What I wish I knew when I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 

As a smaller guy, I know this well.

I compete in the ultra heavy weight category and getting my squat to 365lbs made way able to compete there otherwise I’d be bullied by the strength of these guys

Exactly. Like yes if some dude who has no jiu-jitsu experience goes against a weaker black belt he's gonna lose. But let's say one guy is very strong and a brown belt, and he goes up against a weaker and smaller brown belt, then you can really tell what difference strength makes.

@@Itz_Elite_Gaming depends on the attribute disparity. If it’s very large indeed experience may not even matter at all. There's a video online of a power lifter sparring with a BJJ guy and he wipes the floor with him just by doing a few simple wrestling holds.

Who knew being big and strong would help in fighting

Keep pounding brother

You're an inspiration

What were the surgeries for? BJJ or something else?

@@apoplecticangel2832 Yea, shoulder and knee. The shoulder (The sinew that's connecting bicep to shoulder was torn) got damaged coz my arm was stuck some form of lasso and I had monentum forward so the angle of the lasso got weird. Knee literally exploded, it's called an Unhappy Triad and I got swept from a standing postition.

@@oldtimerbjj damn that sucks. Any advice on how to avoid injuries like that? I just started my bjj journey I’m trying to be safe and avoid major injuries

This is the way. I think I slowed my progress for a while by JUST rolling with higher grades, so that even when I was doing technically the right escapes, but not *perfectly*, I still didn't get the correct feedback that they were correcet (if that makes sense). Keep going!

@@JoelSnape1 yeah, I am hitting things on mid level brown belts pretty regularly. Kimora trap to back take the other day. He definitely wasn’t expecting it.

I appreciate the advice. I’m a three stripe blue belt trying to put all the pieces together. Hardest thing is figure out what I should be working on. I know I need better consistent escapes and a couple more combo attacks.

4 year blue belt here 😊 I don't feel I'm ready to move on until I'm consistently beating people at tournaments and I am almost there! That is the only time I will feel personally that I am ready for a purple belt. I dont want to feel like I don't deserve my belt again like getting my blue belt.

@@bryceolsen3527 the first 2 weeks I got my purple I was called out by these young guys. I’m 43, 5’5”, and 165lbs. These guys were 25 ish, 5’8”-6’, 185-200lb (2-4) blue belts. One guy I rolled with for 3 rds without stopping, and eventually I caught his back and put a rear naked choke on him, second guys I had to put down sooner and they put it on me. I submitted both of them with in the roll. All no gi rolls. None of these guys were holding back on me ether. If I had any reservations on me being a purple belt, that went away after these rolls. Same within the unspoken pecking order at the 3 gym I train at. I am not a competitor I might start competing eventually but right now I’m good.

Glad you mentioned toe nails. I have a gross big toe nail shaped scar on my leg from somebody who didn't cut theirs

@@amandah5478 Damn that's crazy. I remember one time about 6 years ago I was visiting a gym in Austin because that's where my sister lives and this dude's gi was so dirty it was YELLOW. And of course he'd pick me to roll with but man that experience was horrible. After training rounds that day I shot straight back to my sister's house and put all my stuff to wash immediately. If I ever come across someone like that again I will REFUSE to roll/train with that person.

@@josemartin1727 eww. That's a bit grim. I would do the same. I really struggle with refusing to train with people. Glad you're able to.

Any Advice for a 17yr old about to start BJJ on Monday? Should I know techniques beforehand or should I go there clueless? Should I use my strength completely to avoid getting manhandled or should I focus on technique?

@@NickHalden-by8ui I'm only a white belt, but I would say go in and just listen to what your professor tells you. Be respectful of your partner, you don't want to injure them. Leave any ego at the door. You're going to suck and lose no matter how strong you are . Be clean. I love bjj and im sure you will too.

Yeah, and the game keeps evolving too - some of the stuff being brought in from wrestling is completely changing what I thought was best practice. And yes, the journey is the fun. Thanks for the comment, Nicole! Glad you found the channel.

Is this comp legal!?

@Joel Snape I didn't say grease up lol I said lotion up, so your dry skin doesn't burn off

I think you just want to be extra slippery on the mat! hahahaha!

I'm in my mid forties and still rolling as well, ALWAYS do your stretches and maybe combine in some yoga..... your joints, muscles and tendons will thank you for it 🙂

@@soulsurfer639 thank you for the recommendations. Much appreciated 👍

Good stuff, Rich! Keep training, and look after yourself - injuries come easy when you're older (I know this from experience) but you'll get there.

