I'm training with Joao Crus in Dripping Springs/Austin.

Probably posting on a dead thread, but today I will be going to my first class. Pretty pumped.

AggieChemE09 said:

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Probably posting on a dead thread, but today I will be going to my first class. Pretty pumped.

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Two things:

1. Tap right away
2. Breathe

I forgot to tap. Luckily my partner was aware of it being my first day. It went pretty well after that though

AggieChemE09 said:

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I forgot to tap. Luckily my partner was aware of it being my first day. It went pretty well after that though

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Tap early and tap often . Where are you training?

OaklandAg06 said:

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AggieChemE09 said:

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I forgot to tap. Luckily my partner was aware of it being my first day. It went pretty well after that though

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Tap early and tap often . Where are you training?

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Markle BJJ in Richmond, TX. Closest one to my house. So far it seems like a good group of people.

this is strictly one man's opinion and based solely on ten minutes of internet browsing, so take it for what it's worth - which aint much.

several things caught my eye in a negative manner about the professor. on the webpage he goes into considerable detail about his professor (Jorge Patino) and what a "controversial" fighter he is/was, and seems to really be trying to hard to convince site visitors that his professor is a real badass (which he probably is). he even tells a whole story about a fight he got into backstage that has really nothing to do with anything. very strange, and seems out of place.

this led me to look at Prof Markle's Instagram. now, again, I don't know this dude or anything about him, but his Instagram makes him look pretty arrogant and, more concerning, like he has something to prove - including pictures of his students on crutches and slings as if that is a mark of pride for a jiu jitsu professor and school owner.

me PERSONALLY, based on his website and Instagram, I wouldn't even walk in that school to train as a visitor. it looks like the kind of place that will use new white belts as cannon fodder but will act like that's just par for the course and a rite of passage to rise above the fray. it's not. a professor should take pride in keeping his students healthy - not breaking them.

if you decide to stick with that school, be very careful about injuries. like someone else said, - tap early and often, and if you start feeling ANY kind of negative feedback about tapping or protecting yourself RUN AWAY


but again, I don't know anything about this guy, he might be a real sweetheart and his online persona is all a show.

Thanks for the advice! I will keep an eye out for sure!

So far all the higher belts have been really gracious with their time and advice, and I haven't felt like a tackling dummy like back in football.

The professor himself has been a little busy with his prep for a fight he is having in a few weeks, so he has only been in the classes for the very start and then the classes have been run by his brown belts. He is also a Chemical Engineer by day, so I kinda like the idea of having a shared background.

All that stuff on his website I think was copied and pasted from here "https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/jorge-patino-macaco-gold-team", so I think it is more of lazy website design than his own words.

So, I don't feel any negativity, but it could be my ignorance. Do you have any advice on what would be a red flag to look for?

no red flags other than what I already mentioned - namely looking out for a disproportionate number of injuries, how those who have been injured are treated, and if most of them are white belts. and even that doesn't really mean a whole lot, because usually it is white belts that get hurt regardless, since they don't know how to protect themselves as well yet.

the ultimate test will be your personal feelings about the school. if you fit in and feel comfortable, then that's what matters. I only offered the above opinion because I would hate to see someone new to BJJ go in to a new school unsuspecting and get injured and never train again, and the few minutes I spent looking at the school didn't quite set right with me. but if in your judgment, the school offers a safe and healthy environment, then that's what matters.

looking forward to updates from your training, and glad to hear you've enjoyed it so far. try not to get too frustrated, I've been training for three years, and I still struggle with frustration of perceived lack of progress. it's a tough, challenging, but ultimately rewarding journey.

Congrats on getting started! I got back into two armed rolling about 3 weeks ago (tore bicep in September).

My biggest advice coming from a two stripe white belt is slow down. Even if you have great cardio, going to fast and frantic will get you caught in a bad position.

Others have given great advice already on training, so I'll add just a couple items:

If your schedule allows, you should go check out the IBJJF Houston Open in March (9th, I think). It's a huge BJJ tournament, and a great chance to watch high level competition and to see how schools/instructors show up in competition. It's also a chance to expand your BJJ network of friends, potential training partners, etc.

In terms of training, the only thing I'd add to what folks already said is this: Avoid the temptation to learn fancy BJJ moves off of YouTube when you are first starting out. While there is great stuff online, looking at advanced stuff too soon often short-circuits development of fundamentals.

But folks have different opinions on online videos, so curious what others think....

NewHowdyag2004 - Glad to hear that you're back on the mats and training!

I'm off the mats a bit due to an MCL strain....I was caught in a tight leglock the other day and was overly optimistic regarding my ability to get out. Tried an escape, heard a pop and then tapped.

So I'm stuck on the couch drinking a beer and watching BJJ instructionals (Lachlan Giles Leg Lock Anthology). But I'll slide back onto the mats soon and just train light (at least that's what I tell myself)....

Sweep4-2 said:

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But folks have different opinions on online videos, so curious what others think....

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Unless an in person instructor shows me something I tend to blow those videos off. I'll watch Those from time to time But I tend to watch only competition matches on YouTube. We got basic drills at our school and I told myself I need to master those before I berimbolo. Ten years later.....


Popped a rib this week. I'm out for a while.

I usually watch videos to either supplement something that was taught in class, or to try and figure out how to counter something that caught me in training.

For example I was having a hard time with the cue Of "flexing the bicep" for finishing rear naked chokes in class, and some of the videos that cued a rotational finish helped it make a lot more sense. Also one of my training partners kept putting me in lockdown half, and watching videos on how to defeat/pass lockdown was really helpful.

