thank you for posting, I did just my 2nd comp as white belt, it gets better and better in terms of adrenaline and fatigue. Just showing up to compete is a win in itself, respect
@@robrolls Same for me on the first one, I was completely wiped out after the first match. Second comp ~6-7mos later I knew what to expect and it wasn't nearly as bad. Still grueling, but less adrenaline fatigue. And from chewjitsu's channel I got turned on to a carb supplement called carbion which may or may not have helped... the prior stress inoculation and visiting other gyms' open mats may have been better than the supplement 😆😆
You brought up fatigue a lot during this, and one thing I would say is that you cannot forget about the adrenaline dump. First comp, it happens. Love your honest take aways!
@@robrollsI would say you kind of need to do the opposite. Have most of your rolls slower and more technical with only a few hard rolls. Really learn how to relax in situations so you don’t blow your load.
@@generalwoofles6240👍🏼 Yeah I like that, less hard on the body too! Trying to roll more relaxed now. In the match i was in such a rush for a finish while in closed guard.
Those feelings of fatigue in your first tournament doing back to back to back matches are indescribable to someone who has never done so. I’ll never forget lying on the floor after my first tournament trying my best to open a bottle of water but to no avail.
I appreciate your honest depiction of competition. I had a similar experience both of the times I competed. I did ok on one match, but I was exhausted for most of my other matches. Competition helped me realize where I was in regards to cardio and inspired me to work on extra conditioning outside of grappling. This video will also be good for you as you keep doing Jiu Jitsu because you’ll be able to look back on how much you’ve improved.
You being exhausted isn’t pathetic man. You’re doing so much more than an overwhelming majority of people at any age group much less 30-40 year olds. Youre a warrior for going forward and not quitting.
Hey Rob. I just started BJJ about 6 weeks ago. I'm 60 and I tell ya... there is no gas in the tank after training... I've got it in the back of my mind that "sometime" in the future I might like to try a competition, but don't know if it will happen. Good on ya for sticking with it and having the heart to hang in there!
This was fun to watch and for me was a real flashback. I was a 42 y.o. white belt in my first tournament, and I am also a lanky grappler. A couple great observations you made. The grip intensity in tournaments is totally different than class, and will accelerate fatigue. Don’t feel embarrassed about your cardio in your first few tournaments. I trained hard for my first tourneys and the fatigue gets you no matter what. Having the guts to compete is a big accomplishment. I’m sure you’ve received a pile of advice, but if you like playing full guard in a gi tournament, think about attacking forms of cross choke when your opponent’s hands are occupied away from their neck. They’ll have to come back to defend and that will stymie their attempts to open your guard.
Thanks brotha that makes me feel better haha! Great advice, I was so focused on 1 thing.. I should be working on more chokes from there instead of triangles only. Looking forward to 1st comp at blue, prob dropping a weight class since all my opp felt 10 lbs heavier too haha appreciate the feedback! 👊
Hey man, congratulations on that gold and much respect for your transparency and honesty. I'm a white belt, as well. 37 years old, 6'1 and 210 lbs. Never had a competition but I really strive for one. Your videos are insightful, personal, and entertaining. Thanks a lot for sharing your BJJ journey, and may God bless you and your family 🙏🕊
I’m 44, going on a year at white belt. I’m definitely getting the bug to compete and I definitely want to do it before I get my blue. I enjoyed this video, gets me excited.
I really enjoyed watching this. I am only three weeks into BJJ and I got so excited and was shouting 'go on' when you applied the triangle. Hats off to you for entering any tournament as they must be nerve wracking enough. Amazing effort!
Fantastic video brother. Only people who have competed understand what you went through. The nerves can be sometimes more than half the battle. It’s still something I struggle with. Of course not having a sufficient rest time didn’t help, but great job out there!
Que incrível o conteúdo, muito obrigado por compartilhar. Iniciei no bjj tem 1 mês e estou na fase de me sentir perdido e cheio de dores, mas nao vejo a hora de evoluir. 38 anos e acima do peso, mas vou buscar evoluir.
44 years old white belt here going into my first comp. today. Thanks for sharing this video with us and good job on making it through back to back to back fights.
Nice work! Newly promoted blue belt here, won gold my last tournament at white (3rd tournament at white belt). You did a very nice job in your first match holding the closed guard. The only suggestion I would give is to decide on whether you are pulling guard or shooting for a take down and be first. The rest is reps with drills, more matches, more tournaments, highly recommend attending open mats at new gyms. Gives you an opportunity to work your game on someone who doesn’t know you. Best of luck!
Hey thanks for the feedback! Ya on that second match i needed to go! Good idea on open mat i have another gym close to home my son was straini g at, be great to get more content at new gyms as well! Thanks 🤜🤛
Such an amazing story. I havent competed yet and I started rolling a couple months. Your video motivated to look at competion and cardio , but being aware of the adrenaline aspect you mentioned. Great job getting the gold still.