@@JoelSnape1 thank you Joel. I’m with you. The strange thing is I feel fitter at 45 year old then ever before.

Started at 33 I'm 34

Glad it's helpful! And yeah, it really does work. Not just side/mount etc either - try it from positions like knee shield, X-guard, starting in trap triangle etc

Ah that's amazing Ally! Where are you training?

@@JoelSnape1 combat sports academy in strood 😀

Glad it makes sense, Jesse. Keep training!

Thanks Alex! This is high praise.

Hey Jon! Great to hear from you! If you're ever near Bath hit me up for some rolls/beers!

71! Respect to you, Patricia, that's absolutely fantastic. Best of luck, and let me know if I can ever help out (not sure how, but I'll try!)

Still going strong 😂

Thanks Doc! Hopefully you'll get there eventually, but if not you'll still have the skills (I still have a ton to learn)

Hahaha, it might not surprise you to learn that I did exactly the same thing, right down to calling it The Purple Belt plan

Thank you!

Glad it's helpful, Peter. Good luck with your training

Still training?

@@hubriswonk Sure am

YES Pieman

Thanks for saying! BTW I LOVE your channel name

@@JoelSnape1 thank you. At some point I’m going to start uploading Jiu-jitsu related videos to my dedicated school channel.

Thanks man!

Me too....I am a Brown Belt and I don't feel like I really enjoyed Blue and Purple enough. I am now at a point I really don't even care about the belt other than it keeps my gi closed.

Glad you enjoyed it!

There's definitely a lot to love about it: the art and problem solving is part of what's so much fun (and it's helpful that it also teaches you a valuable skill)

Philosophy?

Good stuff, Shane. Not always bad positions, though! It's crucial to have good escapes, but positional sparring from good spots can help you out too.

Great to hear!

Thanks Terrence!

Thanks Peter! The more I think about it, the more I think that a big part of the value of positional sparring and the games that are getting more and more popular in BJJ is that they don't feel so win/lose - you can experiment with the stuff you do without feeling like your ego's taking a beating when you tap. Hope you check out some of my other BJJ stuff!

Update I just got my first stripe today.

​@Valhalla Personal Defense Solutions Well done mate!

No problem, my friend

Yes! We used to do this in my old academy a ton, great practice (while the technique's fresh in your mind).

Me too! We call it specific training and it is fun.............I am one of the older guys on the mat and 1st point takedowns are not my favorite, but I think of it as street fight and that helps.

Brilliant

That's cool - really, the belts don't do anything, and if your knowledge and skills are there it doesn't matter what you're wearing. Good that you're enjoying it!

still training?

@@hubriswonk yes

Much appreciated, Jerry.

Nice, Diego. Hope it's useful

Completely agree, grips are very important, and often underrated. I didn't include them here because they're probably a level up (or down?) from point #2 - when you realise that you don't know what to do in a position, you need one simple go-to strategy. For instance, around purple belt, when I was doing a lot of judo, I realised that I knew a lot of throws but had no way to set them up with grips - I got Jimmy Pedro's Grip Like A World Champion (strong recommend) and that really helped me form a strategy. On the ground, I think Ryan Hall's Guard Passing is excellent at showing the basics of gi grip breaking, but grabbing a higher grade and asking some simple questions can also help!

Thanks Daniel!

@@JoelSnape1 if you ever visit NYC or Long Island and need training reach out.

This is great advice, strongly agree. Congrats on the BB!

Nice to hear from you man! Yeah, I can't say enough about it. The other stuff is more fun, but it's not what makes you great at it.

You're very welcome, Alex!

No problem, and thanks for watching - I've learned a lot from other BBs, so glad I can contribute!

Thanks man! I'm glad someone noticed! 😅

@@JoelSnape1 Creed is the movie that made me want to get into fighting, there's no way I could've not seen it😅

😂

Yeah, it's definitely important to show up - but not enough!

