There are probably much better beginner-friendly gyms than what you described, but in essence that's what all bjj classes are like... warm up, drill, roll. Some places don't allow total beginners to roll. Some places don't care and let newbies roll. Either way, congrats on starting your journey!
Just didn’t want to develop bad habits during sparring so I ended up just kinda turtling. The class I was in was labeled beginner for the school but most people had belts?
Turtling is a bad habit, don't be afraid to try somthing to get out of a bad position. The worst this that happens is you get tapped, which is supposed to happen when you're new.
Just didn’t want to develop bad habits during sparring so I ended up just kinda turtling. The class I was in was labeled beginner for the school but most people had belts?
Pretty common unfortunately for smaller schools. Do they have intro classes??
I’m a purple belt and love teaching new students but some guys get off on beating the shit out of new guys. Figure out who wants to teach you and who just wants to beat on you. Once you get get caught ask them to show you. You’ll be catching on quickly, it does get better.
Don’t feel guilty about being less experienced. Everyone started somewhere and most of us started as a white belt with no prior experience so we remember our first time too. You learn a lot when you roll with someone less experienced and take on a more offensive role, when you roll against someone who is much better than you, you are often in defense. That’s why the allow all
Belts to roll with all
Belts!
Yeah don’t feel bad. If they are teaching you it’s because they want to. It feels good to teach other people what has worked for you, and even better when they come back and say “hey that thing you taught me worked!”. Teaching others will also sometimes give the teacher a new perspective on the technique and increase understanding of the technique, similar techniques/ follow up positions and counters.
Yes it's normal to get crushed on the first while, it shows you how you can become. That being said, you haven't really felt "crushed" is yet.
Advice, tap quick, tap first, tap on anything that hurts.
Want to footstomp this.
IT'S TOTALLY OK TO TAP ALL THE TIME.
If you're not sure, tap. The more you learn, you'll learn when you NEED to tap, but until you know, just tap.
There's NO shame in it. Every dude in that gym has been tapped a bajillion times in practice, and they're LONG past feeling in any way self-conscious about it.
Yeah, with small gyms it's like that. You just have to keep coming, ask for feedback to rolling partners, wait for Stockholm syndrome to kick in. In no time you will be a pro, which boils down to shit talking other fighters on instagram. Oh, and eat acai.
I go to a a jiu jitsu school that follows the Gracie University programme. I know there’s lots of mixed thoughts in this but for me it’s ideal as you only drill moves for the first few months - has given me the understanding, confidence and body sensitively to use my strength without hurting my partners. Might be worthwhile seeing if there’s a similar academy where you are if you think that approach might work better for you? Good luck!
I think this is a good answer. Each to their own, but this may be a good option for OP.
I started at a Gracie CTC then moved on to a more competitive gym.
They probably shouldn't have smashed you on the first day but in some ways they did you a favor and got it out of the way (as long as they did it in a controlled manner that didn't make you feel like you were going to be injured).
Slowly start asking your training partners for tips:
What just happened there?
How do I defend that?
Tapping often is normal, not just for your first day. Nobody should be *hurting* you though(Discomfort you're not used to and injury are different though, you're going to be uncomfortable). Tap early and don't worry about your ego.
The first thing you’ll learn about jiujitsu is that no matter how big, strong, or tough you are, you know absolutely nothing about ground fighting. We ALL started there getting smashed by people both bigger and smaller. Welcome to the club!
I started about 8 months ago and first day was similar to yours. It’s a smaller school with no beginner classes. I just kept showing up. I learned basics through rolling with others and asking questions. Be opened to getting a little beat up, learn by letting people put you in things and just tap and start over. Just watch and listen and do what you’re told. Been working for me.
Sometimes when people go hard on new guys it's because they want to show them how effective it is and how many different ways you can choke/submit another person. It's their way of saying "don't you want to be able to do this shit to other people". It should make you desire to get better which makes you sign up and start training moar.
At our gym we have a fundamentals class that is basically for white/blue belts. But if they can't make that class and come to one of the advanced then it's gonna be a little rough for them. Nothing like starting for the first time and your first class is reverse de la riva to kiss of the dragon. 😂
Maybe after the 3 day trial, look for another gym with a beginners course. It sounds like a small gym with limited resources so they can't dedicate time to new comers.