Yes, definitely have some competition like rolls leading up so you can feel the intensity! Bringing some electrolytes might be smart to haha Thanks and good luck! 🤜🤛
Im a little over a year in and started jiu jitsu when I was 37 and im now 38. I was in the exact same situation as you in my first tournament so this video was really familiar to me. I had a tough no gi match first, then within 5 minutes was being called for my gi match. I was exhausted, and had to scramble to get my gi on and never really caught my breath when I started my gi match. You're so right too, you feel like you roll hard in the gym and think a tournament will be no different than those tough rounds in the gym, but its a whole different level of intensity! Its also hard when you're that tired and you can hear your coaches telling you what to do, but your body wont respond. I'm sure the nerves and adrenaline play a big roll in the fatigue during competition. Good job though, win or lose, you learn, and you get back in the gym and keep working. osss brother!
I started 10/2022 at age 42. 14 months later I'm much more relaxed than when i started, but endurance just doesnt come easy. So many things i could relate to watching your video. The nerves and unfathomable fatigue...Thank you for sharing your journey. Maybe our paths will cross one day. We'd be in the same bracket
Right on Justin! Yeah hard to relax the body when it know a battle is gonna take place in a few hrs haha i remember my heart rate was up at home even, the anticipation of it was tiring. 🤜🤛
Man, I can't believe you had those first THREE comp rounds back to back. That is terrible luck. I had about an hour in between first and second, and I swear I needed so much time to get my HR down. My left tricep was going into spasm. It was like I was going into shock. You're a hero for stepping into that third round.. I can't even imagine. The burn is real. There's no real preparation for the intensity of competition. Pressure and adrenaline.. thanks for posting, I appreciate the honesty.
I did my first white belt competition a while ago, it’s really hard and new it’s not like a rolling with partners it’s so much harder and so much pressure. Thank you for making a video.🎉🎉
Sick, thanks man! I recommend grabbing a purple belt to partner up with for technique and rolling! (if you decide to roll on first day) tell them it’s your first day. they should be helpful! They’ll still kill ya, but a slow, gentle death 😂 Good luck, let me know how it goes!
Absolutely! I can roll at least 3 times at the gym before having to take a good break. My first match at the comp, I was exhausted right after it. Another obstacle to overcome!
That first roll you show is what it's like for me against a couple of guys in my gym. I'll pull guard but they never try and pass, they just grab my wrists and don't do much else except stack. You do a great job being patient and just maintaining your gaurd. You can tell he's frustrated but he never really tried to pass your gaurd. Nice work!
Man much appreciated, I joined black lion gym in Michigan and it was amazing and haven’t been there in a year but train with my brother and watch lots of matches in my off time and always wanted to compete so this opened my eyes.
Oh ya! Ive tried the loop a few times but haven’t finished it yet! Definitely a sneaky one some black belts will get me with. Lookin forward to exploring more myself with some additional training and privates soon! Thanks man
Appreciate your post. Not sure if i could push the way you did. Thinking about starting Jui Jitsu. It's good to see ppl starting their journey at an older age. I'm exhausted just watching.
Good post. I’m 54 and been at it 6 weeks. I’m athletic and giving some blue belts a real fight BUT I am not as brave as you. I can’t face that disappointment so I am not going to compete I believe. Besides I’m a real fight I’m focusing on my striking. Wishing you much success!
What made you decide to compete in 2 age divisions? Also the fact that you were exhausted but still gutted out 2 matches with younger competitors and almost got a finish in one of them you should be proud. A good way to know if your jiujitsu works is to see if its effective when you are injured and/or exhausted. I think you did great for your first comp. Make all the mistakes at white belt so you dont make them at higher ranks. Keep it up!
Well there was only 1 guy in the 40 yr old bracket when I registered so I thought why not enter in 30 yr old to get an extra match or 2 for $30 haha. Thanks I appreciate that! I thought I was in a little better shape 🤣 🤜🤛
@@robrolls I understand. $30 well spent. You won your division and you got the experience of 2 additional matches. You ended up with a great result. If you had only done the over 40 division you would have still won gold but lost out on the additional 2 matches. You've proven a lot to yourself which is going to make you much better.
@@robrollsI’m 52. How does that work if few (if any) people are in your age division? It just dawned on me that in a few years I’ll get the senior discount at iHop!
I’ve only been training about 2 months and have never done a competition but I have felt this level of exhaustion twice in class. Doesn’t feel good but you fought through it. Mental toughness is a huge factor in bjj. Nice job man. 🙏🏼
dude I feel like you did amazing. you really fought hard and never gave up which is soooo admirable. comp is NOT like rolling in class lmao. the exhaustion is crazy. i won gold at my first comp and barely won/ survived both matches. great job :)
Thanks for sharing! Good stuff. I think the biggest benefit is that you can look back and learn from the experience. You win some and lose some. Just have fun, and keep improving.
Thanks, go for it! Its hard to be cool and calm day of comp but its just another roll with someone new thats all 😅 try and have fun its not too serious especially for us older guys haha
Thank you for posting these even though you weren't just smashing the competition. I can definitely relate to your experience having just started myself.
