From white knight to white belt (bjj training log)

[Ton1ngchico]

Yesterday was my first class at the Renzo Gracie Academy. stand by for my log.

http://www.brunobjj.com/rgawall.jpg

Had my first class at the Renzo Gracie Academy, in the Blue B Program. It was great. Taught by a black belt with a brown belt a and purple assisting. Did some take downs, a side control escape and some free rolling. Good stuff mang.

[Ton1ngchico]

Yesterday was day two. Trained in Magno Gama's class. He is a great guy. Really technical. We did some arm bar drills, take downs, and switched off with mounting attacks/escapes rolling.

I find that I am really not as strong as the other guys, even though I am much bigger than them. The two and three stripe white belts are also killing me big time. But it is only my second class, and I feel that in two weeks I will be much better.

My guard sucks, and so does my posturing, since I am not used to gi training, I keep getting controlled very easily. But the guys in class help explain stuff to me.

Next week I will try to do two classes back to back at least once next week. I am pretty sure if I train 6 classes a week I can get my first stripe in a month. Some guys train over a month or two with no stripes, but they seem to be the guys that train 2 classes a week or just suck. I am gonna go at least 5 classes a week.

A note on the last class I took. It was taught by Igor Gracie, great guy. I feel so great that I can train with the Gracies. I will be going to Daniel Gracie's morning class this week too. I heard his class is hard. Renzo actually came to the school last night, but I couldn't talk to him since I was in class. I saw him looking through the window though. It kinda blew my mind.

[Ecnewyx]

Yesterday was day two. Trained in Magno Gama's class. He is a great guy. Really technical. We did some arm bar drills, take downs, and switched off with mounting attacks/escapes rolling.

I find that I am really not as strong as the other guys, even though I am much bigger than them. The two and three stripe white belts are also killing me big time. But it is only my second class, and I feel that in two weeks I will be much better.

If you lift you're probably stronger than most guys there, right now they just have better technique probably. I think around the 5-6 month mark when everything clicks you'll find your strength will be a big advantage.



My guard sucks, and so does my posturing, since I am not used to gi training, I keep getting controlled very easily. But the guys in class help explain stuff to me.

Next week I will try to do two classes back to back at least once next week. I am pretty sure if I train 6 classes a week I can get my first stripe in a month. Some guys train over a month or two with no stripes, but they seem to be the guys that train 2 classes a week or just suck. I am gonna go at least 5 classes a week.

A note on the last class I took. It was taught by Igor Gracie, great guy. I feel so great that I can train with the Gracies. I will be going to Daniel Gracie's morning class this week too. I heard his class is hard. Renzo actually came to the school last night, but I couldn't talk to him since I was in class. I saw him looking through the window though. It kinda blew my mind.

Igor still teaches at Renzo's? I thought he'd be at GracieCT now. Does Danaher still teach the Blue B class?

[Ton1ngchico]

If you lift you're probably stronger than most guys there, right now they just have better technique probably. I think around the 5-6 month mark when everything clicks you'll find your strength will be a big advantage.



Igor still teaches at Renzo's? I thought he'd be at GracieCT now. Does Danaher still teach the Blue B class?


Igor is still there. Maybe he does both. Danaher still teaches there. Some guys I met said GSP came to the school to train alot.

[Ton1ngchico]

So I went to several more classes. The evening classes after 7 were pretty nice. Less crowded than the packed as hell 6 pm class. Magno taught and he is a great teacher.

Then I went to Daniel Gracie's afternoon class. Saw John Danaher rollin with some dudes. He almost looks like a wierd white monkey. His arms look overly developed like an ape, and he moves with such instinct it almost doesn't look human, but maybe its just me lol. Dude is nice.

Daniel's class was intense with the warm up...i thought I would die. He was very technical and took some time to correct my armbar which was very nice.

I encountered some problem grapplers though. Guys you hate to roll with.

Give up too easy guy- once you escape and mount, or go for a sub he starts claiming he gave up and thats why you got him. won't let you finish anything

Sweaty Smoker guy- dude just started class and just quit smoking. goes crazy in rolling, doesn't practice technique and just grabs you around until he runs out of gas than tells you he cant go anymore. also gets his sweat in your mouth...yuck

UFC guy- doesn't listen to teacher or even do the drills right. just wants to roll at one hundred percent. going for crazy armbars he "saw on t.v." and trying to impress everyone by saying its his first week, then doing anything to tap you out or not get tapped himself. this includes elbows in your throat. wtf. i called him out on it, and when he didnt stop i went from side control into his guard, and jammed my elbow into his solar plexus.


lol...i hope i don't have more horror stories. and will check other logs for diet and training tips. i think i may have pulled my groin. it hurts between my hip and thigh, like that tendon when i lift my leg. damn.

