BJJ Experiment

So I've came to the conclusion that the general consensus for getting better, is to do a bunch of repetitions. Although I do agree that this helps and works, I just believe there is a better way to learn more efficiently. I plan to put my theory into action. Below there is a video of me rolling with someone from my gym. I recorded this a few days ago. I haven't learned any 10th planet rubber guard or lock down etc... because I just started a year ago and wanted to have the basics as a foundation before learning anything else, so I will be starting from scratch. The experiment is, I'm going to attempt to master the "mastering the rubber guard" and "10th planet all stars" dvd's in at the most 6 weeks. I will post another video at the end of this of me heavily incorporating the 10th planet techniques into my game and more specifically, into the session.

here's the video (I'm the skinny dude that needs to get his hair cut)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CfV9HsDMN4

sigh

all I'm saying is that if BJ Penn can come along and not just become black belt level but to win the worlds after just 2.5 years of training, why can't someone else do it? if the mind controls the body, why are people relying on the body to train the mind? I don't expect anyone to take my word for it, so before flaming me, give me 4-6 weeks to prove it. I just posted this thread/video to have some evidence of how I am now to compare it to how I will be in 6 weeks.

6 weeks? Why so long, aren't you going to train on the weekends?

bj trained full time for those 2.5 years or so. He put the hours on the mat in with top notch instructors.

I didn't eat the plate of meat loaf, chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes and gravy, boiled carrots and rolls in 5 minutes. It took me about 30 minutes actually. Im just saying you cant do everything so fast even if you enjoy it a lot. Sit back and enjoy the ride my friend. :)

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Originally Posted by Kevin Gibbs

bj trained full time for those 2.5 years or so. He put the hours on the mat in with top notch instructors.

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there are thousands of people who train all the time with top instructors, yet they don't get their blacks or win the worlds in the same amount of time. also, how do you explain people that have been doing BJJ for over 8 years nonstop and still whites? Kimbo Slice was training with ATT and Bas Rutten and still has worse BJJ than I've seen from people who just started. my point is that reps + quality of instructors doesn't automatically equal skill. it seems however, that few people are even trying to find the missing variables.

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Originally Posted by Don Blankenship

I didn't eat the plate of meat loaf, chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes and gravy, boiled carrots and rolls in 5 minutes. It took me about 30 minutes actually. Im just saying you cant do everything so fast even if you enjoy it a lot. Sit back and enjoy the ride my friend. :)

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it's not about doing it fast, it's about wasting as little time as possible.

theres a difference between being proficient with a set of techniques and being the next bj penn, why dont you start winning some tournaments if you want to prove something so much

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Originally Posted by JusLove

all I'm saying is that if BJ Penn can come along and not just become black belt level but to win the worlds after just 2.5 years of training, why can't someone else do it? if the mind controls the body, why are people relying on the body to train the mind? I don't expect anyone to take my word for it, so before flaming me, give me 4-6 weeks to prove it. I just posted this thread/video to have some evidence of how I am now to compare it to how I will be in 6 weeks.

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When BJ Penn was learning jiu jitsu he would be taught one technique a day and drill it hundreds of times.:D

get a bigger mat, so you can power roll without cracking your head on the concrete.

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Originally Posted by frank-theman-james

get a bigger mat, so you can power roll without cracking your head on the concrete.

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lol I just started rolling in my garage this week and at the time, they only had one 5x10 in stock at the store. so I bought 4 sets of 6 cheap puzzle pieces along with it(which is what was right under and next to the blue mat). I now have 2 of those blue mats which I put over the puzzle pieces for added cushion. thanks for the concern.

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Originally Posted by Tyler Woolsey

When BJ Penn was learning jiu jitsu he would be taught one technique a day and drill it hundreds of times.:D

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I'd love to see anyone do this for 2.5 years and be as good as BJ Penn was.