In the first match, do you not usually sweep to your right? Feels like his base is frequently compromised and vulnerable to a scissor sweep. See how much he tilts left at 4:45.
Yeah exactly, ended up on the weak side more than I thought I would haha. Just got the grappling dummy though so I’m definitely going to be drilling both sides more!
My first tournament I developed adult asthma from getting so winded. Fast forward two years and my couch wouldn’t give me a blue belt until I walked through NAGA masters nationals heavyweight, 30-40 decision with all subs via Americana lol. What a difference two years can make! Much respect my brother, you’re doing awesome!
@@robrolls I got an inhaler, plus the Adrenalin dump has gotten better with practice. Mad respect to you for doing this and being honest about how hard it really is. Everyone wants some gold medals, no one want to admit what that looks like. Thank for posting brother 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽
You did well mate. I started in January as well, aged 42. I was impressed that you even had a game plan and can commentate the roll pretty well. I only get to go 3 to 4 times a month and still barely know what's going on. How often do you train?
Great video, can I give you a tip, do breathing techniques like Wim Hof or yogi pranayama it will help you to expand your lungs and will control your breathing. Also compel yourself to breath only throw your nose not your mouth. It will be difficult in the beginning but it will pay off. You see your lungs shrink when are in your thirties.
Great job, everyone who's competed understands the fatigue that you're talking about, after my first competition match my body was destroyed and it stayed like that for like 3 days, those 5 minutes in comp felt harder than 30 minutes of straight sparring.
This was a lot of fun to watch man. Ive got my first comp in november. Ive got the same problem as you, im tall and skinny so i get wrecked by stockier oponnents
Tournaments are tough. It's different to sparring. YOu have to get used to that & become compfortable with competing. Your experience is very relateable.
Thanks! Well, there was only one guy in the 40-year-old bracket when I initially signed up and I heard for $30 more you could sign up for another one lol. Thought why not have another match or 2 😂. Thanks man 🤜🤛
Like everyone said, the first comp is ROUGH and full of great learning lessons. Two things that can make a huge difference with the fatigue: Thorough warmup before the matches begin. Light rolls, air squats, jumping jacks or whatever. Just get warm and try to get rid of that adrenalin. Secondly, be purposeful with your breathing during the match. Breathe through your nose and don’t let yourself end up holding your breath because you aren’t mindful of the breathing.
LOL I remember the first time I ever competed and after that first match my whole body felt drained too. Muscles burning and lungs ON FIRE and you are questioning "What the heck did I sign myself up for?!?! How many more matches??? UGH!" But its ok, it'll pass. Neat thing is you come from professional poker so it is all about that poker face in between your matches. Congrats, you now have gone thru your trial by fire. Win/lose doesn't matter, you put yourself out there and gave it your best shot. You are walking away with something better than a medal or a NAGA Sword (still don't know why they give little kids full swords, anyways) You are getting experience. I know that sounds corny and not a lot but experience can become quite the useful tool. I bet you are probably going to take that experience and be thinking about every little move you/your opponents made. And those thoughts can lead you to coming up with nice answers to plenty of the situations you came across. Another step in your Mexican Ground Karate journey. 👍
Haha thanks Mark! Ya man what a shock it was, and another humbling experience. It’s wild how its already kinda a blur now, that’s what exhaustion does to ya. Yes, definitely have went over all the matches several times looking at where I missed sweeps and certain details I missed on finishing a few of the sweeps so looking forward to improving technically. I’m not sure if I was breathing either 😂 but ya a great learning experience 💪🏼
Just came across this! My 10 year old has been rolling a couple months and just picked up his first stripe. He got me into taking classes and on my 2nd class they put me in a round robin for 20 mins at the end of the class 😂 the objective was to pass or sweep closed guard and take side control. I did ok considering I had no idea what I was doing, and somehow stayed on for 3 rounds against much younger guys (I’m 49 😂). After the 3rd round I was gassed so hard I had to give up my spot because I couldn’t continue! Totally feel that embarrassment you describe…was mortifying! Tell me it gets better bro?! 😂😂 great video 👌
Definitely helps I work on armbar and triangle movements a lot. But you can work on the technique that you learned in class and get reps in. I got the one that stuff yourself so it was less than $200
You can roll as hard as you want in class, but nothing compares to a competition roll. Took me a while to learn how to pace myself and not let the adrenaline take over.
Good job and congrats !!! I was exactly like you. Won my first match and lost my second match to an opponent which was his first match . Completely gassed out after my first match and I never expected that as usually I am able to roll a few rounds with lesser rest time during open mat. I think it was because I wasn’t breathing much too during my first match. 😂
😂 yeah same! I think I was in a rush in close guard instead of relaxing. I was really forcing to try and look for a finish, instead of chillin and waiting for openings. Probably wasn’t breathing myself lol so tense
The great thing is you’ll fix pretty much everything you identify, things that happen in competition tend to stick with you. I bet you finish triangles at a much higher rate from now on. Well done champ, the adrenaline dump is real it’ll get better with experience, but try and focus on breathing over everything in class for a while to keep your heart rate down.
