So I finally decided to work it into my crosstraining routine. Two nights a week with Gracie Barra in Stoke. I've trained all sorts already for a few years now but I still feel a little nervous! I'm such a fanny! Just two initial questions really. A) How much time is spent on throws and standup locks/chokes/grappling? I consider this very important. Does it vary gym by gym or is there a fairly standard % in the gracie system? Basically I want to train for self defence/martial ability as opposed for jitsu tournaments. B) How long before I should expect returns in terms of my ground game? I'm also wondering if its going to be full of MMA warrior wannabes... maybe I'll report back later!
Good luck on your first class, I think you are going to love it. I am 56 and have been training once or twice a week for about 4 years now. I'm at my 3rd school now due to moving and stuff and all of them have been cool. You'll get your occasonal wannabe but they usually don't last long as the class is too much like work. So, relax and don't be a spaz. It takes time but it will come to you. Most of all enjoy as it really is a lot of fun and the people who train BJJ are people just like you. Oh yeah, tap if someone gets you in some sort of choke or lock. Tap if it hurts, don't tuff it out that's the way to get injured. Since you are new tap if you are getting too uncomfortable, there is no need to put yourself in a position where you begin to panic and either you or your partner get hurt. Everyone there will remember what it was like to be a beginner so when in doubt tap. One last thing, don't be afraid to ask questions of your partners even if they are white belts. Depending on the school it can take a long time to get your blue and that white belt might have 18 months experience. Besides everyone likes to explain moves because it helps them understand it better also. Have fun.
A) Not generally that much, it does vary from club to club. If you find you aren't doing enough you can always do some Judo or wrestling or MMA at a later date. In the meantime what you'll be learning will be very useful for self defence. B) Very very soon. Grapple for a month and you have a HUGE advantage against someone who hasn't. Which is the main reason why its so weird that so many martial artists refuse to grapple.
Man, its his first class and your going to scare him off. Thong grappling never starts before month 6.
Had a really good time! Was a bit knackered because of JKD beforehand and I got some insane cramps in my lanky calves but other than that twas good. Everyone was really down to earth and friendly and in sparring I got choked and armbar'd three times in a row before having to stop because of the calf cramps. My fingers also had some skin removed from them, which was nice. Learnt some nice techniques in the lesson though, I can tell it's going to be an awesome compliment to my taijutsu. We did cover two judo throws, tai otoshi and ippon seio nage (sp?) which means I'll definitely be staying. All in all, glad I went. PS I managed to avoid all eye contact!
Watch out, rolling is really really addictive. Glad you liked it, sounds like you have the right attitude to get really good
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stcANDCcCsw"]YouTube- BJJ : The Gayest Sport in The World[/ame] still the best sketch.... I peed off many a BJJ buddies with this. Good thing theyre all in RJD and Sao Paolo (mental note, should take them up on their off to go over there one day)
I don't train with GB, but I do know that they went to a much more structured curriculum a while back. If your Gracie Barra school is like most, there's actually a cyclical curriculum that they'll follow dictated by the mother ship. The idea, from what I gather, is to standardize the lessons worldwide. Of course, some instructors are going to adhere more closely to the posted lesson plan than others. While this institutionalizes things somewhat, it also helps guarantee that you'll get solid fundamentals. Also, you'll learn everything, not just what your instructors like.
your lucky man I'm desperately trying to scrape more training money from some were so I can start BJJ
A) How much time is spent on throws and standup locks/chokes/grappling? I consider this very important. Does it vary gym by gym or is there a fairly standard % in the gracie system? Basically I want to train for self defence/martial ability as opposed for jitsu tournaments. B) How long before I should expect returns in terms of my ground game? A. Depends on the school. Some do standup only when a competition is near, otherwise very very little. My local GB school has a dedicated standup class taught by 3rd deg BB Judoka. B. Very quickly Doesn't mean you'll start tapping out more veteran students after 2 classes but you'll be able to survive longer. Your ground will improve as soon as you start to implement the fundamentals you'll be taught at the beginning. Tap often, tap early. Have fun.
