Anon02/22/26, 08:45No.256169
My experiences with BJJ (Gracie), during my first month, coming from a JKS karate purple belt (8 years of training):Despite not knowing how to pass guards, I know some finishes, like classic armlocks, the Americana, and the rear choke—really basic stuff. I say this from my experience, but from what I saw, there is hardly any consistent drilling. Most of what you learn is simply rolling, in a “free-for-all” way.You learn some standard techniques, then you do some 5-minute rolls (which, if you are a white belt, are completely useless—and I’ll explain why). One day you’re learning how to pass the guard, the next day you’re learning a sacrifice takedown, then you have leg techniques. In my experience, there are too many unrelated techniques. For a white belt, it would be better to learn the real, true, raw basics.Here comes the comparison: like how I learned in karate. Of course, I say this based on what I find the most pleasant and easiest way to learn, but you get the point. You start in position A, which opens a range of possibilities that can evolve into different locks and other positions, both for the attacker and the defender. In this drilling motion, a flow state makes it easier to associate the movements with muscle memory. With fast-paced, repetitive movements, it becomes easier and more intuitive to learn.In karate, it was drilling, drilling, and more drilling—hardly any fighting. And now I know why most white belt fights are completely awful. And I mean it—absolutely horrendous. There is no technique whatsoever; only brute force counts when you’re a white belt.Well, now I know why so many people are attracted to BJJ. In most of my rolls, the opponents relied on their weight advantage to get tight top pressure, which they would hold for two very impressive minutes. That amounted to absolutely nothing of value being learned.