Grazie per questo video. E' facile trovare video di cinture viola o cinture nere che si, sono belli da vedere, ma non sono utili quanto il tuo video. Io tra poco farò la mia prima competizione con cintura bianca e sono molto agitato. Tu come hai gestito lo stress e la paura prima della gara?
Cool thanks brother! Honestly, I was trying to just breathe and relax and stretch but mentally your body knows you’re about to go into a battle with someone new so I felt my heart racing all day! Haha I would say, just don’t forget to breathe in your match and maybe not take it so serious try and be playful like you would in class Easier said than done though, the pace is different. Good luck!
La gara non è andata molto bene e ha vinto il mio avversario con un bel arm lock! Però il mio avversario più grande era la paura e la preoccupazione, andando alla gara li ho vinti!
I'm curious about that call in match 1, no shade on you but if I were the ref I might have called double stall, since you never opened up your guard to make an attack.
You had plenty of Oppt. To grab an inside leg and rotate for a straight arm bar attempt to sweep Brudda?! Sometimes letting go of the guard will help you. I’d recommend drill some solo rotations. Great video and narrations. Keep it up, you looked good! Ooosh!
Yessir! Up i til this point I hadn’t worked much on armars from closed..thats obvious🤣 Also wasn’t confident to open my guard in fear of getting passed but its comin brotha! Need way more drilling with the arm, guys always rip out from closed guard so im missing something! Thanks man 🤜🤛
@@robrolls Im 62, took up Jujitsu and went to classes. even doing private lessons. rolled for first time and was gassed out in one minute. still wiping my tears.
I am 42 yo and started 2 months ago and for me it is fucking tough, I used to gas out within seconds with each roll but nevertheless, it is tough rolling with younger people
To me your opponent is trying to force a submission from the closed guard. If it was me I would focus on passing the guard first, hands on opponents hips posture up, attempting to slide through with the knee and get into position before attempting submission. I seriously doubt he could get a submission without passing the guard. For you you need to knee to elbow creating a space getting your knee underneath and this would get you into a position. You need to upset his balance by pulling down on 1 side, to be in a position to get the sweep. It doesn't look like you wouldn't be able to triangle by going straight onto his hips. Eventually you will use less energy and be less tired. Keep fighting
thank you for posting, I did just my 2nd comp as white belt, it gets better and better in terms of adrenaline and fatigue. Just showing up to compete is a win in itself, respect
Nice! 🤜🤛
@@robrolls Same for me on the first one, I was completely wiped out after the first match. Second comp ~6-7mos later I knew what to expect and it wasn't nearly as bad. Still grueling, but less adrenaline fatigue. And from chewjitsu's channel I got turned on to a carb supplement called carbion which may or may not have helped... the prior stress inoculation and visiting other gyms' open mats may have been better than the supplement 😆😆
@@KazzArie Nice! Lookin forward to the next one too!
You brought up fatigue a lot during this, and one thing I would say is that you cannot forget about the adrenaline dump. First comp, it happens. Love your honest take aways!
No doubt! I thought months of rolling hard would mitigate that and help me keep calm but nope!! Haha 🤜🤛
@@robrollsI would say you kind of need to do the opposite. Have most of your rolls slower and more technical with only a few hard rolls. Really learn how to relax in situations so you don’t blow your load.
@@generalwoofles6240👍🏼 Yeah I like that, less hard on the body too! Trying to roll more relaxed now. In the match i was in such a rush for a finish while in closed guard.
Bravo bro!
Those feelings of fatigue in your first tournament doing back to back to back matches are indescribable to someone who has never done so.
I’ll never forget lying on the floor after my first tournament trying my best to open a bottle of water but to no avail.
😂 perfectly said my friend! 🤜🤛
Favorite comment
best forearm workout of our lives
Nothing compared to a wrestling match. Been doing JiuJitsu for 10 years and was a nationally ranked high school wrestler. Two different universes.
I appreciate your honest depiction of competition. I had a similar experience both of the times I competed. I did ok on one match, but I was exhausted for most of my other matches. Competition helped me realize where I was in regards to cardio and inspired me to work on extra conditioning outside of grappling. This video will also be good for you as you keep doing Jiu Jitsu because you’ll be able to look back on how much you’ve improved.
Right on thanks Nathan! Ya I definitely assumed I was in better shape based on how much I roll but was way off 🤣
I’ll be ready for the next one 💪🏼
You being exhausted isn’t pathetic man. You’re doing so much more than an overwhelming majority of people at any age group much less 30-40 year olds. Youre a warrior for going forward and not quitting.
Thanks brotha, appreciate ya! 🤜🤛
Hey Rob. I just started BJJ about 6 weeks ago. I'm 60 and I tell ya... there is no gas in the tank after training... I've got it in the back of my mind that "sometime" in the future I might like to try a competition, but don't know if it will happen. Good on ya for sticking with it and having the heart to hang in there!