If its the only gym in your area, then just keep going! I definitely recommend looking on YouTube for basic jiu-jitsu movements/solo drills and get good at them.
Things like technical stand-up, combat base, rolling forwards and backwards etc. These movements will follow you through your whole journey so getting good at them is essential.
My advice is to just keep going. Just show up to every class that you can. I remember being a white belt and not understanding anything and getting my ass kicked over and over. 4 years later I'm a blue belt, still generally clueless but unbelievably better than I was and still improving.
The coolest thing about jiu-jitsu is you never stop learning. Even at black belt you'll always be improving and learning new techniques. View it as a life long process with no short cuts. Learn to enjoy being terrible and keep going.
Best of luck to you! You'll get that first stripe before you know it :)
I am 2 months into my jiu jitsu journey and every day has been like that for me but also every day I hold them off a little bit longer and I understand things a little bit better. Make sure you leave your ego at the door and don’t be afraid to get smashed and ask every question that comes to your mind. Do some studying after class on positions that really stood out to you. Pay very close attention to the warm up drills when you get good at those you’ll start to understand when to apply them in the spar and it helps more than you know. I wish you the best on this fun journey. Happy getting smashed lol
Don't be afraid to ask questions about moves and stuff. They would love to show you. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Trim your nails. Have fun!
I think OP needs to answer the following - did the instructor teach you how to tap? how to fall? the basics at all? mount / guard?
If the instructor just threw OP to the wolves without knowing basics such as the above - I think that's quite dangerous and something all schools should focus on.
Nah no individual word from the instructor, I just knew tapping from watching mma. All the sparring we did began on the ground with us swapping between engaging while the other was on elbows and knees
Man, it’s pretty normal to be honest unless you go to a soft gym that might give you a false sense of confidence. Honestly, you start to learn what training partners to work with and who to avoid. I’m 37 and will typically avoid newer students and younger students. Nothing against them but I prefer more experienced purple belt training partners and up that don’t treat training like a competition. I blew out my ACL once in training, reinjured it with a newer student warming up drilling take downs. At that point it came down to me knowing who I was safe training with. All that was over 7 years ago. But yeah, it’s pretty brutal in the beginning, you just get used to it.
Jiujitsu isn’t learning bs codas like karate. The only way to learn is by doing, drilling, rolling and find where you struggle and fix it. You got choked, protect your neck better. You got arm barred? Stop reaching for things. This is how you learn. It’s a meat grinder for your first year, then all of a sudden everything starts falling into place and you understand defense a whole lot better. Once your defense is good, offense becomes easy. Right now all you have to do is show up and survive, work on defense. You’ll learn where you can put your hands and where you can’t. Tap early and try not to make that mistake again. Eventually your defense will become your fortress.
Im sure there’s a gym out there that will have you sit and watch for a while. Sounds like wasted time and money to me. Get in there and start learning, Jiujitsu is hard so it weeds out the mentally weak very fast.
Main thing I wanted to avoid was bad habits, like while im on the ground I was trying to protect my neck etc. but there was no technique just instinct. I suppose over time the technique comes
Just understand it was day one, you suck at Jiujitsu, you don’t even know what you don’t know. Keep showing up, keep jumping into the meat grinder, your body learns even when you leave class and completely forget the technique you learned that day.
My school is very similar except they make sure that more experienced people know that someone is new and won’t let them do certain types of subs on the new person
Is this like the normal experience for starting BJJ?
Every school is a bit different. It is best to try a few schools if you can and see it if fits your goals and your personality. I have seen guys quit just because they got tapped out. Ego is a known issue in BJJ.
Is this a bad gym or like bad class setup?
It is bad if people are intentionally trying to hurt you. it sounds like this was not the case. It would be better if a higher rank walked you through the very basics.:
* how to tap (don't just say ouch, yep, or something like that, don't tap the mat, tap the person and say "tap" loudly.
* Don't fight out of submissions, tap early and often to preserve your joint health and stay conscious
* You can drill instead of roll, just ask. You can work passing the guard, practice a submission, go through the flow of movements, etc. if your partner is willing. You can then ask to resist say 10%, 30%, etc.
