Really struggling and falling behind in BJJ | Page 4

Another thing I wanted to add since your a fresh blue belt, it's normal to struggle and even lose to experienced white belts since they are basically the same as you (not literally of course) level wise but just haven't been promoted yet. It takes a solid 2 years after getting blue to become a decent blue, assuming your not a competitor/world beater.

 

The compounding problems overlap- lack of general athletic development means that some general qualities may be behind where other people with similar levels of experience are, but are also likely to mean certain mental skills like pattern recognition, strategy and "reading" responses may be under-developed. It is probably the case that OP is weaker and less aerobically developed than some of his peers, but if he hasn't played a lot of sports it's also entirely likely that he approaches rolling in a way that doesn't produce as much learning. In both the gross physical sense (conditioning or strength) and the technical-tactical sense (actual rolling and drilling) more focused development is probably going to pay more dividends than just doing more work or doing the same amount of work over a longer span of time.

 

You're definitely right. There's white belts with natural athleticism, competitiveness, wrestling experience, etc. who are good right away, and there's others who must develop these traits as they develop their technique.

However, I often see lower belts who try all kinds of crazy things under the mistaken belief that their struggles are due to something other than their inexperience. They tend to say things like "I'm not aggressive enough," or "my cardio sucks," or "I need to master the mental game" while their training partners are thinking "Why does he always fall over when I try to sweep him?"

 

He doesnt roll any days. He goes and its an hour of technique only.

 

3-4 days a week with 3-4 live rolls a class is fairly mild if you ask me. There are 60 year old hobbyist blue belts who can handle this at my gym after a few years. There are 30 year old white belts who can handle this with a day job in SoCal.

People get so caught up on the term overtraining because they see a number by your age. 6 one hour technique sessions a week and people on this thread are telling you its over training. My guess is almost no one on this entire board has seen something in their life that a physiologist with a CSCS would consider gross overtraining. 6 hours of technique couldnt even physiologically get you anywhere near over training. Its less stressful on the body than what your average fat mailman does in a day.

 

He said open mat follows immediately after classes and he only gets 15 min of rolling in a day.

 

Ok thanks man. I'm going to shoot 3 rolls every class 5 days a week to start and stick to that. The only.problem is noon lunch class as I only have an hour lunch and my professor recently started using up all hour for techniques.

I appreciate your advice thank you !

 

Yes i think you misunderstood. I squeeze in 2 to 3 rolls 5 days a week. Noon class where I'm super late to work i can only do 1 , but usually at least 2 on the 2 noon classes a weel.

 

Objective tests that would correlate to the type of cardio you're trying to measure would be a 2km row (with the wattage meter on), 12 minute coopers test (the distance you cover is what matters), beep test, and/or resting heart rate.

 

I did not see it mentioned, but you could be too tense while rolling and it's maxing out your cardio. Try to slow it down and relax more, even if you tap more often. I'm older than you and I can't go 100% balls out like the younger guys or I'll gas out before them.

 

I think I have the opposite problem and my coaches advice seem to back that up. I'm sometimes TOO relaxed while rolling while my partner is going balls to the wall and smashes me. I need to find that "killer instinct" or right balance I think. I know the whole "technique technique technique" mantra gets drilled into our heads all the time but I think I'm taking that too extreme.

I do struggle a ton though when I get mounted and that's when I get so tired

 

Could actually be beneficial not to have any background, his body s not is not worn out by years of training..

 

I know I already gave my opinion, but I just want to reiterate that I think this issue of "too relaxed" vs. "killer instinct" is a minor aspect of the trouble you're having. You say that you're thinking technique when you roll, but perhaps the problem is that your idea of technique is flawed. Little things like managing distance, grip-fighting, solidifying control points, defensive framing, keeping pressure, etc. will prove the difference between your techniques working and your techniques being sliced to pieces. It's easy to fall into the trap of doing 20 techniques half-right instead of one technique fully right.

 

It “can”!but it’s also my experience people who have no frame of reference with even doing serious “normal” sports, much less actual combat type sports are as much shocked and uncomfortable dealing with being competitive and losing, getting used to consistently training as much as anything else. They have no frame of reference and are over sensitive to how they do or not progressing quick enough until they are used to it. Now do other types have these issues.. of course, but it’s magnified with people with no frame of reference. Never undervalue experience

And the problem he says he has with being “too relaxed” goes right along with it. Not used to being aggressive or competing hard, and there’s a very good chance that he either consciously or unconsciously isn’t being more aggressive because he feels it might “offend/tick off” the other person, or is scared of going hard and failing plus being tired.

It’s not a diss, it doesn’t matter if it’s a first year freshman bookworm starting to wrestle or a new Bjj hobbyist. You see the same issues until they develop mental toughness and get better

 

At least you can train. Been off the mats now pretty close to 2 years due to a few issues.

Seeing all my friends win medals, getting promoted, guys I used to do well against but would annihilate me now, plus feeling like I've lost most of the fitness and strength I worked hard to build up, is very distressing.

 

I can’t disagree with what you just wrote

 

Well, the main reason I'm too relaxed is that in a live roll i try very hard to replicate every step of a technique almost exactly how we drilled it. I do that sometimes to a fault as executing a movie against a fully resisting opponent vs a passive one during drills is night and day difference. I think that's where you are right about my understanding of the technique needs further refinement as the years go by

 

I don't think 2 years is too much. A guy who was a blue belt when I started a year and a half ago just came back after a year and a half and honestly he doesn't feel like he missed a step and was the only one not breathing hard after we did 4 rolls in a row

 

You can't get to "every" step of a technique unless you do the first few correctly, but if you do the first few correctly then you will have a chance to do the rest. Say I want to do a spider guard sweep: maybe the first step is to grab both sleeves, then the second step is to put feet on hips. Third step I have a lot of options depending on my attack, but I can be certain that if I did Steps 1-2 correctly then I will not get wrecked no matter how relaxed or intense I am. I will be controlling the distance and tracking my opponent's movements, so my opponent must execute his own multi-step move if he wants to pass my guard.

 

I know this is frowned upon in the culture as creonte, but have you thought of finding a new gym? If you're stalling hard, a new instructor, new training partners and a fresh take could jump start you.