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Originally Posted by FiErCe_oNi

theres a difference between being proficient with a set of techniques and being the next bj penn, why dont you start winning some tournaments if you want to prove something so much

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easier said than done when I live in a place with one tournament a year and I've only been training for a year, so I missed it this time. I do plan on traveling for tournaments once these holidays are over with.

Six weeks doesn't sound like enough time, Prodigy or not.

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Originally Posted by dstolf

Six weeks doesn't sound like enough time, Prodigy or not.

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I agree that it doesn't sound possible and if I were someone else looking at this, I would think I'm idiot. I get it, I understand and I appreciate that the comments haven't been too harsh. but this is why I need to do this so fast. I think I've found out how to do this and I want to put my theory into action. If it takes me the same amount of time to learn as everyone else who doesn't do what I'm doing, then I'll at least know it's BS and move on with my life.

hey follow your dreams man....do what you want. are you in a bjj school or are you mainly just rolling with your friend in the garage for attempting to master those dvds? i think it'd be best to roll full time at a school and doing this practice after or on the weekend. or hey join 10th planet and skip the process and learn it directly :)

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Originally Posted by lates85

hey follow your dreams man....do what you want. are you in a bjj school or are you mainly just rolling with your friend in the garage for attempting to master those dvds? i think it'd be best to roll full time at a school and doing this practice after or on the weekend. or hey join 10th planet and skip the process and learn it directly :)

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I appreciate the support! and no, I go to 2 different BJJ schools and bounce around others here and there. there's only 2 days of no gi for both schools, so I only get 4 days a week in. that's why I'm getting the guys from the gyms to come to my house, now that I got more mats. I would love to join a 10th planet school but there are none here. I'd also love to record at the gym, where I can roll with the black belts but I don't want them to think I'm being disrespectful.

don't put a time limit on it, but I don't know how quick you learn anything. I mean I watched the mastering the rubber guard DVD like 3 times and I'm putting almost every move on it to use somehow. You practice ONE technique for like 3 hours you can pretty much master the move if you know what your doing. It's kind of stupid to practice a move you already know inside out forever and ever. It's just motions there are no mythical techniques you unlock after practicing them over and over for years and years.

I think you have a good idea here. I dont necessarily think you will come out having all the moves perfected. but if you put the time into it you will be TONS better. Me and my friend did a similar experiment 2 months before he went to the army. He knew they were going to learn some jiujitsu so we decided to train everyday for the 2 months before he left. And id guess we never went less than 6 hours a day. We would work one move every couple days. and the first 2 hours was us doing that same move OVER and OVER until it was muscle reflex. then the next two hours was grappling without submissions. we would just roll and work for dominate position. Then finally the last 2 hours we would free-roll. Now i wouldnt say either of us were anywhere close to winning world tournaments, but id guess he went from a white belt who knew almost nothing, to a decent blue belt. but if you do this and you dont go in winning any world tournaments, id still be curious to see someone do this for say a year or two. i think given that much time. And also as a side note, that was the first time i got into 10thplanet system also. While i was teaching him certain moves, i was repping 10th planet moves to see how i liked it. And i must say once i really got the hang of it, i fell in love. But that may just be because im not very strong, but i am really flexible. So the rubber guard seemed perfect for me.

It will help more than it hurts, you'll definitely learn some new things. Nothing to lose.

A student approached a Master one day and asked how long it would take to master his art. "Five years" was the Master's reply. "But what if I work night and day, and train harder than anyone else?" asked the befuddled student. "In that case, ten years."

-Old Zen proverb

i like your idea. people can learn in different ways, some people need to physically drill to get something down others can watch a technique a few times and do it maybe after drilling it a couple of times. in any case never compare your skill level to your belt level. there are white belts who can hang with black belts but are not blackbelts themselves due to the process and politics of jiu jitsu. its frustrating but i suppose its necessary

BJ did nothing but live at that gym. Huge difference between that, and occasionally grabbing somebody to roll with you in your garage. It's about time on the mat, not days.

Master? 6 weeks? You will find how deep the rabbit hole goes. Train six weeks, enter a large tourney advanced division and please post vid. Good luck.

