Getting on the Path

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), has a, pretty steep learning curve. There is a lot of material you learn every time you step on the mat. That is not to say it takes a ton of time to learn, however general consistency is key.

I would encourage you to try and find the training frequency that makes you miss training a little bit, but not such a break that you dread the first day back. You will naturally get sore from training. Don’t let it keep you out of training! Getting 2-3 classes in per week should be enough exposure to allow for progress. More is better if you can make it happen and are so inspired.

Here are a few resources to help you put the pieces together. Go through them in whatever order catches your eye. If you have any questions just reach out and let us know!

See you in class!

Learn what specifically makes BJJ a defense first art. See how that influences our training.

In studying the self defense approach to BJJ you will learn about the positional Heirarchy. Before you try to learn all the flow drills, first just identify all the positions they cover.

Just watch the flow drills loop a bit, naming each position along the flow, until you can see and say what transitions are happening.

  • Get an Idea of the Basic Moves from the Basic Positions

Don’t think of these as DIY Self Defense How-To’s!

Studying Technique is a little like football players practicing plays. You are practicing a specific outcome, not fighting to decide WHICH outcome. Training is for training - sparring for sparring.

There is a fair amount of rehearsal and coordination in understanding what makes the moves work. Progress forward is generally found in dissecting technique you thought you already knew, or details that seem obvious at first pass. Details make the art just like pixels make a picture. The more details you understand, the better you can see the picture.

Don’t worry so much about what you don’t know - focus on continued training and adding to your knowledge base. Review what you know - add a little more. Review - Add - Review - Add.

Then do the mantra of the little fish; “Just keep swiming”!

Learn to do the warm up movements well. Make them as pretty and efficient as you’d like your Jiu Jitsu to be. The better control and command you have over your body - the better your Jiu Jitsu will be

Jiu Jitsu is said to be a lifestyle - a relaxed, and easy going lifestyle. Of course I want you to get away from the desk and get on the mat whenever it’s doable. That said, it shouldn’t be your only form of activity. We get a limited amount of sunshine in the PNW, and the rain and grey can push you indoors more often than is healthy - IF you let it. Don’t let it! Get out there and go for a walk!

The great outdoors isn’t always practical, but our city has a fair amount of parks and a pretty great collection of stairways and paths connecting them. A little bit of filling your lungs and stretching your legs has got a lot going for it. Even if you can only sneak in 30 minutes a day, make a point of making it happen. Playing outdoors, in some capacity, is an important part of keeping the overall balance we want to reclaim on the training mat.

Guides aren’t there to tell you what to do. They are there to help you avoid what you want to avoid, and to understand why you can’t if you can’t. Lost in Jiu Jitsu and need a lifeline? Reach out. We are here to help!

  • Have Fun!

“Make the Jiu Jitsu fit you, not you fit the Jiu Jitsu”. There isn’t a 20 step kata to getting your black belt. There is you learning how you best move and defend yourself on the ground. The mat is your outlet to fitness and self expression. The more you put into Jiu Jitsu - the more you will get out of it.

Having fun along the path makes it more likely that you will stay on it. Anchor your training in productive fun and you will likely stay the course until you get the skills you wish to have.

See you on the mat!