Thanks Joseph. There are principles for every position, of course (Danaher has them in every DVD) - but these are the 3 broadest ones that I try to get across to white belts as early as possible: 1. ELBOWS IN Tonnes of attacks - armbars, kimuras, omoplatas, arm triangles, but also stuff like duckunders to the back - rely on your opponent getting your elbow away from your body. Also, generally speaking, the closer your elbow is to your body, the stronger you are. Ryan Hall has an entire DVD set about this (the Open Elbow), but generally speaking, keeping your elbows close to your ribcage is one of the best things you can do as a white belt to get caught less (conversely, learning to get your opponent's elbows AWAY from their ribcage is a skill to start learning). 2. GETTING INSIDE POSITION Generally speaking, a lot of attacks come from inside position - standing, having your arms inside your opponent's makes it easier to throw them, and on the floor, having your feet inside the opponent's is what you need to start leglocking. People talk about getting underhooks a lot, but really the value of underhooks is that they secure you to the inside position. Starting to understand when and how to get it (eg leg pummelling, arm pummelling) is key. 3. STRUCTURE + FRAMES This is about finding places that you're resisting your opponent's force without using any strength, usually because you're using the strength of your own skeleton. A really simple example is when you're locking up a kimura from side control - the elbow of the hand you're controlling the opponent's wrist with should be flush to the ground, so the opponent can't get his elbow (ahah!) back to his side. Structure is about connecting those frames to the ground so that you can't be pressured easily. That's a very simplified explanation of some quite tricky stuff, but I hope it helps!

@@JoelSnape1 Thank you so much for the detailed reply. This is super helpful. Keep up the great content.

Ah yeah, I only do it for 1-2 rounds - everyone still gets to try plenty of sparring!

Thanks Adrian!

Ah thanks, I had no idea this was a thing (but it makes sense!)

@@JoelSnape1 Thank you for the great content! Really helping me out starting my bjj journey :)

No problem, my man

Hey Jake! I've got a video dropping later today just for you (well, not just for you, but I think you'll like it)

Nice! I've got a lot of love for Capoeira too

I think that each individual takes the given information and has a form thier own coherent plan along the way. So many variables make jui jitsu an individual journey done as a group.

I think it's good for individual academies to develop their own syllabus up to blue (or maybe purple) so that beginners can understand what gaps they have, and what moves they need to learn to have a basic game from every position. Some gyms are starting to do it, but it'll take a while to catch on I think.

That's only be possible for people, who don't compete, anyways. If bjj schools just all started following a certain progression, they'd be beaten by other schools who counter what the students have learned till that point.

Lift weights, try to control your ego (e.g. it's OK if you loose to a 16 y.o. guy several times in a row), don't go in adrenaline mode (control your ego!), and choose partners carefully. Better to roll with more experienced ones. Don't rush. Don't try to compensate your lack of technique with speed.

Dont let age determine what you like, you are alive and that is all that counts for. I am 38 and i started back in December after years of not training. I also do it because my boys do wrestling, one a freshman and the other one trains as a first grader and i have to set that example. If they suffer, daddy will suffer.

Hey Charlie, glad you're into it. 40 isn't too old at all - I know a bunch of guys who've got into it at that age and they're all solid at it a year or two on. You're not going to win worlds but you can turn yourself into a savage compared to 98% of people in the world.

Hi Joel thank for the reply. I’m definitely going to join a local gym and just accept that I’m going to get smashed by most people in there but in a year or two I’ll be a much better version of myself. I recently learnt Beethoven moonlight Sonata (1st movement) and I thought to myself a person who has never played piano must listen and think ‘that’s awesome’ but they don’t know that it will take me years to perfect the timings, key pressure etc to really do it justice. I suppose it’s the same principle for most stuff like ju-jitsu. In the gym I will always be learning, perfecting and getting smashed in the process but to the regular human being on the street I would be a savage if ever needed. I have two young kids and part of my reasons is that if I ever needed to throw down to protect them I would have the skill set to do it. Hope it never comes to that but hope for the best prepare for the worst is what comes to mind. Keep doing the videos they bring a lot of value and inspiration 🥋🎼🎹🤹‍♀️🧗🏋️

It's the way forward for sure.

Yes, this is the way!

Strongly agree (though I think specific warmup drills can be super helpful sometimes)

Nothing more tedious and time wasting than a 20 minute up and back warmup when you could be using that time to warm up and get better, left my last school because of that reason

Hey, no problem. Kids can certainly do BJJ at that age if you can find a good school with a smart kids' programme - they often won't spar with submissions at 5. I'd also consider judo, which is a great fit at that age!

Thank you

I've only ever had one bad finger injury in 15 years of BJJ, and that was during someone demoing a move (he rolled over my finger), and it recovered fine. Also your fingers get more sore in gi, and these days I'm pretty much all no-gi. If piano was REALLY important to me (like it was my job) I might be more careful, but otherwise it's not something I really worry about!

@@JoelSnape1 thanks!

Tap early, ask lots of questions when you don't understand stuff, keep going.

Haha thanks John!