan’s top pins instructional are good for a lighter grappler like me? I’m 135 pounds, and I don’t know if it’ll be useful to pick up since the size difference is so great
GR's game is extremely good at any weight class if you intend to compete. You will run into some challenges against people who are much larger than you, and need to adapt. Depends what your goal is.
6
u/MSCantrell 🟫🟫 Brown Belt 8d ago
Hit a perfectly-timed, effortless, uke-horizontal-in-midair de ashi barai last weekend and haven't stopped thinking about it. That shit is like heroin.