Should I Start BJJ?

# 03 Nov, 2013 22:40
BennyB	monkeychoke BennyB monkeychoke The very simple answer - yeas you should. But I'll come back and edit this in the morning for more detail BennyB, just heading to sleep. Thanks Monkey man (BTW that's the name of an awesome Toots & the Maytals tune that was on my iPod a minute ago). So, to update, I've been to the 10th planet near me a few times now…maybe 5 times? I still basically have very little idea what I'm doing in most positions. Until the other day after I downloaded a Grapplearts “submission defence” iPhone app I was getting triangled a LOT. Like, 4 or 5 times per 3 min roll if the guy had long legs and a good triangle LOL! The cardio and flexibility haven't actually been as bad as I expected and I seem to be able to use some aspects of my short stocky build to my advantage. E.g. my ass and hips are very thick from years of squatting and dead lifting heavy. So, if i can get to side control, I'm very hard to shift! I can squeeze pretty hard too, so I'm able to finish some chokes (probably more like cranks/face squeezes) with terrible technique. I really need another choke from side control though…I seem to always end up with north/south and I am way too clumsy and slow to sneak an aRm triangle set up. As for guard…say no more. Put it this way, I don't think anyone's in danger of being triangled by my thick stumpy legs any time soon. Guess I need to develop a sweep game from the bottom and focus on top game chokes, although at this stage I just need to learn everything really. If you have thick, short legs you should develop a butterfly guard game - Saulo Ribeiro and Marcelo Garcia both have some great material out there. I love using butterfly guard my legs are quite short but I do have an aggressive closed guard game as well - butterflies are excellent for taking an opponent out of their game and into yours. Learn how to pummel for under hooks, develop a strong squeeze on your overbooks - and you’ll be sweeping even large guys in no time. Another thing that butterfly guard is amazing for is setting up submissions. I use my BG to set up triangles & omoplatas. (If you use tricep control above the elbow, it gives you the appearance of a sweep and still allows you opponent to base out, from there you can attack the arm with an omoplata or go for a JJ-Machado style sweep.) So, in summary, keep going, have fun, and maybe do a bit of research/drilling of the butterfly guard. Good work brother. PS: don’t worry too much about your arm triangles if you have a strong north-shouth - NS is higher percentage than AT, especially against bigger opponents. Be efficient with what you learn to start with. Thanks buddy, that's nice that you took time to write out that advice. I've had a look and I think I have a basic understanding of some simple butterfly sweeps now - I'll give them a whirl. In fact I have a couple of sweeps I'm workin on now, one from closed guard and one from butterfly. I decided to try and play a more guard based game y'day at training and practice them…what I forgot is that you have to be able to keep guys in your guard to be able to use your guard sweeps, so yesterdays “guard sweeps” focused session ended up being a lot more of a “having your guard passed easily then mounted” session lol! quote

# 03 Nov, 2013 22:40

monkeychoke
BennyB
monkeychoke
The very simple answer - yeas you should.
But I'll come back and edit this in the morning for more detail BennyB, just heading to sleep.
Thanks Monkey man (BTW that's the name of an awesome Toots & the Maytals tune that was on my iPod a minute ago).

So, to update, I've been to the 10th planet near me a few times now…maybe 5 times? I still basically have very little idea what I'm doing in most positions. Until the other day after I downloaded a Grapplearts “submission defence” iPhone app I was getting triangled a LOT. Like, 4 or 5 times per 3 min roll if the guy had long legs and a good triangle LOL!

The cardio and flexibility haven't actually been as bad as I expected and I seem to be able to use some aspects of my short stocky build to my advantage. E.g. my ass and hips are very thick from years of squatting and dead lifting heavy. So, if i can get to side control, I'm very hard to shift! I can squeeze pretty hard too, so I'm able to finish some chokes (probably more like cranks/face squeezes) with terrible technique. I really need another choke from side control though…I seem to always end up with north/south and I am way too clumsy and slow to sneak an aRm triangle set up.

As for guard…say no more. Put it this way, I don't think anyone's in danger of being triangled by my thick stumpy legs any time soon. Guess I need to develop a sweep game from the bottom and focus on top game chokes, although at this stage I just need to learn everything really.

If you have thick, short legs you should develop a butterfly guard game - Saulo Ribeiro and Marcelo Garcia both have some great material out there. I love using butterfly guard my legs are quite short but I do have an aggressive closed guard game as well - butterflies are excellent for taking an opponent out of their game and into yours.

Learn how to pummel for under hooks, develop a strong squeeze on your overbooks - and you’ll be sweeping even large guys in no time. Another thing that butterfly guard is amazing for is setting up submissions. I use my BG to set up triangles & omoplatas. (If you use tricep control above the elbow, it gives you the appearance of a sweep and still allows you opponent to base out, from there you can attack the arm with an omoplata or go for a JJ-Machado style sweep.)

So, in summary, keep going, have fun, and maybe do a bit of research/drilling of the butterfly guard. Good work brother.

PS: don’t worry too much about your arm triangles if you have a strong north-shouth - NS is higher percentage than AT, especially against bigger opponents. Be efficient with what you learn to start with.

Thanks buddy, that's nice that you took time to write out that advice. I've had a look and I think I have a basic understanding of some simple butterfly sweeps now - I'll give them a whirl.

In fact I have a couple of sweeps I'm workin on now, one from closed guard and one from butterfly. I decided to try and play a more guard based game y'day at training and practice them…what I forgot is that you have to be able to keep guys in your guard to be able to use your guard sweeps, so yesterdays “guard sweeps” focused session ended up being a lot more of a “having your guard passed easily then mounted” session lol!

# 05 Nov, 2013 10:39
monkeychoke	BennyB Thanks buddy, that's nice that you took time to write out that advice. I've had a look and I think I have a basic understanding of some simple butterfly sweeps now - I'll give them a whirl. In fact I have a couple of sweeps I'm workin on now, one from closed guard and one from butterfly. I decided to try and play a more guard based game y'day at training and practice them…what I forgot is that you have to be able to keep guys in your guard to be able to use your guard sweeps, so yesterdays “guard sweeps” focused session ended up being a lot more of a “having your guard passed easily then mounted” session lol! No problem dude, I could talk BJJ all day. I’m obsessed! Yeah well it’s like anything, you’ll develop a squeeze and the proper dexterity just by turning up to training and working hard. At the same time, there’s more than just the physical strength, you’ll also get a feel for how people’s weight moves when they’re in your guard, where you can apply your hips & legs to manipulate their balance etc - it’ll come. quote

# 05 Nov, 2013 10:39

monkeychoke

BennyB
Thanks buddy, that's nice that you took time to write out that advice. I've had a look and I think I have a basic understanding of some simple butterfly sweeps now - I'll give them a whirl.

In fact I have a couple of sweeps I'm workin on now, one from closed guard and one from butterfly. I decided to try and play a more guard based game y'day at training and practice them…what I forgot is that you have to be able to keep guys in your guard to be able to use your guard sweeps, so yesterdays “guard sweeps” focused session ended up being a lot more of a “having your guard passed easily then mounted” session lol!

No problem dude, I could talk BJJ all day. I’m obsessed!

Yeah well it’s like anything, you’ll develop a squeeze and the proper dexterity just by turning up to training and working hard. At the same time, there’s more than just the physical strength, you’ll also get a feel for how people’s weight moves when they’re in your guard, where you can apply your hips & legs to manipulate their balance etc - it’ll come.