This was fun to watch and for me was a real flashback. I was a 42 y.o. white belt in my first tournament, and I am also a lanky grappler. A couple great observations you made. The grip intensity in tournaments is totally different than class, and will accelerate fatigue. Don’t feel embarrassed about your cardio in your first few tournaments. I trained hard for my first tourneys and the fatigue gets you no matter what. Having the guts to compete is a big accomplishment.
I’m sure you’ve received a pile of advice, but if you like playing full guard in a gi tournament, think about attacking forms of cross choke when your opponent’s hands are occupied away from their neck. They’ll have to come back to defend and that will stymie their attempts to open your guard.
Thanks brotha that makes me feel better haha! Great advice, I was so focused on 1 thing.. I should be working on more chokes from there instead of triangles only. Looking forward to 1st comp at blue, prob dropping a weight class since all my opp felt 10 lbs heavier too haha appreciate the feedback! 👊
Hey man, congratulations on that gold and much respect for your transparency and honesty.
I'm a white belt, as well. 37 years old, 6'1 and 210 lbs.
Never had a competition but I really strive for one.
Your videos are insightful, personal, and entertaining.
Thanks a lot for sharing your BJJ journey, and may God bless you and your family 🙏🕊
I’m 44, going on a year at white belt. I’m definitely getting the bug to compete and I definitely want to do it before I get my blue. I enjoyed this video, gets me excited.
im 40 doing my first one soon
That was me a decade ago. Definitely do at least one before blue belt! You can’t get that white belt time back.
do it!
Dude you killed it, the beginning is the hardest part to be optimistic about, great matches.
Thanks man!
I really enjoyed watching this. I am only three weeks into BJJ and I got so excited and was shouting 'go on' when you applied the triangle. Hats off to you for entering any tournament as they must be nerve wracking enough. Amazing effort!
Thanks brotha! Haha ya it was close completely ran outta gas! 🤣 🤜🤛
Fantastic video brother. Only people who have competed understand what you went through. The nerves can be sometimes more than half the battle. It’s still something I struggle with. Of course not having a sufficient rest time didn’t help, but great job out there!
I appreciate that! 🤜🤛
Thank you for being so candid in this video. I’m training for my first comp on Nov18 and I’ll use some of your tips!!
Right on best of luck! Remember to breathe 😉
Good job man, great respect to you, especially for not tapping in your 2nd match against a younger, stronger, and less tired opponent!
I appreciate that! 🤜🤛
@@robrollsditto. Also his one stripe is probably representative of a lot of mat time. It’s not consistent across gyms unfortunately to know.
Que incrível o conteúdo, muito obrigado por compartilhar. Iniciei no bjj tem 1 mês e estou na fase de me sentir perdido e cheio de dores, mas nao vejo a hora de evoluir. 38 anos e acima do peso, mas vou buscar evoluir.
That’s great! Way to get out there! It definitely gets easier I will say. My body isn’t in as much pain as the beginning so keep it up! 💪🏼
You did a great job! Thanks a lot for commentary.
44 years old white belt here going into my first comp. today. Thanks for sharing this video with us and good job on making it through back to back to back fights.
You got it brother good luck! 👊
Nice work! Newly promoted blue belt here, won gold my last tournament at white (3rd tournament at white belt). You did a very nice job in your first match holding the closed guard. The only suggestion I would give is to decide on whether you are pulling guard or shooting for a take down and be first. The rest is reps with drills, more matches, more tournaments, highly recommend attending open mats at new gyms. Gives you an opportunity to work your game on someone who doesn’t know you. Best of luck!
Hey thanks for the feedback! Ya on that second match i needed to go! Good idea on open mat i have another gym close to home my son was straini g at, be great to get more content at new gyms as well! Thanks 🤜🤛
Such an amazing story. I havent competed yet and I started rolling a couple months. Your video motivated to look at competion and cardio , but being aware of the adrenaline aspect you mentioned. Great job getting the gold still.
Yes, definitely have some competition like rolls leading up so you can feel the intensity! Bringing some electrolytes might be smart to haha
Thanks and good luck! 🤜🤛
Im a little over a year in and started jiu jitsu when I was 37 and im now 38. I was in the exact same situation as you in my first tournament so this video was really familiar to me. I had a tough no gi match first, then within 5 minutes was being called for my gi match. I was exhausted, and had to scramble to get my gi on and never really caught my breath when I started my gi match. You're so right too, you feel like you roll hard in the gym and think a tournament will be no different than those tough rounds in the gym, but its a whole different level of intensity! Its also hard when you're that tired and you can hear your coaches telling you what to do, but your body wont respond. I'm sure the nerves and adrenaline play a big roll in the fatigue during competition. Good job though, win or lose, you learn, and you get back in the gym and keep working. osss brother!