[Ecnewyx]

UFC guy- doesn't listen to teacher or even do the drills right. just wants to roll at one hundred percent. going for crazy armbars he "saw on t.v." and trying to impress everyone by saying its his first week, then doing anything to tap you out or not get tapped himself. this includes elbows in your throat. wtf. i called him out on it, and when he didnt stop i went from side control into his guard, and jammed my elbow into his solar plexus.


lol...i hope i don't have more horror stories. and will check other logs for diet and training tips. i think i may have pulled my groin. it hurts between my hip and thigh, like that tendon when i lift my leg. damn.

I'm sorta following your log, too lazy to start one of my own. The UFC guy is the worst. I rolled with a guy once who literally came in head to toe decked in Tapout, Affliction, UFC gear.

He spiked me from a triangle. :( Twice. It was partly my bad because I was rolling a little lazy and should've broken him down but he probably had a good 30 pounds of muscle on me. That sucked. I thought he was going to start eye-gouging, lol, so after I subbed him I decided never to roll with him again... and actually sometime after that he either got kicked out or quit on his own.

[Ton1ngchico]

I'm sorta following your log, too lazy to start one of my own. The UFC guy is the worst. I rolled with a guy once who literally came in head to toe decked in Tapout, Affliction, UFC gear.

He spiked me from a triangle. :( Twice. It was partly my bad because I was rolling a little lazy and should've broken him down but he probably had a good 30 pounds of muscle on me. That sucked. I thought he was going to start eye-gouging, lol, so after I subbed him I decided never to roll with him again... and actually sometime after that he either got kicked out or quit on his own.

cool man. i'm still trying to figure out how to do the log right. think i am out until next week, my leg is killing me think i pulled something.

on a sidenote with ufc guy, he was so rough that a pimple on my face burst and i bled all over him. i saw the blood pouring out and got up to leave class and the teacher was screamin "its ok its a pimple its a pimple. then i came back in just in time for cool down and class was over. wont roll with that guy again.

[Ecnewyx]

cool man. i'm still trying to figure out how to do the log right. think i am out until next week, my leg is killing me think i pulled something.

on a sidenote with ufc guy, he was so rough that a pimple on my face burst and i bled all over him. i saw the blood pouring out and got up to leave class and the teacher was screamin "its ok its a pimple its a pimple. then i came back in just in time for cool down and class was over. wont roll with that guy again.

Get used to injuries. :D

If you can still drill technique try to make it out there, just don't go live... especially if you have free time right now (summer?). You can go slow and rep moves.

[Ton1ngchico]

Get used to injuries. :D

If you can still drill technique try to make it out there, just don't go live... especially if you have free time right now (summer?). You can go slow and rep moves.

I don't want to make the injury worse. I will wait till monday, and call out sick from work. then i will go to the morning and hopefully afternoon class. then in the afternoon get some cysts removed at dermatologists. Then tues get wisdom teeth out, and hopefully get back to class on friday. By the following monday I expect to be back in full swing.

I think right now I am looking at who I want to train with regularly.

I am thinking Tues and Weds. Daniel Gracie's class, since thats the only days I can go to his, and monday and friday and tuesday the night classes with magno.

I don't want to get used to getting hurt, I want to learn how to train smarter. i have been letting white belt noobs go crazy on me, but from now on i will tell them no live rolling until the end of class and only for a few minutes.

right now i want to get my technique down.

[Ton1ngchico]

Leg mostly healed...did a class last night.

I think the throw we did was called Osoto Gari, or something like that. Then a bunch of side control stuff.

Breathing through a mouthpiece is hard.

I encountered a few more gym trolls

Back from "injury" guy- this guy looks like its his first class, yet is "back" from an injury. doesn't know any of the basics, yet wants to go for triangles, and do complicated sweeps and escapes. swears he trained forever, yet knows nothing, and looks like he is in really bad condition. Was probably always fat, did a week of training, got mildly injured and took off six months, came back and had better memories of himself than he really was.

The truth is he was a fat loser, and still is, and is more busy explaining why he has no stripes and was out for so long than spending time rolling and learning technique. lol.