Is this a good coach/school to learn from or not?

[whitebeltforever]

Hi everyone i went to my first bjj class and we did 2 drills thst lasted about 5mins and then learnt 2 techniques, then did about 15mins of sparring where the coach said i should just follow my instinct and simply try to stay on top when i asked him what to do because im an absolute beginner and had no idea what to do... so i hurt my leg and physio basically said its inflammation of the tendon...

The ppl i rolled with wwer very nice and helped me to learn abit more texhnique...

The bjj class is amoung many other classes in this gym which is a strength and fitness gym... so all students of bjj just have that one class... one coach.. class was friendly and lots of laughing and jokes... but does the teacher sound ok?

Should i try out another bjj school before committing ?

What r ur thoughts?

 

[Tony Dismukes]

It sounds like a pretty typical BJJ class. No obvious red flags. If the school has a website, you can post the link and maybe we can give you some more info.

As far as checking out another school before committing, that's never a bad idea. If you have multiple options, you might find that one place clicks with you more than the others.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Hi everyone i went to my first bjj class and we did 2 drills thst lasted about 5mins and then learnt 2 techniques, then did about 15mins of sparring where the coach said i should just follow my instinct and simply try to stay on top when i asked him what to do because im an absolute beginner and had no idea what to do... so i hurt my leg and physio basically said its inflammation of the tendon...

The ppl i rolled with wwer very nice and helped me to learn abit more texhnique...

The bjj class is amoung many other classes in this gym which is a strength and fitness gym... so all students of bjj just have that one class... one coach.. class was friendly and lots of laughing and jokes... but does the teacher sound ok?

Should i try out another bjj school before committing ?

What r ur thoughts?

Sounds like a good class, actually. I like the coach's approach to getting you comfortable by starting with a basic principle and just letting you explore with what little you already know.

The tendinitis sounds fairly normal, too. You used your body in a new way, and you over-used that tendon. If you're young, it'll heal fast, and you'll probably do it again. Then you'll find another tendon to aggravate. After a while, your body will become used to the movements, and you won't have that problem so much. Take it easy on it, and pay attention to what your body tells you during training, and you'll keep the injuries to a minimum.

That said, what @Tony Dismukes said is good. If there are other places, visit them and see if one clicks for you. Unless you already think this place clicks, then you might have found your home. Folks like Tony can probably verify for you if the coach is a legitimate BJJ instructor, which would be worth knowing.

 

[whitebeltforever]

Hi tony thanks for that, here it is: MARTIAL ARTS

It sounds like a pretty typical BJJ class. No obvious red flags. If the school has a website, you can post the link and maybe we can give you some more info.

As far as checking out another school before committing, that's never a bad idea. If you have multiple options, you might find that one place clicks with you more than the others.

 

[whitebeltforever]

Ah im not looking forward to more injuries... lol im 36 n just near the end of my cancer treatment so hav to b extra careful. Ps its a small class too so maybe its better than a massive class...?

Sounds like a good class, actually. I like the coach's approach to getting you comfortable by starting with a basic principle and just letting you explore with what little you already know.

The tendinitis sounds fairly normal, too. You used your body in a new way, and you over-used that tendon. If you're young, it'll heal fast, and you'll probably do it again. Then you'll find another tendon to aggravate. After a while, your body will become used to the movements, and you won't have that problem so much. Take it easy on it, and pay attention to what your body tells you during training, and you'll keep the injuries to a minimum.

That said, what @Tony Dismukes said is good. If there are other places, visit them and see if one clicks for you. Unless you already think this place clicks, then you might have found your home. Folks like Tony can probably verify for you if the coach is a legitimate BJJ instructor, which would be worth knowing.

 

[whitebeltforever]

Ps what do u think of this one in comparison? Cia Paulista Australia BJJ | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

It sounds like a pretty typical BJJ class. No obvious red flags. If the school has a website, you can post the link and maybe we can give you some more info.

As far as checking out another school before committing, that's never a bad idea. If you have multiple options, you might find that one place clicks with you more than the others.

 

[Kickboxer101]

Ah im not looking forward to more injuries... lol im 36 n just near the end of my cancer treatment so hav to b extra careful. Ps its a small class too so maybe its better than a massive class...?