Absolutely my man! What a great test mentally & physically! Body wasn’t responding is exactly right, death felt close lol. Right on brother 🤜🤛
I started 10/2022 at age 42. 14 months later I'm much more relaxed than when i started, but endurance just doesnt come easy. So many things i could relate to watching your video. The nerves and unfathomable fatigue...Thank you for sharing your journey. Maybe our paths will cross one day. We'd be in the same bracket
Right on Justin! Yeah hard to relax the body when it know a battle is gonna take place in a few hrs haha i remember my heart rate was up at home even, the anticipation of it was tiring. 🤜🤛
Man, I can't believe you had those first THREE comp rounds back to back. That is terrible luck. I had about an hour in between first and second, and I swear I needed so much time to get my HR down. My left tricep was going into spasm. It was like I was going into shock. You're a hero for stepping into that third round.. I can't even imagine. The burn is real. There's no real preparation for the intensity of competition. Pressure and adrenaline.. thanks for posting, I appreciate the honesty.
Ya that was wild! It was good for me though haha now if I know what to expect with naha but with ibjjf I may get a little rest next time!
Thanks John!
I did my first white belt competition a while ago, it’s really hard and new it’s not like a rolling with partners it’s so much harder and so much pressure. Thank you for making a video.🎉🎉
Thanks for posting these! Start classes tomorrow really excited.
Sick, thanks man! I recommend grabbing a purple belt to partner up with for technique and rolling! (if you decide to roll on first day) tell them it’s your first day. they should be helpful! They’ll still kill ya, but a slow, gentle death 😂
Good luck, let me know how it goes!
Hey Rob! Just finished my first BJJ tournament at San Diego JJWL. I got 2nd place! Love your videos and how your progression is. Thanks for sharing
Right on congrats man! Exhausting huh?! Haha
Absolutely! I can roll at least 3 times at the gym before having to take a good break. My first match at the comp, I was exhausted right after it. Another obstacle to overcome!
That first roll you show is what it's like for me against a couple of guys in my gym. I'll pull guard but they never try and pass, they just grab my wrists and don't do much else except stack. You do a great job being patient and just maintaining your gaurd. You can tell he's frustrated but he never really tried to pass your gaurd. Nice work!
Ahh interesting. If i get stuck in closed guard on someone im getting to my feet immediately hahaa! Thanks man!
Man much appreciated, I joined black lion gym in Michigan and it was amazing and haven’t been there in a year but train with my brother and watch lots of matches in my off time and always wanted to compete so this opened my eyes.
Hey right on my man glad the vid helped out! Good luck hope you stick with it!
Oh ya! Ive tried the loop a few times but haven’t finished it yet! Definitely a sneaky one some black belts will get me with. Lookin forward to exploring more myself with some additional training and privates soon! Thanks man
Appreciate your post. Not sure if i could push the way you did. Thinking about starting Jui Jitsu. It's good to see ppl starting their journey at an older age. I'm exhausted just watching.
Ya go for it so many good benefits! I know i forget that im not 25 anymore like all the time 🤣 thanks!
Good post. I’m 54 and been at it 6 weeks. I’m athletic and giving some blue belts a real fight BUT I am not as brave as you. I can’t face that disappointment so I am not going to compete I believe. Besides I’m a real fight I’m focusing on my striking. Wishing you much success!
Nice! You may want to compete later its a good experience! Thanks 🤜🤛
What made you decide to compete in 2 age divisions? Also the fact that you were exhausted but still gutted out 2 matches with younger competitors and almost got a finish in one of them you should be proud. A good way to know if your jiujitsu works is to see if its effective when you are injured and/or exhausted. I think you did great for your first comp. Make all the mistakes at white belt so you dont make them at higher ranks. Keep it up!
Well there was only 1 guy in the 40 yr old bracket when I registered so I thought why not enter in 30 yr old to get an extra match or 2 for $30 haha.
Thanks I appreciate that! I thought I was in a little better shape 🤣 🤜🤛
@@robrolls I understand. $30 well spent. You won your division and you got the experience of 2 additional matches. You ended up with a great result. If you had only done the over 40 division you would have still won gold but lost out on the additional 2 matches. You've proven a lot to yourself which is going to make you much better.
@@robrollsI’m 52. How does that work if few (if any) people are in your age division? It just dawned on me that in a few years I’ll get the senior discount at iHop!
I’ve only been training about 2 months and have never done a competition but I have felt this level of exhaustion twice in class. Doesn’t feel good but you fought through it. Mental toughness is a huge factor in bjj. Nice job man. 🙏🏼
Heck ya my man, nice! Ya I was proud to have fought through although it felt like death was near 😂
Great video, thanks for posting. Greetings from Chile 🇨🇱 my very first tournament is coming in April so these kind of videos have helped me a lot!!
Thanks! Oh great, good luck! 👊
Thanks for sharing your experience. Great job
dude I feel like you did amazing. you really fought hard and never gave up which is soooo admirable. comp is NOT like rolling in class lmao. the exhaustion is crazy. i won gold at my first comp and barely won/ survived both matches. great job :)
Thanks a lot! Ya def wayyyy different! Ya Im proud i didn’t give up and battled and got the experience under the belt 💪🏼
Thank you so much for sharing. Building up to my first competition.
Hey no problem good luck out there!
Thanks for sharing! Good stuff. I think the biggest benefit is that you can look back and learn from the experience. You win some and lose some. Just have fun, and keep improving.
