Hey guys, First off I am glad to be able to post here again. I have just been to my first BJJ class and I think I may have just added it into my curriculum. I have to say that I have never enjoyed tapping out in my life. Does anyone have ANY suggestions as to good sites or the like to where I can get some info. I need to improve greatly and want a better understanding of it instead of just the class. Thanks for all replies. Erik H
i'm glad you liked it. good luck with your training you might find something interesting in this thread: http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15785 and don't forget to use the search function, you'll find a lot of good stuff.
More important than where you go for info. would be the techniques you aim to seek out and work - there's no point in looking for submissions and crazy techniques. The basics are basics regardless of where you go... and these lay the foundation for your whole game. 4-5 years later I STILL work my escapes to this day.. I'm STILL learning about how to apply basic escapes I was shown when I first started.. and I've only just started to properly learn how set up submissions.
thanks for the replys guys. Basically what I am trying to work on is how to PREVENT going to the ground and a variety of techniques when I am on the ground. Erik
Erik, if your worried about avoinding the ground, be sure where you take BJJ they work takedowns. Starting from the knees is safer and forces you to improve your ground game, but IMO too many schools neglect teaching takedowns, throws, and takedown defense. Often we work 'round robin' takedowns at the start of class or devote certain days as just working takedowns/throws.
Judo is from the same source as BJJ, but they concentrate on throwing/avoiding throws mainly. You'd do well to try it out as well. Judo and BJJ makes for an awesome mix. On your first post: tapping out isn't a bad thing. It's how you learn: if you tap you know you need to avoid that position. You should tap out early to avoid messing up your joints.
again thanks for the replies guys. I am going again tonight and will let you guys know what happened. Erik
last night went pretty well. I am sore and was able to learn about all kinds of techniques that will definately come in handy. SO thnaks for all the helpful advice and links. Erik
I find the grappling forum over on Bullshido pretty helpful, despite the politics. Loads of good advice and a handy technique archive, though as a n00b I stick to the ones discussing basics. From there, also came across mmalibrary.com, which is another great technique archive. Good for going over what you've learned in class.
Good words of wisdom on both subjects here. Tapping out is quite routine for quite a while in BJJ. It's that or you will end up with severe damage to joints and ligaments. That's the beauty of being able to tap... you don't have to have that kind of damage while you're learning. Trust me tapping out is far less painful than being choked out. As for the Judo. If you do competitions in BJJ you're going to find there are usually a large number of people who come from a Judo background. So it's a big help to understand Judo techniques. Usually if a Judo guy manages to get your lapel - you don't remain standing but for a few seconds. I've found though that it seems many Judo schools don't drill very much on newaza or ground techniques. This is because Olympic style Judo is mainly based around points for throws - not for ground submissions. Kodoken style Judo is what Olympic Judo is based on and it appears to pay little attention to newaza. Kosen Judo is the exception - they drill lots of ground techniques and this style had a large influence on BJJ. At any rate - you'll want to know how to negate the basic Judo throws.
This site has brutally honest dvd and book reviews for BJJ, grappling and MMA: http://members.aol.com/bjj33/billmain.htm
the best one ive ever seen and is really good and which ive picked up alot of tecniques is www.bjpenn.com
If you aren't reading Aesopian's totally Awesome Journal then you aren't really serious about training BJJ.