Well if you haven't already you should check with your doctor if its okay for you to be training and as for class sizes it depends a small class means you get more 1 to 1 time but a big class means you have more people to work with and learn from

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Hi tony thanks for that, here it is: MARTIAL ARTS

Looks legit. I don't know anything about the instructor personally, but a brown belt in the Carlson Gracie lineage will have plenty to teach you.

Ps what do u think of this one in comparison? Cia Paulista Australia BJJ | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

This one has a much more advanced instructor. That doesn't necessarily mean he will be a better teacher for beginners such as yourself, but I would definitely check them out. Other possible advantages:

• They have a dedicated fundamentals class, which is very good for beginners
• As a more well established school, they probably have more students of different ranks and body types for you to train with and learn from

I would visit the school and give them a try, but don't assume that because the instructor is more highly ranked that it will be a better school for you. You want to train in a place where the atmosphere and the teaching style are a good fit for you and will motivate you to show up and train.

Ah im not looking forward to more injuries... lol im 36 n just near the end of my cancer treatment so hav to b extra careful. Ps its a small class too so maybe its better than a massive class...?

You're reaching the age where training smart is just as important as training hard. I started training BJJ in my 30s and even though I had already been involved in martial arts for well over a decade I spent a lot of time feeling sore and worn out. Now that I'm in my 50s I advise the following for anybody who wants to maintain their longevity in training:

Warm up thoroughly before rolling. Stretching is not a warm up.

Consistent yoga to work out the knots and correct the muscular imbalances that can result from BJJ.

Let go of worrying about winning or losing. Rolling is for learning.

Go at your own speed while rolling. If your body is only feeling warmed up enough to go 15 miles an hour and your sparring partner is going 60 mph, keep working at your own speed. If he is able to pass your guard or escape your submissions or tap you out because he is going faster, then good for him. Just keep figuring out the most efficient way to move at your own speed.

First priority in rolling is safety. Next is having fun. Next is learning. "Winning" a roll is a distant, distant, 4th place. Keep it playful.

Safety tip #1: assume your rolling partner is prepared to go full MMA/street on you and throw strikes at any time. Keep yourself positioned to stay safe from those strikes. That should help avoid accidental elbows/headbutts/knees, etc. It also helps keep your sport training from developing bad self-defense habits.

Safety tip #2: Even if you are really flexible, try not to rely on that. Work to keep your body in proper anatomic alignment. You might be comfortable in pretzel position now, but that takes a gradual toll on your spine and joints over the years.

Safety tip#3: Tap early, tap often.

Be sure to keep up with your core strength exercises. They do a lot to protect your body.

Get enough rest.

Stay hydrated.

Make sure your ukemi is solid.

Even with the gi on, I try to use no-gi grips as much as possible unless I'm working techniques that specifically depends on the gi (like collar chokes or spider guard). Gi grips seem to take a toll on the hands.

If you are recovering from an injury, spend time working drills that are safe for you. Don't be such in a rush to get back to sparring that you re-injure yourself.

 

[whitebeltforever]

Yep dox said fine and i hav a certificate. But they dont usually worry or care and have a severe lack of knowledge about what excercises and training are ok or not ok. Its jist beaurocratic paperwork to protect all their asses if i get injured.
Also good point about the class sizes.

Well if you haven't already you should check with your doctor if its okay for you to be training and as for class sizes it depends a small class means you get more 1 to 1 time but a big class means you have more people to work with and learn from

 

[whitebeltforever]

I will take ur advice n tey the other school thanks tony. I guess i though maybe because they are a specialised bjj school instead of a general strength gym they mite have more basic classes etc. Looks like its worth trying. And thanks for the assessment of the place i went to first that puts my mind at ease.

I am so goin to laminate what u said and put it on the bathroom door thats gold! Really helpful insight thank u for sharing ur experience n advice!

Looks legit. I don't know anything about the instructor personally, but a brown belt in the Carlson Gracie lineage will have plenty to teach you.



This one has a much more advanced instructor. That doesn't necessarily mean he will be a better teacher for beginners such as yourself, but I would definitely check them out. Other possible advantages:

• They have a dedicated fundamentals class, which is very good for beginners
• As a more well established school, they probably have more students of different ranks and body types for you to train with and learn from

I would visit the school and give them a try, but don't assume that because the instructor is more highly ranked that it will be a better school for you. You want to train in a place where the atmosphere and the teaching style are a good fit for you and will motivate you to show up and train.



