So I just started BJJ here in Korea a little over a month ago. I had trained for about a month years ago with Gustavo Dantas but quickly got a knee injury which took me out of training at all for a year. Now here I am, a little over a month into training and I have another injury. It's not nearly as bad. Maybe just a dislocated toe. It might not even be as bad as that. But how should I as a beginner be dealing with this? If I have to guess part of the problem lies in white belts who don't know shit rolling too hard with other white belts who don't know shit. Or possibly overly agressive blues. Any strategies of those who got past the first few years of training without causing too much bodily damage? Cam
r u training with mickey choi? cos he is the best
The core of the problem is very much in aggressive white belts
Everybody will tell you "tap quickly" but that doesn't always help if you don't start recognizing the dangerous situations in which you need to tap ahead of time.
I guess a good place to start is to go slowly, and try not to struggle so much. If you're in a bad position, stop, breathe, and think. Your natural instincts will only get you hurt. If you try to muscle out of the position and it doesn't work, don't keep trying. It means the other person is skilled enough to nullify your strength. When you're trying to muscle through things, that's when you can get hurt.
Maybe another situation is that you are going against a fairly skilled white belt who is still learning, but is just a bad training partner. Again, go slowly so that you can perceive the risks in each training partner. It's not too hard to figure out what kind of partner you have, just based on a few seconds of rolling. Don't be afraid to tell them if you think they are going too hard and that you're still learning. If they still do jack ass things like crank submissions then don't roll with them. Often times, bad training partners are just as (if not more) risky as your own attitude.
I want to add, going slowly doesn't mean lazy jiu jitsu or weak jiu jitsu, nor do I think you should keep that mentality as you advance. Slowly is being calm, and as methodical as you can be as a beginner. You haven't developed any instincts for jiu jitsu, so it makes sense that you should think as much as you can while you roll.
You should have a defensive game as a white belt. There's no reason for you to mount an aggressive offense if you don't know what you're doing. I see a lot of white belts who try so hard to get the tap as if it actually means something...that's how both of them can end up getting hurt. Get used to the idea that you will tap a couple hundred times before you start consistently tapping others. and don't think of it as winning/losing. Check your ego at the door...it's not something you can always do on day 1, but it's something you should try your best to do. I'm sure many advanced people still have that problem.
If you hurt your toe...sounds like it's just something that happened in a scramble, or maybe your toe got caught on the mat or gi or something. Things like that can happen and it's just sort of a hazard of any grappling sport. I still maintain that slowing yourself down can only help.
Lastly, if a blue belt is being overly aggressive to you, there's two possibilities. a) he's just a shitty training partner b) you did something to piss him off, like you got a schoolyard headlock on him and you figured if you squeeze hard enough he'll tap, or you figured pushing your fist into his throat is a great way to start an escape from the bottom. more advanced people will rarely trounce on you just for the hell of it, and they will only roll as hard as you roll. if you come out guns blazing thinking you can submit him, he will put you in your place and calm your ass down. and if by some luck you do submit him in a whirwind of retard spazzing, i suggest you watch out in the next round.
walbjj - r u training with mickey choi? cos he is the best
funny...i was just checking his website yesterday. it's completely blank now. props to mr. frankl
At John Frankl Jiu Jitsu.It sucks because it's like I am literally just learning some basic BJJ. Just learned how to do an arm bar and stuff like that. But countlpphie what you wrote is spot on. We are both beginners, I think he started maybe a couple weeks before me. And it was basically a strength match. The thing is I was really trying to learn to relax and not force technique the last few classes but he was all about using strength. I succumbed to the challenge and ended up putting him on his back then there was this move where we were both spazzing out for control. Somehow his big leg goes flying right into one of my little toes. As soon as it happened I knew I was injured. Luckily the health insurance in Korea is probably the best in the world. I saw a great doctor, had my toe straightened out, numerous x rays AND had a caste set for under $100. So I am in a good situation. But it's a setback. After only a month of training now I can't train for a month. But yeah, I'll reflect on your guys advice and use my head more when I go back which hopefully isn't too long. Cam
how is that great health insurance?
in australia, if the same happened, then u rock up at a hospital, they do the xrays, put a cast on u, and it costs nothing. lol at $100
Cool. My Mom is from Sydney. I only went there once when I was a kid but have been meaning to come back to see my family there. I spent my whole life before coming to Korea in the United States. So from what I recall in my home country if you walk into the hospital door your already spending more than $100.
But maybe the Dems will change that hopefully,
yes and we all know how great the health system is in the US
Cammo,
Is this the same Gustavo that lived with an Army Colonel?
Injuries are going to happen, but keep going to class. maybe you don't train hard after class is done. Grab a grappling dummy or a heavy abg and work on positions. Moving around the bag. Have your instructor show you some drills that will help you learn movement despite being injured.
But don't just stop going.
No Gustavo Dantas is a BJJ Black Belt from Brazil. His Academy is in Tempe Az. I don't plan on stopping. Will probably take a month off and then get back in there. Will find out if I need surgery next week. If I make a really speedy recovery I'll be back asap. And much more CAREFUL.
So I saw the Doctor again today. It's a fracture. I need to wear a cast for another 2 weeks and will take 6 weeks off from BJJ then start back slowly in September.
Hopefully this ends my BJJ injury Karma. Such an annoying injury, one of my toes! But I'll take this over a serious injury a sometimes read about here.
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