Thanks Adam! 🤜🤛
Nice jujitsu skills bud - Snoop
About to do my first comp as a white belt. Thanks for posting
Sweeet good luck! 👊
Well done a very interesting and honest video enjoyed it I’m 53 and would like to do a comp but nervous tbh
Thanks, go for it! Its hard to be cool and calm day of comp but its just another roll with someone new thats all 😅 try and have fun its not too serious especially for us older guys haha
Dude, great job. I made the exact same mistake you did. I won my first division and then lost both my matches in the second. Looking good out there
Thanks brother! Ya i never had fatigue like that lol
well done buddy, my first one didn't go well at all, got my second soon! I know the feeling all too well
White belts are one of the most fun belts to learn bjj Brazilian jujitsu in
Thank you for posting these even though you weren't just smashing the competition. I can definitely relate to your experience having just started myself.
Definitely 👍🏼 I’m curious to see how next comp will be at blue belt. Hopefully nerves settle a bit 😎
Did 6 comps this year. The Adrenaline never goes away haha. But working on cardio confidence helped on me on my last two tournaments. Good job tho!
Nice! Yes sir body knows you goin to battle! Thanks bro 🤜🤛
In the first match, do you not usually sweep to your right? Feels like his base is frequently compromised and vulnerable to a scissor sweep. See how much he tilts left at 4:45.
Yeah exactly, ended up on the weak side more than I thought I would haha. Just got the grappling dummy though so I’m definitely going to be drilling both sides more!
My first tournament I developed adult asthma from getting so winded. Fast forward two years and my couch wouldn’t give me a blue belt until I walked through NAGA masters nationals heavyweight, 30-40 decision with all subs via Americana lol. What a difference two years can make! Much respect my brother, you’re doing awesome!
Hell yeah! But holy moly with the asthma has that cleared or can that go away even?! Thanks brotha nice job
🤜🤛
@@robrolls I got an inhaler, plus the Adrenalin dump has gotten better with practice. Mad respect to you for doing this and being honest about how hard it really is. Everyone wants some gold medals, no one want to admit what that looks like. Thank for posting brother 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽
@@ChrisPyle hell ya appreciate it my man!
Good, humble, inspirational!
You did well mate. I started in January as well, aged 42. I was impressed that you even had a game plan and can commentate the roll pretty well. I only get to go 3 to 4 times a month and still barely know what's going on. How often do you train?
Yo thanks my man! Up until competition i was at least 4 times a week (if i wasnt injured) missed a few weeks here and there.
Maaan nice video dude. That fatigue feeling is horrible. Iv felt it a few times in rolling and basically gave up on the mat
Right! you feel like you’re ok with just dying 🤣
Congratulations for just signing up to a competition. You don't lose you only learn. Great video
Absolutely thanks! 🤜🤛
Super great. I love the commentary as I'm only 4 months in.....
Hey thanks! 🤜🤛
Great video, can I give you a tip, do breathing techniques like Wim Hof or yogi pranayama it will help you to expand your lungs and will control your breathing. Also compel yourself to breath only throw your nose not your mouth. It will be difficult in the beginning but it will pay off. You see your lungs shrink when are in your thirties.
Great job, everyone who's competed understands the fatigue that you're talking about, after my first competition match my body was destroyed and it stayed like that for like 3 days, those 5 minutes in comp felt harder than 30 minutes of straight sparring.
Yooo right! Def a real mental/physical test 👊
44 year old blue belt here. Good work bro! Stick with it. Jits and making videos. They're both long journeys.
Yess ir thanks! 🤜🤛
Great content. You definitely leveled up from the tournaments.
Thanks ! 🤜🤛
This was a lot of fun to watch man. Ive got my first comp in november. Ive got the same problem as you, im tall and skinny so i get wrecked by stockier oponnents
Yo nice! Ya those strong bastards haha
That’s why I’m trying to focus on getting very sound technically to balance the strength gap, best of luck 💪🏼
Tournaments are tough. It's different to sparring. YOu have to get used to that & become compfortable with competing. Your experience is very relateable.
Definitely 💯 Glad to get that first one in the books!
That triangle entry at 12:55 was pretty sweet. Nice job.
Thanks! 🤜🤛
Hey mate great commentary. You seem humble I like it! great work good fight IQ.
Right on thanks man! 🤜🤛
Thanks for posting love the video! Been thinking about doing tournaments, I’m already 40, can I do both age divisions 30-39 and 40-49?
Yeah, You can do 18+ adult if you want! There won’t be much rest in between matches if any at all but go for it it’s a great test!
Thanks for posting. I also started in January.
Right on on thanks for checking out the vid!
First comp I lost 26-0 and second match I lost north south cross collar choke. I felt your exhaustion
Ahhhh yes that comp exhaustion hit different haha 👊
Is that an athletic wedding ring you have on? If not, be careful -- degloving injuries can happen. Awesome video.
Oh ya rubber ring! Thanks man 🤜🤛
You did 2 age groups your first comp! You should be proud of your performance and your mental fortitude
Thanks! Well, there was only one guy in the 40-year-old bracket when I initially signed up and I heard for $30 more you could sign up for another one lol. Thought why not have another match or 2 😂. Thanks man 🤜🤛
Kudos to you!
