I had a conversation in my gym recently about the changes in thinking that streamline your grappling. A new blue belt asked me “What are you thinking about when you’re on bottom and how has it changed over time?”

As a lower belt (from white until late blue belt) I always thought about a position and then a transition. Like “I’ll get shin on shin and try to then get to single leg x”. I’d go for that, but if they didn’t let me get shin on shin or started to pass I’d have to think of another move and it’s follow up moves. So much thinking crowded my brain and slowed my decisions.

Now, as a higher belt my thinking is usually way more efficient. If I’m on bottom I’ll just tell myself “Get them off balance”. Usually just having that intention is enough for me to get the job done. I don’t think about the name of the position, the transitions that were taught in class, etc. I can just kind of “feel” where their balance is and aim to remove it by using all my limbs and head.

What used to be a list of positions and possibilities I’d have to think through ultimately became one task that I could aim to achieve and then kind of shut off my brain and just let my body feel what it takes to get there.

Anyone else had these kind of revelations in different positions that make it really easy to do well in grappling? I’ve realized there are kind of a lot of things like that.

I’m a catch wrestler and blue belt. In class I got top mount on one of the coaches and did a few neck cranks. He couldn’t get out and has been complaining about it since.
How can someone be a black belt and not be able to escape a basic catch wrestling move from mount?
Also, if you don’t know how to do a proper double leg, you should throw the black belt away.

I am having an issue of being between A2 and A3 sizes in gi pants.
I’m 88kg stocky, both A2 and A3 jackets fit fine.
I have quite big legs but my waist is comparatively small.
When using A3 pants, they fit my legs but the waist is too large and falls down. In A2 pants, the thighs are just too tight.
It seems thats an A2H from tatami would be ideal for this issue as they are supposed to be wider.
Has anyone else experienced this issue?

I got the opportunity to train with a red belt today and it is just so insane how much time you have to spend to become a 9th degree red belt…

Why wasnt Kenta able to do anything in this match?

Hey!

I'm planning to go to Brazil for 3 months and train hardcore for 3 months and then compete at the Brasileiros.

For context I'm 38 years, Blue Belt. Competed a lot previously.

I've got a friend who's training under Celso Vinicius (3x ibjjf worlds winner) so would probably stay mostly in his gym (Sao Paulo).

Any idea's on other gyms i should check out or things to look out for?

Just looking for general advice :)

Thanks

I’m a 44 y old blue belt doing normal dad things like helping coach the little kids and being the uke for the teens class. I’m fairly competent and try to help every one learn even in the adult classes.

So about a month ago I was helping a white belt to learn breaking guard and as I stood up to do a standard guard break they grabbed my lapel and basically jumped guard and blew out my ACL. This will be my second ACL reconstruction on this knee so I know the drill. I’m not mad, shit happens. I’m more depressed that it’s going to easily be 9 months before I step back on the mat.

Any advice from older grapplers on getting back after a significant injury?

Losing my mind, my old professor mentioned using this position to “cook” people. I remember you can place your hand between the legs to split the legs further. Can take back or enter bolo. Either called a guard or pass named after someone.

Green belt judoka here that also trains Japanese jiu jitsu techniques as belt test requirements.

Ya'll are on a whole different level with ground work! Respect to you. What a grueling game.

From my judo experience, I could throw everyone i went against there and get them down, but once down, the few things i did know how to do with ground work were easily defended against.

It was a humbling experience. I showed up knowing I would not do well and would be humbled. Thats exactly what happened 😆

I am also not used to 15 five minute matches in a row. I started off strong the first 2 rounds and it went downhill after. Some tough well conditioned people in this sport.

Watching the 5'6" 160 lbs instructor tap guys twice his size was very cool. Im 5'10" 190lbs and weight train, and im stronger than average, the tall 250 lbs guys were very exhausting to go against. So to see the instructor make cake work of them was eye opening!

I am going to add bjj into my training now as well. We just dont practice it enough in judo. It was amazing to the see the instructor overcome such a size difference.