Master is a really strong word brah. Confidence is good, but damn.

your a rebel.....I'll give you that....you're flying in the face of all of the acquired BJJ knowledge of our ancestors. We have all been taught...learn a new technique and drill it 1000 times...and then 1000 more....

I am with everyone else though...if you really mastered it get in a grapplers tournament at the advanced level and prove it...

i think you should relax bro, take your time and learn it thoroughly. wheres the rush? Bj Penn has his glory story, you should create your own if you have the heart for it. thats how you'll get it.

You're really gonna have to cast away the illusions being thrown at you right now. And Mastering the System is going to be all on you. But LLoyd Irvin's promoted one of his students to a Brown Belt in 3 months. And like it or not, his students place in tournaments so nothing's out of the realm of possibility. I bet you in 6 weeks you won't be able to tap me tho.


My defense is impregnable.

-Mike Tyson

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Originally Posted by Jon Watkins

You're really gonna have to cast away the illusions being thrown at you right now. And Mastering the System is going to be all on you. But LLoyd Irvin's promoted one of his students to a Brown Belt in 3 months. And like it or not, his students place in tournaments so nothing's out of the realm of possibility. I bet you in 6 weeks you won't be able to tap me tho.


My defense is impregnable.

-Mike Tyson

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I really like the "cast away the illusions being thrown at you" line. Thanks, and of course I know, no matter how good or great even I get, I will never be as good as Jon Watkins.

A little update on progress - the 10th planet combining of my already solid basics has resulted in my black belt instructor straight up telling me that all he can hope for now, is to get a leg lock because he knows I have not even bothered learning them yet. those are last on my list.

As for the people telling me to join a tournament, it's kind of hard when there is just one real one per year where I live. Believe me, I live for competing. I do better with pressure and I would prefer it. This is basically why I am saying I want to "Master" not "get decent" at this in 6 weeks.

Then how do you plan on proving your mastery? hearsay?

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Originally Posted by AJ Camacho

BJ did nothing but live at that gym. Huge difference between that, and occasionally grabbing somebody to roll with you in your garage. It's about time on the mat, not days.

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I respectfully disagree. You can't just force your mind to continue learning for as long as you want it to. There is a threshold. If you're at something for too long, your mind starts to become overwhelmed and you stop comprehending as well. Like when a computer has too many applications open and starts to freeze up, it needs a reset. I usually take a quick nap to reset, then go at it again unless I feel myself too wrapped up in whatever I'm learning, then I just play some video games or get out or just anything where I can throw myself mentally into a different environment and continue whatever it is I'm learning, the next day. This is why I would attribute the main reason for BJ Penn getting good is not from repetition (even though it was probably a factor, just like being flexible, strength, speed etc... are factors) but from his unwavering competitiveness and momentum. He aims high, then once he reaches there, he aims higher and still has everything fresh in his mind. If he's losing in the boxing aspect, rather than taking it to the ground, he tries to beat them in the boxing. Others give up to quickly IMO, where as people like BJ Penn don't know when to give up. There's good and bad about both but you can have both by always being honest with yourself. Anyways, point is, it's not all about putting mindless hours of physical repetition in, otherwise you would never see white or blue belts who have been there for 6+ years and I know a lot of them.

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Originally Posted by bobby rivers

Then how do you plan on proving your mastery? hearsay?

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I will enter the one tournament when it comes along. I will enter in as high of a division as they let me. Record and post it. Then I might even travel to some 10th planet gyms so you guys can see for yourself.

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Originally Posted by JusLove

Like when a computer has too many applications open and starts to freeze up, it needs a reset.

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Your computer is outdated. Upgrade the RAM!

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Originally Posted by Jay JC Chow

Your computer is outdated. Upgrade the RAM!

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my i7 930 Quadcore OC 4GHz, 6GB RAM (just ordered 6GB more), ATI 5870 GPU (just ordered ATI 6970), 1TB HDD, 850W PSU is an outdated computer?