You're reaching the age where training smart is just as important as training hard. I started training BJJ in my 30s and even though I had already been involved in martial arts for well over a decade I spent a lot of time feeling sore and worn out. Now that I'm in my 50s I advise the following for anybody who wants to maintain their longevity in training:

Warm up thoroughly before rolling. Stretching is not a warm up.

Consistent yoga to work out the knots and correct the muscular imbalances that can result from BJJ.

Let go of worrying about winning or losing. Rolling is for learning.

Go at your own speed while rolling. If your body is only feeling warmed up enough to go 15 miles an hour and your sparring partner is going 60 mph, keep working at your own speed. If he is able to pass your guard or escape your submissions or tap you out because he is going faster, then good for him. Just keep figuring out the most efficient way to move at your own speed.

First priority in rolling is safety. Next is having fun. Next is learning. "Winning" a roll is a distant, distant, 4th place. Keep it playful.

Safety tip #1: assume your rolling partner is prepared to go full MMA/street on you and throw strikes at any time. Keep yourself positioned to stay safe from those strikes. That should help avoid accidental elbows/headbutts/knees, etc. It also helps keep your sport training from developing bad self-defense habits.

Safety tip #2: Even if you are really flexible, try not to rely on that. Work to keep your body in proper anatomic alignment. You might be comfortable in pretzel position now, but that takes a gradual toll on your spine and joints over the years.

Safety tip#3: Tap early, tap often.

Be sure to keep up with your core strength exercises. They do a lot to protect your body.

Get enough rest.

Stay hydrated.

Make sure your ukemi is solid.

Even with the gi on, I try to use no-gi grips as much as possible unless I'm working techniques that specifically depends on the gi (like collar chokes or spider guard). Gi grips seem to take a toll on the hands.

If you are recovering from an injury, spend time working drills that are safe for you. Don't be such in a rush to get back to sparring that you re-injure yourself.

 

[JR 137]

Looks legit. I don't know anything about the instructor personally, but a brown belt in the Carlson Gracie lineage will have plenty to teach you.



This one has a much more advanced instructor. That doesn't necessarily mean he will be a better teacher for beginners such as yourself, but I would definitely check them out. Other possible advantages:

• They have a dedicated fundamentals class, which is very good for beginners
• As a more well established school, they probably have more students of different ranks and body types for you to train with and learn from

I would visit the school and give them a try, but don't assume that because the instructor is more highly ranked that it will be a better school for you. You want to train in a place where the atmosphere and the teaching style are a good fit for you and will motivate you to show up and train.



You're reaching the age where training smart is just as important as training hard. I started training BJJ in my 30s and even though I had already been involved in martial arts for well over a decade I spent a lot of time feeling sore and worn out. Now that I'm in my 50s I advise the following for anybody who wants to maintain their longevity in training:

Warm up thoroughly before rolling. Stretching is not a warm up.

Consistent yoga to work out the knots and correct the muscular imbalances that can result from BJJ.

Let go of worrying about winning or losing. Rolling is for learning.

Go at your own speed while rolling. If your body is only feeling warmed up enough to go 15 miles an hour and your sparring partner is going 60 mph, keep working at your own speed. If he is able to pass your guard or escape your submissions or tap you out because he is going faster, then good for him. Just keep figuring out the most efficient way to move at your own speed.

First priority in rolling is safety. Next is having fun. Next is learning. "Winning" a roll is a distant, distant, 4th place. Keep it playful.

Safety tip #1: assume your rolling partner is prepared to go full MMA/street on you and throw strikes at any time. Keep yourself positioned to stay safe from those strikes. That should help avoid accidental elbows/headbutts/knees, etc. It also helps keep your sport training from developing bad self-defense habits.

Safety tip #2: Even if you are really flexible, try not to rely on that. Work to keep your body in proper anatomic alignment. You might be comfortable in pretzel position now, but that takes a gradual toll on your spine and joints over the years.

Safety tip#3: Tap early, tap often.

Be sure to keep up with your core strength exercises. They do a lot to protect your body.

Get enough rest.

Stay hydrated.

Make sure your ukemi is solid.

Even with the gi on, I try to use no-gi grips as much as possible unless I'm working techniques that specifically depends on the gi (like collar chokes or spider guard). Gi grips seem to take a toll on the hands.

If you are recovering from an injury, spend time working drills that are safe for you. Don't be such in a rush to get back to sparring that you re-injure yourself.

