Just my two cents but just have fun! Don't worry about getting better. When have fun and just go for stuff your teacher has taught you it will all begin to make sense. The Latest episode of my podcast with nic gergoriades is good one to listen to if your a beginner. wish someone would have told me the stuff he talks about. 
Just keep showing up.
I sucked for a long time.
but i kept showing up, and somehow they eventually gave me a brown belt.
I still suck, it's just really hard to spot it now.
that black belt is maybe just the last beginner belt, where i start really getting to learn BJJ.
just keep showing up.
' that black belt is maybe just the last beginner belt, where i start really getting to learn BJJ.'
THIS!!! You nailed it there
BigEyedFish - Congratulations. Be patient and have fun. This is an amazing art - the way it changes your entire life.
this is the great video all whitebelts should watch it
Has anyone found value in keeping a journal? After my last class I came home and wrote down all the details for the couple of moves we learned in a way that made sense for me. I also added where things felt right or why they didn't in other areas so I remember to focus on it next time. It seems like this might help based on the style of learner I am.
ABSOLUTELY yes! write down what you learn it will work wonders
No offense but that Roy Dean video is way too advanced for white belts, blue belts and even some purple belts. It's high level stuff.
Most white belts need to focus on simple things that are used every single class, every time they train, in every roll.
Base, posture, balance, movement, awareness, defense.
If you spend the first six months learning how to move a little bit, how to have decent posture and how to be a little tough with defense then you are off to an awesome start.
Most beginners try to do too much and learn too much, too fast. Slow down.
The best advice I can give to white belts is to slow down, slow down, slow down. (And try to work technique with someone better than you.)
Don't worry about submissions. Learn how to move, learn how to keep position and learn how to figure out your mistakes after you've made them.
You'll make a billion mistakes. Everyone does. Everyone, or almost damn near everyone, was terrible when they started out. You improve by practice, persistence and time. There is no magic formula. Like everything in life, hard work will reward you with big dividends.
I agree with what youre saying but the video isnt meant as an instructional or anything. Its just a really neat glimpse into the progressive journey of a BJJer from white to black.
the vid is like a thesis on the arm bar
Dovetail your video research and your journal keeping. If you draw a blank on a detail of a technique when you're doing your journal entry, do a video search on the technique and you'll probably find the very version you did in class and recognize the missing detail. Save the videos to your favorites and review them as you periodically review the corresponding entries in your journal. I know that this has helped me remember stuff I'd otherwise forget.
PREPARE FOR PAIN!!!
This shit ain't easy! I guess nobody said it would be...
Sub'd. Been at it for almost a month with two nights a week. I feel like a grappling dummy for the other students right now but I am addicted and determined to get better.