The computer you used in your simile is.

Can't wait for the vids.

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Originally Posted by bobby rivers

The computer you used in your simile is.

Can't wait for the vids.

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well obviously browsing the web isn't going to lag my computer but I use a lot of power hungry software that can bring computers even better than mine to its knees. I suppose that simile was for the wrong crowd, sorry.

oh and more RAM doesn't mean anything nowadays. RAM isn't much of an issue as it used to be, so saying you need more RAM is a somewhat outdated thing to say. rarely do I use over 3GB of RAM. the bottlenecks usually come from your CPU and GPU and an SSD wouldn't hurt to have as well.

You so sound like Jimmy Fallon as Nick Burns, your companies computer guy, from SNL.

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Originally Posted by JusLove

I really like the "cast away the illusions being thrown at you" line. Thanks, and of course I know, no matter how good or great even I get, I will never be as good as Jon Watkins.

A little update on progress - the 10th planet combining of my already solid basics has resulted in my black belt instructor straight up telling me that all he can hope for now, is to get a leg lock because he knows I have not even bothered learning them yet. those are last on my list.

As for the people telling me to join a tournament, it's kind of hard when there is just one real one per year where I live. Believe me, I live for competing. I do better with pressure and I would prefer it. This is basically why I am saying I want to "Master" not "get decent" at this in 6 weeks.

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I like you.

just to comment on jusloves video, no disrespect to the guy you were rolling with but you seemed to outclass him in every way for the most part. Maybe hes new to the game, but i noticed many opportunities for him to apply techniques in which he simply overlooked or just doesnt know yet. IMO your already good, so you can only get better. As much fun as entering in tournaments are, there not necessary in order to prove your skill. There is a purple belt you helps coach at most of the classes where I go, and he doesn't compete at all and his jiu jitsu is unquestionably SICK. I personally plan to compete, but that isnt really what matters to me, as long as I know I have achieved a certain level, I don't care about being the next big name in jiu jitsu or whatever. As for your theories and opinions on advancing your skills, I believe it to be true. I have watched the mastering the rubber guard dvds tons of times and really only drill half the techniques in training, yet I pulled off most of the stuff in the dvd during my sparring just because i have seen it over and over. Of course drilling will always make technique tighter, but its scientifically proven that at least some percentage of individuals can learn things (whether its martial arts or arts and crafts) just by watching it being performed.

Please don't take this as thread hijacking. I really appreciate the themes and reactions in this thread. But I'm going to take this chance to thank those who have mastered the system and those who have mastered other systems of Jiu Jitsu who have walked before us. My accelerating growth as a grappler would not be possible if your techniques (through competition and instructional videos) weren't made available for me to obsess and philosophize over hours on end. I would also like to thank my Sensei who runs an open minded class room packed with student feedback and questions and free form solutions. Sometimes I long for more structure, but sometimes he offers more structure. I don't know where I would be without Jiu Jitsu so I'm going to name some names right now:

Thank You (In no particular order)

Eddie Bravo, Royler Gracie, Marcelo Garcia, Pablo Popovitch, Rafael Mendes, Rickson Gracie, Denny Prokopos, Sean Bollinger, Chris Herzog, Demian Maia, Chris Brennan, Mario Sperry, Helio Gracie, Bruno Frazatto, Ryan Hall, Jeff Glover, all the ninjas at Cobra Kai, Rener Gracie, Bill Cooper, Javi Vasquez, Baret Yoshida, Cyborg, Rubens Charles, Rigan Machado, Royce Gracie, Joe Rogan, Fabio Gurgel, Ari Bolden, Sensei Noah (for if nothing else giving me an open place to train and experiment) and many many more...if I've missed anyone and someone else wants to join in...go for it.

The grappling videos you guys have put out have changed my game and made me want to be great and if luck and fame ever flies away for me, I'll remember you all and try in some way to pay all of you back.

JusLove baby!!!

Peace