Just seeing the word Berimbolo stresses me out!!! Tried to add it to my game several years ago, but after a couple months getting smashed I gave up and retreated to my 'comfort zone' guards (butterfly and single leg x).

But I did spend time on YouTube finding ways to defend/pass berimbolo (Leandro Lo and MG have some great stuff). But I still hate the berimbolo lol.

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While there is great stuff online, looking at advanced stuff too soon often short-circuits development of fundamentals.

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The only videos I watch are by John Danaher & Chewjitsu. Both are excellent teachers with tons of basic concepts for white belts. (Simple submissions, guard escapes etc)

Three months in & I have my first "in house" tournament in a couple of weeks.
I'm a little nervous because the tournaments start from standing position & during class we roll starting from knees. We've learned some basic throws & how to fall... but going full speed will be a different game.

Starting from standing will definitely bring a different feel. It's fun but way more exhausting. Posture, footwork, grips, etc.

Do you have a particular takedown or takedown series that you've worked (and want to try)?

Not really. We have practiced ashi guruma (I think? Those judo names all sound the same) and some other techniques. We've also learned to pull guard from standing position which is probably what I'll try.

It was really apparent I need to work on guard passing. Totally frustrated by a high white belt... nothing I did seemed to work.

Wouldn't get to crazy with the Judo techniques since a majority schools really don't give a lot of focus on it (wish they did). Can't really just do a judo throw on an opponent and hope it works. You have to create the opportunity for the throw via combination of movements (again, rarely ever see combinations taught).

Focusing on simple wrestling take downs would be the easiest and safest thing to do. Single and double leg take downs. If you happen to catch the guys back in standup just do a simple SIT DOWN ura-nage (suplex)...in other words don't lift him up and slam.

If guard is your game then by all means pull guard but don't do this just for the sake of getting to the ground.

Don't pull guard!

I'd stick to simple takedowns like chipotle mentioned and try to stay on top. Get the takedown, pass, control and submit from top.

And don't pull guard. Work that top game first. You can always develop a guard game as your BJJ progresses.

I'm going to work hard on guard passing the next few classes before the match. I definitely prefer to attack from top, I just can't seem to get to side/top control very easily from inside guard.

Halfway through my second week and still loving it. Sore in a lot of places I didn't know you could be sore in.

After our warmup and before the technique portion we do a "match of the night" where the coach puts two people against each other while everyone in attendance watches. Well, I got picked and had to take on a 230lbs 1 stripe white belt. I started off great with a double leg takedown and got side control. I held side control for 30 seconds or so while I tried to catch a limb, but then tried to move to mount. He caught a leg while I passed and we were in half mount. He escaped and we kinda reset, and I quickly got to his back, but couldn't get a hook in. He tossed me down from there and got side control on me. I shrimped out but left an arm dangling and he got an armbar on me.

Overall I felt pretty good with my performance in front of an audience against a more experienced opponent who had about a 70lb advantage on me. So much fun.

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I held side control for 30 seconds or so while I tried to catch a limb

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I have much better luck at this stage getting chokes from side control vs. arm locks.
Ezekiel, Baseball & Papercutter are my three "go-to" chokes. They are a little sneakier and thus easier to get against the white & blue belts I typically roll against.

Apache said:

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I held side control for 30 seconds or so while I tried to catch a limb

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I have much better luck at this stage getting chokes from side control vs. arm locks.
Ezekiel, Baseball & Papercutter are my three "go-to" chokes. They are a little sneakier and thus easier to get against the white & blue belts I typically roll against.

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I have only learned the Baseball Choke of those 3. Half of my issues in BJJ so far seem to be not knowing what to do from my good positions. I can get side control, I can get mount, but when I get there, I don't know enough finishers to end it. All in due time I am sure.

Here's a good (IMO) Ezekiel choke video. (This guy is a good follow)

Question for anyone having trouble finishing from side control - are y'all using multiple attacks to open things up? Single move submissions are really tough to execute. Sometimes just having two to work in sequence makes a world of difference.

Also, developing a devastating knee on belly position never hurts. Makes opponents do crazy things (like wave arms around, give up protection of neck, etc.

30 second side control? We call that "enjoying the scenery".

Earned my third stripe today on my white belt! Now I can do the advanced class as well as no gi. Ready amp up from 4-5/week to 5-7/week.

Congrats! But be careful with the advanced guys, they're always complaining about injuries and trying to do fancy moves like inverted 50/50 guard and double reverse berimbolo.

I'm totally kidding btw. Enjoy the tough training!

chipotle said:

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30 second side control? We call that "enjoying the scenery".

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that's what I call the bottom of north-south

Great thread. I have a question for the grey beards. Are there certain injuries that would be considered non starters as it relates to resumption of BJJ training (lowly white belt) after a 5 year hiatus (mcl, acl, torn rotator cuff, achilles rupture, etc)? For background, I'm 45 and have ruptured both Achilles tendons within the past 4 years (basketball). Weight lifting, while a necessary part of my rehab regimen, isn't satisfying my competitive & camaraderie needs. TIA for any thoughts.

Great question. My guesses would be that lower back back, neck and hip injuries are probably the main things that might prohibit training BJJ at all. Most other injuries can be worked around by using the right positions, picking the right training partners and knowing when to slow down or stop training temporarily to recover from small injuries.

Curious what others think.

Just got the green light to start some no gi training.
Any brands you'd recommend for rash guards & shorts?

Thanks Sweep. I'd spoken to my PT about it and she didn't have a whole lot of guidance to offer (possibly because BJJ isn't one of the more common sports). Funny you mention the neck though. Mine is usually always sore with a more limited range of motion from fending off guillotine & triangle attempts, once I get back into a 3x a week rolling schedule. I just chalked that up to the cost of doing business ......