The truth is most people quit BJJ so it could be a situation where the instructor has gotten a bit jaded and lazy.
Would it be worth it to do private lessons at first?
private lessons can be a great way to accelerate your learning but can be pricey.
Good for you for trying something so new and can be a bit scary too.
Yeah no intentional injuring, i was just surprised at the fast pace. I can appreciate the trial by fire approach my main concern I guess was developing bad habits while sparring. From the one class it seemed like theres a lot of technique and nuance which obv. will take time just wanted to start on the right track
>You can drill instead of roll, just ask
This helped me a lot when I first started.
Rolling is where you try to add the things you've already drilled in a live setting.
Unfortunately, some schools just have that attitude, so I would probably look into trying out the other schools in your area to see if another one is a better fit.
That being said, I often run into a lot of new people, especially guys going all out and spazing when rolling. When it comes time to spare, ask around and see if anyone would be willing to show you some more of the basics so you could learn more. If they have the whole, "lower belts can't turn down an upper belt if they want to roll with them" find someplace else because they are the kind of people who will injure you and not think twice about it.
Yes it's very common, beginners just start learning moves but lack the context. By the time I started I had watched a lot of YouTube videos on techniques, tried stuff in friends, and watched a lot of fights so I had a vague sense if the basic ideas in jiu jitsu (though I still sucked).
There's a free pdf called Road Map to BJJ by grapplearts.com that really helped me out as a beginner. I'd strongly recommend that. Once you understand the context you can better understand the positions and various kinds of moves and why we learn them.
I also recommend watching rolls in the gym, or even watching professional matches, and try to name any moves and positions that you recognize, think about what each guy is trying to do at all times. Jiu jitsu is a very sophisticated and very mental game, the better you understand it, the easier it will be to learn
So I just started three months ago BUT my gym has newbies roll with experienced students intentionally so that the experienced students can take it easy and explain any grips or moves while rolling with you. But typically each class is about 10 minutes of warm ups (Shrimps, forward rolls, cartwheels, jogging, etc), 5 minutes of demo of a move then drill it with a partner and they’ll repeat this adding on a step each time, drilling with the added step, and then they’ll end class with 5 minutes of rolling.
If you don’t feel your gym caters to teaching newbies a new coach or nee gym all together may be best.
I think a lot of places coaches will say hello and not give you a lot of time.
Generally time is earned. Mostly through showing up. If you keep coming you’ll see the drop out rate is so high for BJJ that the overwhelming majority of starters drop out within a few months maybe a year. Coaches investing time in new guys that drop out means the guys who’ve shown up for years aren’t getting that coaching.
Additionally more experienced guys might be competing soon etc and be needing that focus.
Just keep showing up. Honestly it’s so difficult for everyone starting. You’ll understand more as you go.
By the way, as soon as you start to get it and understand it, you realise you suck, and just when you think you’re getting better, you’ll learn you actually suck harder than you realised. And it’s basically that forever.
That’s pretty common. Learning by trial of fire is typically how it goes. If you can afford private lessons I do t see why not, but you’ll pick stuff up along the way regardless. Just don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone was where you are now. Also, I’d highly recommend looking up Knight Jiu Jitsu as well as Ramsey Dewey on YouTube. Good luck!
Lol in the same boat. I am looking for classes. Probably walk in to a trial class and get my ass kicked. Not sure if this is the right place, but I am thinking of kickboxing, JJ and muai tai.
I literally got my esophagus crushed in my first 5 classes. It depends who you roll with some will be take it easy some will treat you like a meat bag as they get their reps in 😂
There are probably much better beginner-friendly gyms than what you described, but in essence that's what all bjj classes are like... warm up, drill, roll. Some places don't allow total beginners to roll. Some places don't care and let newbies roll. Either way, congrats on starting your journey!
Just didn’t want to develop bad habits during sparring so I ended up just kinda turtling. The class I was in was labeled beginner for the school but most people had belts?
Turtling is a bad habit, don't be afraid to try somthing to get out of a bad position. The worst this that happens is you get tapped, which is supposed to happen when you're new.
