Printable View
I've been training for 4 months now. I love it more than anything I've ever done. But damn I suck. I am consistently crushed by everyone. I'm constantly exhausted. I'm always sore. The idea that I will some day be good at this seems like a cruel joke.
Damn... I suck at Jiu Jitsu.
Keep grinding we've all been there
It's all perspective. Find a friend that doesn't know JJ, roll with him for 5 minutes, you'll see just how much you've changed. My buddies from high school we always played "tap out" usually ended in a guillotine. We had no idea what we were doing lol. Well we still did it whenever we get together for weddings or class reunions, family events etc... I am no longer challenged since I started JJ. I get consistently smashed at my gym, but I'm getting better. It's hard to tell when you're always going against people better than you. Gotta set small goals. When I roll against an instructor my goal is just to keep them in guard as long as possible. When I first started it lasted all of 10 seconds, now I can last 5 minutes and even pass occasionally. Big confidence booster. Perspective brother, keep training and getting smashed! ;)
It wont get easier, you are who will get better
I remember my good friend Cade Nelson (also currently a 10th Planet Black Belt) told me he trained for two years before he tapped someone out for the first time. My experience was not quite as bad.... but close, and it was close to that amount before I was tapping people other than first day folks. The struggle is real for the small folks :)
Keep at it. You'll grow during this time period more than any other. Find the consistent situations that keep causing you trouble and strictly work at those. My gym doesn't separate by weight, so i'd always be getting stacked or smashed. I noticed I'd always end up in the same spots so I focused my entire game to those spots. Made a huge difference.
I used to suck at jiu jitsu.
I still do, but I used to, too.
i'm doing jiu jitsu now for almost 5 years and i stil suck at it , but i don't mind ( sometimes) positive side of it is you've done it for 4 months so there must be something that excist you about it ? keep doing what your doing have fun and enjoy :)it .Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Murray
I like these fat people you're training with. They sound like my kind of dudes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Murray
When dudes who out weigh me are on top I just play a minimalist defense game and wait for a transition to scramble out of. I'm sure there are more technical ways to get out, but it seems like people who have a weight advantage are just waiting til I'm tired to transition safely, so I save my energy for when they move.
This is how I developed my guard recovery. The gym I spend most of my time at is EXTREMELY heavy on shoulder pressure. Even the little guys feel like 300 lbs when they are driving their whole body into your face.Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Murray
Work on your 1/4 guard and 1/2 guard recovery. Master the Mini-stomp. Warm-ups E is your best friend. You will be hitting Electric Chairs and Vaporizers on these monsters before you know it.
+1 on it being all perspective. I'm 2 years in now. To a day 1 white belt I look like a world champion tapping them over and over. Then I roll with my coach or a higher belt and I get reminded of just how much I still have to improve. If I could face the me from 1 year ago, it would be an absolute ass whooping, and that's the mindset you have to keep. Don't compare yourself to anyone but the guy you were yesterday
Craig, it sounds between this post and the other one that your frames and hip movement could def use some work. With bigger people you want to move around them, if that makes sense. For example, if your clinch is right in the rubber guard, most of the time your opponent will be on the side of you, not on top of you. For side control, start observing more and frame, shrimp, and recover before they settle. The longer I do Jiu Jitsu it's crazy how much your hips are involved. Get your hip movement up and it will improve all of your movements. I learned this by getting smashed repetitively at tournaments for a year or so. My learning experience took so much time just to learn that tiny piece I just gave you. The soreness will become regular or normal to you after awhile. You may not be as sore. I stretch for five minutes everyday before I get out of bed. It helps kick some of the stiffness.
Take pride in working hard to get better! Most quit so if you do nothing else but show up you'll be better than most people who try.
This is why most people with a big ego quit Jiu Jitsu. Stick with it it does get better. I have been in the game a long time and I have recently returned from a knee injury that had me out for 9 months and my Jiu Jitsu cardio is shit so I know how you feel. I know what to do but my 47 year old body wont comply. From experience I know if I just keep showing up it will get better :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Murray
the over 40 struggle is real!Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Schuettenberg
It's all worth it when you tap a guy young enough to be your kid lol
Keep pushing on. I'm 47 and about 150-155lbs. In a year you will be amazed at the differenceQuote:
Originally Posted by Craig Murray
If it was easy, it would not be fun.