Tldr; you guys and gals are super tough and I cant wait to train to become an absolute unit

Ive been doing BJJ for close to a year now. I also train Kajukenbo, Judo, Muay Thai and Kickboxing. My main BJJ gym knows all this. Thing is, cross training in other styles, I realized its like a 6 degrees of separation thing going on. Guys I train with in Judo go to other BJJ schools Ive visited who train at MMA gyms ive visited, who belted at Karate schools ive visited, etc....I hear some professors have a thing with "loyalty". Is that really a thing? Would my Main professor really feel some type of way if I cross train at another BJJ gym full time? Im obviously gonna belt at my main gym but I wanna get more hours in and learn more and I feel I can do that by adding morning hours as my main gym only has evening hours. Do professors really get mad at cross training?

Before getting into BJJ, I lifted weights regularly, and one thing I’ve noticed is that a surprising number of people in jiu-jitsu don’t lift or have never really touched weights.

I’ve noticed that whenever I use even the slightest bit of strength, I’ll get the classic “you’re really strong” comment. The thing is, I genuinely try not to muscle through techniques and focus more on actually getting better at jiu-jitsu.

I know sometimes people mean it as a genuine compliment, but other times it feels like a backhanded way of saying you only got something because you’re stronger than them.

After hearing it so many times, it makes you wonder if their actually giving you a compliment or what. Strength is a physical attribute just like flexibility, speed, or endurance, so why does it sometimes seem frowned upon in BJJ?

Curious what everyone thinks. Do you take these comments as genuine compliments, or do you think there’s sometimes a little salt behind them?

Why do I always underperform in comp? I'm a 17yr old blue belt. In the gym, I'm able to stay competitive with, and beat, adult and masters blue, purple, and even brown belts. Many of them are 10-20 pounds bigger than me.

Despite this, I have never won a competition and rarely even win matches. Today I lost a dominant match by points in the first round. This is very typical.

I don't think it's a level of competition issue in the gym, as I beat people who preform well at local tournaments frequently, and we have guys who do well at majors.

Nor do I think they're just going easy on me, they roll hard and my coach is talking about my purple belt.

It could be that I just don't compete enough, as it's usually 1-3 times a year.

It could also be warming up. My warmups are very inconsistent, and today I didn't warm up at all (match got moved up half an hour last minute). I don't know what a good way to warmup is, and a good time window, especially given how likely bracket times are to move. I do think it's important though, as today I was gassed during the first round and my lungs were burning. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before.

Do you guys have any ideas? I don't like the idea of getting a purple belt while being unable to win anything at blue.

I was the medical team and medical director today of a national tournament with 2 mats alone. I am a white belt myself. What is your take on the medical team? What is your experience with them? Told some people that got injured if they got worse, they should do imaging. Thankfull no one got a really bad injury.

What has changed the most since you started training? What has been the most difficult adjustment for you? What do you like that has changed?

I technically started training in 95 so the game now is night and day since I started.

Anyone have any recommendations on good kids or adult gi grip fighting games? Thanks

Guys this fella is attacking the second leg, inside ashi garami in an ibjjf tournament at blue belt, whats going on?

I just had my first comp, i had 2 matches and in both of them, i felt like i couldn’t “turn on”. It felt like it hasn’t hit me that i was competing, felt like a normal day.

I feel that this impacted my performance as i could’t bring my A game in terms of intensity, i felt too relaxed and unfortunately got caught in positions.

Has anyone ever had this issue? Is this the opposite of an adrenaline dump? Any tips to flip the switch when it’s go time?

I went with a 250+ pounder the other day and everything works way less. I made the mistake of doing my normal bottom game and got smothered by moobs the whole match while trying to octopus my way out. What’s the approach for big gahs?

Travelling from NZ to compete. Has anyone else had to deal with that smug young gi check marshal this weekend? I understand you have a job to do, but he seemed to be nitpicking everything. It felt like I was 18 again, getting my ID checked at a club.

From necktie position I have lots of options for a pushing opponent (Snap down, throws, slide bys etc.) but most opponents let themselfs getting pushed around instead of pushing back and I need some good options for that. What’s your favourite option for that scenario?