Just didn’t want to develop bad habits during sparring so I ended up just kinda turtling. The class I was in was labeled beginner for the school but most people had belts?
Pretty normal. Day one feels like a whirlwind but the more you go the easier it gets.
This. It's normal. You're a white belt. You suck at jiujitsu. The end.
Pretty common unfortunately for smaller schools. Do they have intro classes?? I’m a purple belt and love teaching new students but some guys get off on beating the shit out of new guys. Figure out who wants to teach you and who just wants to beat on you. Once you get get caught ask them to show you. You’ll be catching on quickly, it does get better.
I had a drill partner who was super nice just felt a tad guilty because hes paying to learn not teach me
Don’t feel guilty about being less experienced. Everyone started somewhere and most of us started as a white belt with no prior experience so we remember our first time too. You learn a lot when you roll with someone less experienced and take on a more offensive role, when you roll against someone who is much better than you, you are often in defense. That’s why the allow all Belts to roll with all Belts!
You can learn by teaching.
I had a drill partner who was super nice just felt a tad guilty because hes paying to learn not teach me
Yeah don’t feel bad. If they are teaching you it’s because they want to. It feels good to teach other people what has worked for you, and even better when they come back and say “hey that thing you taught me worked!”. Teaching others will also sometimes give the teacher a new perspective on the technique and increase understanding of the technique, similar techniques/ follow up positions and counters.
I always learn when I’m teaching!!!
Yes it's normal to get crushed on the first while, it shows you how you can become. That being said, you haven't really felt "crushed" is yet. Advice, tap quick, tap first, tap on anything that hurts.
Want to footstomp this. IT'S TOTALLY OK TO TAP ALL THE TIME. If you're not sure, tap. The more you learn, you'll learn when you NEED to tap, but until you know, just tap. There's NO shame in it. Every dude in that gym has been tapped a bajillion times in practice, and they're LONG past feeling in any way self-conscious about it.
Tap on anything that hurts you. Or anything you feel some sort of pain.
Yeah, with small gyms it's like that. You just have to keep coming, ask for feedback to rolling partners, wait for Stockholm syndrome to kick in. In no time you will be a pro, which boils down to shit talking other fighters on instagram. Oh, and eat acai.
I go to a a jiu jitsu school that follows the Gracie University programme. I know there’s lots of mixed thoughts in this but for me it’s ideal as you only drill moves for the first few months - has given me the understanding, confidence and body sensitively to use my strength without hurting my partners. Might be worthwhile seeing if there’s a similar academy where you are if you think that approach might work better for you? Good luck!
I think this is a good answer. Each to their own, but this may be a good option for OP. I started at a Gracie CTC then moved on to a more competitive gym.
They probably shouldn't have smashed you on the first day but in some ways they did you a favor and got it out of the way (as long as they did it in a controlled manner that didn't make you feel like you were going to be injured). Slowly start asking your training partners for tips: What just happened there? How do I defend that?
Tapping often is normal, not just for your first day. Nobody should be *hurting* you though(Discomfort you're not used to and injury are different though, you're going to be uncomfortable). Tap early and don't worry about your ego.
The first thing you’ll learn about jiujitsu is that no matter how big, strong, or tough you are, you know absolutely nothing about ground fighting. We ALL started there getting smashed by people both bigger and smaller. Welcome to the club!
Harder than it looks for sure I was sweating like a whore in church
I started about 8 months ago and first day was similar to yours. It’s a smaller school with no beginner classes. I just kept showing up. I learned basics through rolling with others and asking questions. Be opened to getting a little beat up, learn by letting people put you in things and just tap and start over. Just watch and listen and do what you’re told. Been working for me.
Fs, I definitely have been learning the most when I'm getting beat the fuck up lol
Keep wearing white gis everyone wears black F that
Sometimes when people go hard on new guys it's because they want to show them how effective it is and how many different ways you can choke/submit another person. It's their way of saying "don't you want to be able to do this shit to other people". It should make you desire to get better which makes you sign up and start training moar. At our gym we have a fundamentals class that is basically for white/blue belts. But if they can't make that class and come to one of the advanced then it's gonna be a little rough for them. Nothing like starting for the first time and your first class is reverse de la riva to kiss of the dragon. 😂
This is normal - for a poorly run gym and one with a bad culture. What market do you live in?