Easily the best post I've read in a very, very long time.

 

[drop bear]

Op. Roll slowly and methodically. Most injuries you kind of do to yourself.

I retired a guy from class during drills the other day because he grabbed my gi too hard and bent his thumb.

 

[whitebeltforever]

I agree! I didnt feel anything at the time but really jist think because i had no idea what i was doing... thats why i thought id ask around cause i didnt get much in terms of instructions just "use your instinct" but this seems normal in the bjj world

Op. Roll slowly and methodically. Most injuries you kind of do to yourself.

I retired a guy from class during drills the other day because he grabbed my gi too hard and bent his thumb.

 

[drop bear]

I agree! I didnt feel anything at the time but really jist think because i had no idea what i was doing... thats why i thought id ask around cause i didnt get much in terms of instructions just "use your instinct" but this seems normal in the bjj world

Yeah you roll pretty much every class. And if you are new there is not much that will help you. So you do whatever for a bit untill you actually learn stuff.

After a while you will start to be able to employ some tactics. But untill then it is mostly just a case of getting used to the concept of rolling around with someone.

 

[Buka]

Welcome to MartialTalk, Whitebeltforever.

Just go have fun. If it's fun, keep going.

 

[whitebeltforever]

I had sooo much fun!! X)

Welcome to MartialTalk, Whitebeltforever.

Just go have fun. If it's fun, keep going.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I had sooo much fun!! X)

Then, as the man said, keep going!

 

[kuniggety]

While some schools have started to come up with set curriculums for rank advancement, BJJ is really about giving you a toolbox of different tools to get the job done. Every person has a different "game". Everyone rolls differently and is where your instructor was coming from with the "use your instinct" and it's why sparring/rolling is a fundamental part of training that you do from day one. You're constantly putting yourself in new and uncomfortable situations where you're trying out new things to see how they work for you. At the same time, your partner is doing the same.

Right now it'll all just be new to you. Eventually you'll learn all of the positions, a submission or two from each and a sweep, and then things will just start clicking. It's funny that I'll have guys with more experience that I feel like I have a lot of control over and then there will be folks more "junior" who I just can't seem to stop whatever they're doing. That's people developing their own games and it working well against other people's games or not so well!

 

[whitebeltforever]

Tha ks so much for ur input and explaining it for me. that makes alot of sense...

While some schools have started to come up with set curriculums for rank advancement, BJJ is really about giving you a toolbox of different tools to get the job done. Every person has a different "game". Everyone rolls differently and is where your instructor was coming from with the "use your instinct" and it's why sparring/rolling is a fundamental part of training that you do from day one. You're constantly putting yourself in new and uncomfortable situations where you're trying out new things to see how they work for you. At the same time, your partner is doing the same.

Right now it'll all just be new to you. Eventually you'll learn all of the positions, a submission or two from each and a sweep, and then things will just start clicking. It's funny that I'll have guys with more experience that I feel like I have a lot of control over and then there will be folks more "junior" who I just can't seem to stop whatever they're doing. That's people developing their own games and it working well against other people's games or not so well!

 

[whitebeltforever]

hi everyone, just letting you know that i tried the new bjj school and the instructor was really really skilled, experienced, warm and encouraging. but most of all he read my enrolment form where i said i have systemic lupus and cancer and he told me to rest quite a few times during the class. gave me alot of attention even tho it was like a class of about 30 people, and the people i sparred with didn't really "fight" me but basically walked me through what they knew and taught me a few moves each. it was one of the safest martial arts classes i have ever been to... and now it is clear in my mind that my injury would have been prevented if the other coach instructed me more carefully or watched me more carefully...

i got less instruction than this coach today even tho the other class (i injured myself in) had only 5 students and this class had 30. the other coach didnt spend any time with me while i was sparring and even told me that if it's fine for me to go to class once a week like i wanted but that I won't see "results" that way. i really doubt he even realized what having a chronic illness plus cancer means even though i explained it to him.. but this coach today never pushed any classes and was careful with me the whole class without me having to explain anything at all.. all the while having no trouble in keeping a watchful eye on all other students... i'm sure the other coach is still great but he just isnt the right coach for me...

anyway, practically the place i signed up for today has casual classes that are heavily discounted for members who pay a small once off fee, and they have fundamentals classes and beginners classes which wld b great...

thanks for all your help everyone xoxoxo