WHITE BELT TIPS | things I wish I knew when I first started jiu jitsu 

To any of the ladies out there, I would like to say that if you're wanting to roll with a guy please ask us. Especially if we don't know one another well. Sad to say that the way society is going men are worried about being made out as creepy for approaching women. And that translates onto the mat as well. Once I know you well enough, I'll ask you to roll because I'm comfortable with the fact that you know I'm not trying to "hit on you". But until then, I'm probably going to make you approach me first. Alternatively I might approach new people and ask them, is there anything you want to work on. Not necessarily ask for a roll. Don't be afraid to do the opposite and ask someone to help you with something even if you don't want to roll. Overall you'll meet a lot of great training partners. Way more than bad ones. Just keep showing up. We should all strive to make one another better. Even though it's not a team sport, we all should want the best team possible.

I always take it as a huge compliment and honor when a woman (or anyone) who I've rolled with previously asks me to roll again, or when they've been told by someone that I'm a safe person to ask to roll.

"You will suck for a very long time" fits me at 10 months still. Thank you.

love your videos! i usually watch one before every class!

When I first started BJJ I trained hard every single day, 6 months into it I've already accumulated several non-permanent injuries that affected my ability to train and compete. I was already athletic and strong before I started training, but I underestimated how much damage my body was taking. I'm now a 10 month white belt, still very competitive, but I've since learned to value my health more. Taking a much needed break both physically and mentally from time to time can be very helpful, BJJ is a marathon not a sprint, be kind to yourself, preserve your body.

I think I needed to hear number 1 today.

Yeah, the highs and lows are a big one for me: one day I walk away feeling like I just couldn't get anything right and I'm making no progress...next day I go home feeling like I'm on top of the world. I'm a late stage blue belt, so I've been feeling pretty good lately, but whenever that purple comes it's gonna hit me like a ton of bricks.

Plateaus You're going to suck. Then suddenly things will click and you'll feel like you've figured out this jiu jitsu thing. That'll last for some finite amount of time and then suddenly you'll suck again. All the stuff you had figured out suddenly doesn't work and you don't know why. And you'll be stuck back in suck mode until the cycle repeats. And man does that feeling SUCK. It happens to everyone, but the good news is you will eventually get out of the plateau and feel like you're progressing again.

And I love your hair so much, goals 🥰

Ohh so excited to watch this! As a new white belt 2 months in 🥰

Kim, I was just thinking about you the other day. Glad to see a new video. :-). How are you feeling now that you're back at it? How is married life treating you?

First, I love your calm energy. Below post edited from my previous post to better convey my thoughts. I’ve never been told no to training or rolling with someone before- but I feel like I would be crushed if that did happen. Like I would be questioning myself: am I doing something wrong, am I not being safe, am I coming across creepy, or spazzy or annoying? (Que inward spiral!) I’m trying to be the best training partner I can be. I often feel like it takes me a while to get moves so, sometimes I feel bad about training. I’ve told two people “no thank you” before because they were men and I was brand new and not used to training with anyone one let alone men at the time. Nobody said anything about it - and it had everything to do with me and not them. But if it ever happens to me and someone says no, should I check in with them after the fact? I think this may apply more to my female training partners than the men because I understand that’s a completely different dynamic.

Definitely did more laundry with a newborn 😜

Hi! I've been watching your videos the past couple of days and I've been loving them. I started BJJ last month and I just kept saying OMG YES lol I've been experiencing pretty much everything. I'm actually wondering if you have any recommendations about mat burn on the top of the feet? Also do you use any ear protectors? I haven't really made up my mind whether I should get some or not, then I'd get my ears crushed sometimes and think maybe I should lol. Would love to know what your thoughts are on that. And do you recommend any mouth guard brand?

what submission whould you use if you had to to make a video on that

The Jiu-jitsu toe pain is real 😂

Any advice for people wanting to start but are concerned about being spazzy?

I have a question for all the ladies practicing BJJ. How the hell do you do your hair for rolling? I'm a long-haired dude, and I can't for the life of me figure out the best way to do my hair. I usually just do a ponytail, but it comes undone during rolls, and I have to keep redoing it. I don't know how to tie a bun, but would that be the most optimal hairstyle for those of us with long hair (mine is about chest length)?