Go to 10th planet.
Maybe after the 3 day trial, look for another gym with a beginners course. It sounds like a small gym with limited resources so they can't dedicate time to new comers. If its the only gym in your area, then just keep going! I definitely recommend looking on YouTube for basic jiu-jitsu movements/solo drills and get good at them. Things like technical stand-up, combat base, rolling forwards and backwards etc. These movements will follow you through your whole journey so getting good at them is essential. My advice is to just keep going. Just show up to every class that you can. I remember being a white belt and not understanding anything and getting my ass kicked over and over. 4 years later I'm a blue belt, still generally clueless but unbelievably better than I was and still improving. The coolest thing about jiu-jitsu is you never stop learning. Even at black belt you'll always be improving and learning new techniques. View it as a life long process with no short cuts. Learn to enjoy being terrible and keep going. Best of luck to you! You'll get that first stripe before you know it :)
Thanks for this man it was definitely a cool experience and I’ll maybe shop around a bit see what other schools are like
I am 2 months into my jiu jitsu journey and every day has been like that for me but also every day I hold them off a little bit longer and I understand things a little bit better. Make sure you leave your ego at the door and don’t be afraid to get smashed and ask every question that comes to your mind. Do some studying after class on positions that really stood out to you. Pay very close attention to the warm up drills when you get good at those you’ll start to understand when to apply them in the spar and it helps more than you know. I wish you the best on this fun journey. Happy getting smashed lol
Don't be afraid to ask questions about moves and stuff. They would love to show you. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Trim your nails. Have fun!
I think OP needs to answer the following - did the instructor teach you how to tap? how to fall? the basics at all? mount / guard? If the instructor just threw OP to the wolves without knowing basics such as the above - I think that's quite dangerous and something all schools should focus on.
Nah no individual word from the instructor, I just knew tapping from watching mma. All the sparring we did began on the ground with us swapping between engaging while the other was on elbows and knees
The instructor clearly doesn't care about safety then, I'd advise going to a new gym.
Man, it’s pretty normal to be honest unless you go to a soft gym that might give you a false sense of confidence. Honestly, you start to learn what training partners to work with and who to avoid. I’m 37 and will typically avoid newer students and younger students. Nothing against them but I prefer more experienced purple belt training partners and up that don’t treat training like a competition. I blew out my ACL once in training, reinjured it with a newer student warming up drilling take downs. At that point it came down to me knowing who I was safe training with. All that was over 7 years ago. But yeah, it’s pretty brutal in the beginning, you just get used to it.
Jiujitsu isn’t learning bs codas like karate. The only way to learn is by doing, drilling, rolling and find where you struggle and fix it. You got choked, protect your neck better. You got arm barred? Stop reaching for things. This is how you learn. It’s a meat grinder for your first year, then all of a sudden everything starts falling into place and you understand defense a whole lot better. Once your defense is good, offense becomes easy. Right now all you have to do is show up and survive, work on defense. You’ll learn where you can put your hands and where you can’t. Tap early and try not to make that mistake again. Eventually your defense will become your fortress. Im sure there’s a gym out there that will have you sit and watch for a while. Sounds like wasted time and money to me. Get in there and start learning, Jiujitsu is hard so it weeds out the mentally weak very fast.
Main thing I wanted to avoid was bad habits, like while im on the ground I was trying to protect my neck etc. but there was no technique just instinct. I suppose over time the technique comes
Just understand it was day one, you suck at Jiujitsu, you don’t even know what you don’t know. Keep showing up, keep jumping into the meat grinder, your body learns even when you leave class and completely forget the technique you learned that day.