Keep pressing forward and eventually the switch is going to click. When I first started I was getting beat by everyone and the more I rolled the more I learned what not to do. Just work on surviving and the kills will come.
great read from everyone who posted . i am heading back for the 1st time in a few months , for the 100th time . just gotta keep in mind , i suck , and i will suck for a long time , and the more i go , everytime , i will suck a little bit less than the time before.
lolQuote:
Originally Posted by brandon mccaghren
Thinking about this more, it is bad programming to say that 'you suck' at something even if you are just joking. In my opinion it is the kind of self talk that can lower your confidence and self esteem. Focus on what you are good at, see yourself doing it well and visualize that feeling. Those times when you feel you are getting crushed, go and research escapes and solutions to those positions then see yourself doing those things in those uncomfortable positions. If you see yourself failing you probably will, it is the same in any sport. You have too be able to visualize yourself succeeding before you will.
took me 6 months to get my fist sub, you're not a lone, its hard to imrove when u r a lighter guy but at least your defense gets really good.
If u keep getting subed by the same thing, look up a basic defense, dont do moves too complicated, i made that mistake so stick to the basics, buy a BJJ book for beginners. it'll save u a lot of time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Murray
lol, that's kindda true
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Tiganis
You may or may not be joking, but I'll tell you what I tell everyone who first starts training, falls in love, and gets frustrated.
You definitely don't suck at Jiu Jitsu, you are exactly as good as you should be at 4 months in.
Based on the excellent attitude/drive/perseverance you are putting out on the forums, you are probably better than most.
Jiu Jitsu is a process, and a long one at that.
Keep grinding! And if you haven't yet, go compete. It is an amazing learning experience, and you will probably feel super strong
fighting in your own weight class.
"Dogs are forever in the pushup position"Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Thomas
I still suck at jiu jitsu too... Don't feel bad.
so good! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Matt Thomas
mitch H.
Don't feel bad Craig. I get smashed all the time. Girls, guys, hell even athletic white belts. I enjoy the learning of it all. There will always be someone better than you right? Don't let that make you feel bad. You can learn from them. We're in a special position as white belts in that we can learn a TON of game from so many of the people more skilled than us. Enjoy the process =D. I know I do.
1. That's fantastic positive change to improve your health and your game sirQuote:
Originally Posted by Craig Murray
2. Many people won't understand the changes you're making and going through, especially those in your circles that have never done something proactively positively life changing like jiu jitsu. That's okay. You'll ultimately end up connecting with different people who share the same passions and those friendships will be even stronger.
Your post struck a chord, Craig. I'm training 6-7 days a week for almost 3 years solid and it honestly feels like a process. Some days, maybe 2 days in a row, maybe 3 days, everything is clicking on all cylinders, and I feel great. Other days, I get smashed and/or just seem "off." But it wasn't until my 2 year mark that jiu jitsu actually started to make "sense", whatever that means...in other words, I finally had a firm idea of where/what I should be doing in different instances. Now there only comes refinement, more knowledge, and new discoveries. I might do really well against a higher belt then lit up by another blue belt. It is what it is. The one constant that I always remind myself of is that the only reason one would quit is cuz of the ego, cuz they can't stand being bad at something. At the end of the day tho, and as hard as it may seem to realize in the moment, getting tapped out makes you better. With each tap, you become incrementally harder to tap in the future. I'm grateful I had a harder time in the beginning rolling with bigger guys so now it's more manageable. Imagine if you were a big guy tho and coasted for a few years on size/athleticism, only to find out years later that your foundation was built on something so fleeting. I'd say you have a better chance of getting to black belt than a lot of people, based on what you're going thru right now.
Try relaxing completely in those bad spots. If all theyre doing is lying on you and all you are doing is struggling then youre neither winning nor learning. There should always be lessons to be learnt so although it might seem orthodox why not just go limp and see what they do? You might you find learn more than remaining stiff as a board and you will definitely conserve energy.
don't worry im in the same position, just embrace the grind and think on the bright side.....you can only get better