I feel like I need to learn how to do this as a man, but I've gone to trial classes at every local spot and always felt like I was jumping into intermediate stuff with no one walking me through the basics.
Should I try private lessons first or something? Or is this actually just like some dance routine for closeted gay guys?
Learn boxing first, then decide if you can stomache a man's wang in your face. If you can, do greco-roman instead of BJJ. Also don't be afraid of going into the intermediate stuff off the bat, if the teachers say it's fine.
You need to find fundamentals on YouTube. I watched Gracie combatives. Unless you're school have a dedicated beginners program then you need to educate yourself or just keep showing up and you'll eventually get the hang of what's going on. Other students will help too. But at white belly you need to be watching video
This. If you're going to a school with no beginner program you will be wrecking blue belts after a couple of months because they really don't know the basics
You're supposed to adapt. You're not special.
>goes to beginner White belt class
>intermediate
Trust me, it isn’t intermediate. You won’t even be allowed into the intermediate classes for a couple years since you’d just slow everyone down and frick up their training.
Find a gym with a beginners class. BJJ is way behind more organized combat sports in terms of how to develop an athlete. It’s infested with morons who think you should “get humbled” a few years vs black belts and just figure it out.
Go to a real wrestling or boxing academy and you’ll see how they’ll focus on fundamentals instead of getting knocked around 90% if the time.
If you can’t find a good academy, research fundamentals online, drill a bit at home and then create specific goals around the basics for sparring. For example, research how to not get swept and just focus on that a couple of weeks.
GL BJJ is gay btw
> It’s infested with morons who think you should “get humbled” a few years vs black belts and just figure it out.
This is simply not true and you’re making stuff up. It’s honestly childish how much you morons lie about different martial arts.
t. wrestled at state level in HS, boxed, MT, judo, and did bjj
If you're a judoka and wrestled and boxed then you understand how moronic it is to learn a system that doesn't teach fundamentals.
Bjj absolutely teaches fundamentals, every gym has a fundamentals class. Why are you pretending to be so moronic?
lol this. *jj enthusiasts are literal morons. Even in sambo you get taught fundamentals before getting your face slammed on the mats.*jj is for trannies and has become the cr*ssfit of the combat sports realm. Overpriced with no direction with the only viable option of getting sexual reassignment surgery.
If you really want to do it and aren't just flapping your gums you just need to show up to class.
Even if you don't understand what is happening you will eventually learn.
Most BJJ schools don't have a fundamentals curriculum revolving around white belts. Don't get me wrong some do but most don't.
Do not do privates, they can be very boring as a beginner and will make it unexciting for you.
Privates are useful when you have an idea of what your BJJ game is and you have questions on how you could improve on certain positions / aspects of your game.
At first you will be a bit of a burden to the upper belts but eventually as you start to get engaged you will fit in. Just have to keep showing up.
Also don't skip rolling just don't be a complete fricking spaz then people will hate you.
TLDR: Just go to class and you will learn, nobody will hold your hand and walk you through the basics the class doesn't revolve around you.
Some gyms have structured beginner classes
My old one even requires newbies to attend an actual new start course for six weeks where they go through a specific fundamental curriculum before you attend open classes
It's definitely the best way to get new guys up to speed
HOWEVER it's not common, and most gyms will just put you into drilling with everyone else
You will learn over time
For a boost, find a pdf of Jiu Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro and read through it, or ideally find a partner and drill it on your own time, like drill a single position for 10mins after each class
You're probably not a great gym but keep at it anyway. The ability to discern patterns and adapt when you're thrown in the middle of something that overwhelms you is useful, based people learn by doing things that feel above their current understanding.
I feel you. Coming from years of kickboxing to bjj. The didactic is horrible in my school for beginners.
You just drill de la riva and berimbolo for an hour and then get smashed by a purple bellt in 30 minutes of rolling.
It’s hard to stay motivated and progress is very slow this way.
You can shit on the belt system of the Gracie’s all day, but at least they have a decent curriculum.
Why do BJJ when you can do Judo, it's way more useful
You just think it's intermediate because you're shit and got absolutely wrecked. Prepare to get romped most of the time for the next couple years
Different schools have different programs, mine has beginner courses but I'm not sure it helps learning better or retain more people.
Anyway, there is no such thing as fundamentals.
Jiu jitsu is a fighting game with the goal of getting through your opponent limbs to get access to the base of joints and neck to immobilize and submit. Go there and do that, keep it fun and make friends.
Many blue belts and brown belts at my gym attend the fundamentals from time to time. It teaches the most basic pins and escapes. 10/10 would recommend it at any level.
BJJ is one of those things you have to learn by just doing it a lot. You’ll learn techniques and whatnot, but most of it really is just developing a feel for it that only comes from getting on the mat and continually rolling.
It’s a lot less “I’m new. Help/tell me what to do to get started” and more “here’s a bunch of people who already know how to grapple. Grapple with them until things start clicking.” And it has to be that way imo. It’s your body that’s doing more of the learning than your mind.
chances are you went to an all-levels class.
i did nothing but all-levels for 3 months or so, and my progress was much better when i started attending the beginners' classes too. they assume you know less, and do walk through the basics more slowlydx0s
I teach fundamentals BJJ. The elementary moves are going to be complicated and don't look like much without context. I can't stand going over scales for piano even though I recognize I need to know them if I'm ever going to play the songs I want to. If you've never have glory days where you beat a guy bigger and tougher than you with good back retention before going for an armbar, the drills to have good back retention and remember what an armbar is under stress are going to seem silly. There are plenty of ways to feel like a man when it's a poorly defined cultural norm, but there's only one way to get good at BJJ and it's by sticking around long enough to get a sense of the fight game.
Very rare quality thread