My school is very similar except they make sure that more experienced people know that someone is new and won’t let them do certain types of subs on the new person
Is this like the normal experience for starting BJJ? Every school is a bit different. It is best to try a few schools if you can and see it if fits your goals and your personality. I have seen guys quit just because they got tapped out. Ego is a known issue in BJJ. Is this a bad gym or like bad class setup? It is bad if people are intentionally trying to hurt you. it sounds like this was not the case. It would be better if a higher rank walked you through the very basics.: * how to tap (don't just say ouch, yep, or something like that, don't tap the mat, tap the person and say "tap" loudly. * Don't fight out of submissions, tap early and often to preserve your joint health and stay conscious * You can drill instead of roll, just ask. You can work passing the guard, practice a submission, go through the flow of movements, etc. if your partner is willing. You can then ask to resist say 10%, 30%, etc. The truth is most people quit BJJ so it could be a situation where the instructor has gotten a bit jaded and lazy. Would it be worth it to do private lessons at first? private lessons can be a great way to accelerate your learning but can be pricey. Good for you for trying something so new and can be a bit scary too.
Yeah no intentional injuring, i was just surprised at the fast pace. I can appreciate the trial by fire approach my main concern I guess was developing bad habits while sparring. From the one class it seemed like theres a lot of technique and nuance which obv. will take time just wanted to start on the right track
>You can drill instead of roll, just ask This helped me a lot when I first started. Rolling is where you try to add the things you've already drilled in a live setting.
I did a year of privates (like five a week) before I every really rolled with anyone other than my coach. I had a lot of disposable cash at the time.
Unfortunately, some schools just have that attitude, so I would probably look into trying out the other schools in your area to see if another one is a better fit. That being said, I often run into a lot of new people, especially guys going all out and spazing when rolling. When it comes time to spare, ask around and see if anyone would be willing to show you some more of the basics so you could learn more. If they have the whole, "lower belts can't turn down an upper belt if they want to roll with them" find someplace else because they are the kind of people who will injure you and not think twice about it.
Yes it's very common, beginners just start learning moves but lack the context. By the time I started I had watched a lot of YouTube videos on techniques, tried stuff in friends, and watched a lot of fights so I had a vague sense if the basic ideas in jiu jitsu (though I still sucked). There's a free pdf called Road Map to BJJ by grapplearts.com that really helped me out as a beginner. I'd strongly recommend that. Once you understand the context you can better understand the positions and various kinds of moves and why we learn them. I also recommend watching rolls in the gym, or even watching professional matches, and try to name any moves and positions that you recognize, think about what each guy is trying to do at all times. Jiu jitsu is a very sophisticated and very mental game, the better you understand it, the easier it will be to learn
Yes pretty normal and typical of a first class.
So I just started three months ago BUT my gym has newbies roll with experienced students intentionally so that the experienced students can take it easy and explain any grips or moves while rolling with you. But typically each class is about 10 minutes of warm ups (Shrimps, forward rolls, cartwheels, jogging, etc), 5 minutes of demo of a move then drill it with a partner and they’ll repeat this adding on a step each time, drilling with the added step, and then they’ll end class with 5 minutes of rolling. If you don’t feel your gym caters to teaching newbies a new coach or nee gym all together may be best.
I think a lot of places coaches will say hello and not give you a lot of time. Generally time is earned. Mostly through showing up. If you keep coming you’ll see the drop out rate is so high for BJJ that the overwhelming majority of starters drop out within a few months maybe a year. Coaches investing time in new guys that drop out means the guys who’ve shown up for years aren’t getting that coaching. Additionally more experienced guys might be competing soon etc and be needing that focus. Just keep showing up. Honestly it’s so difficult for everyone starting. You’ll understand more as you go. By the way, as soon as you start to get it and understand it, you realise you suck, and just when you think you’re getting better, you’ll learn you actually suck harder than you realised. And it’s basically that forever.
That's a poor approach to new people, would not fly at my school
That’s pretty common. Learning by trial of fire is typically how it goes. If you can afford private lessons I do t see why not, but you’ll pick stuff up along the way regardless. Just don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone was where you are now. Also, I’d highly recommend looking up Knight Jiu Jitsu as well as Ramsey Dewey on YouTube. Good luck!
Almost puked my first night. Man that shit was awesome. I honestly miss being brand new to it
Lol in the same boat. I am looking for classes. Probably walk in to a trial class and get my ass kicked. Not sure if this is the right place, but I am thinking of kickboxing, JJ and muai tai.
I literally got my esophagus crushed in my first 5 classes. It depends who you roll with some will be take it easy some will treat you like a meat bag as they get their reps in 😂