Like everyone said, the first comp is ROUGH and full of great learning lessons. Two things that can make a huge difference with the fatigue:
Thorough warmup before the matches begin. Light rolls, air squats, jumping jacks or whatever. Just get warm and try to get rid of that adrenalin.
Secondly, be purposeful with your breathing during the match. Breathe through your nose and don’t let yourself end up holding your breath because you aren’t mindful of the breathing.
Great tips thanks! I thought there would be an open mat area to warm up but nope! Just gym floor haha
LOL I remember the first time I ever competed and after that first match my whole body felt drained too. Muscles burning and lungs ON FIRE and you are questioning "What the heck did I sign myself up for?!?! How many more matches??? UGH!" But its ok, it'll pass. Neat thing is you come from professional poker so it is all about that poker face in between your matches.
Congrats, you now have gone thru your trial by fire. Win/lose doesn't matter, you put yourself out there and gave it your best shot. You are walking away with something better than a medal or a NAGA Sword (still don't know why they give little kids full swords, anyways) You are getting experience. I know that sounds corny and not a lot but experience can become quite the useful tool. I bet you are probably going to take that experience and be thinking about every little move you/your opponents made. And those thoughts can lead you to coming up with nice answers to plenty of the situations you came across. Another step in your Mexican Ground Karate journey. 👍
Haha thanks Mark! Ya man what a shock it was, and another humbling experience. It’s wild how its already kinda a blur now, that’s what exhaustion does to ya. Yes, definitely have went over all the matches several times looking at where I missed sweeps and certain details I missed on finishing a few of the sweeps so looking forward to improving technically. I’m not sure if I was breathing either 😂 but ya a great learning experience 💪🏼
Just came across this! My 10 year old has been rolling a couple months and just picked up his first stripe. He got me into taking classes and on my 2nd class they put me in a round robin for 20 mins at the end of the class 😂 the objective was to pass or sweep closed guard and take side control. I did ok considering I had no idea what I was doing, and somehow stayed on for 3 rounds against much younger guys (I’m 49 😂). After the 3rd round I was gassed so hard I had to give up my spot because I couldn’t continue! Totally feel that embarrassment you describe…was mortifying! Tell me it gets better bro?! 😂😂 great video 👌
Your honesty is awesome!
😁👊
Off from this video I love the channel brother on how your always explaining the whole match💪
Thanks brotha 🤜🤛
You mentioned having the dummy.....do you feel like that's helpful? I've been debating for a while to buy but didn't want to wast a bunch of money
Definitely helps I work on armbar and triangle movements a lot. But you can work on the technique that you learned in class and get reps in. I got the one that stuff yourself so it was less than $200
You can roll as hard as you want in class, but nothing compares to a competition roll. Took me a while to learn how to pace myself and not let the adrenaline take over.
💯 Lookin forward to the next one to see if I can breathe and pace myself as well haha
Great commentary.
Man I went through the same thing in my first comp 😂 you get upset at how tired you are.
You nailed it haha I was like wtf get it together old man 🤣
Congratulations on competing and congratulations on the gold!!
Thanks brotha! 🤜🤛
Good stuff rob, keep it going!
Thanks! 🤜🤛
Good rolling Rob. I'm just starting myself, my name's also Rob and I'm tall and slim too haha. Best of luck becoming a beast over time !
Yoooo right on! Same to you Rob, triangles! 😁
First competition is Feb 10th! Thanks for posting this
🔥 best of luck! Thanks for checking out the vid!
Good job and congrats !!! I was exactly like you. Won my first match and lost my second match to an opponent which was his first match . Completely gassed out after my first match and I never expected that as usually I am able to roll a few rounds with lesser rest time during open mat. I think it was because I wasn’t breathing much too during my first match. 😂
😂 yeah same! I think I was in a rush in close guard instead of relaxing. I was really forcing to try and look for a finish, instead of chillin and waiting for openings. Probably wasn’t breathing myself lol so tense
great job, real mental gymnastics
For real, thanks!
Good man thanx 🥋👍🇬🇧
The great thing is you’ll fix pretty much everything you identify, things that happen in competition tend to stick with you.
I bet you finish triangles at a much higher rate from now on.
Well done champ, the adrenaline dump is real it’ll get better with experience, but try and focus on breathing over everything in class for a while to keep your heart rate down.
Right on thanks Marcus!
Great content bro. Really does help to see
Thanks man 🤜🤛
Grazie per questo video. E' facile trovare video di cinture viola o cinture nere che si, sono belli da vedere, ma non sono utili quanto il tuo video.
Io tra poco farò la mia prima competizione con cintura bianca e sono molto agitato.
Tu come hai gestito lo stress e la paura prima della gara?
Cool thanks brother! Honestly, I was trying to just breathe and relax and stretch but mentally your body knows you’re about to go into a battle with someone new so I felt my heart racing all day! Haha
I would say, just don’t forget to breathe in your match and maybe not take it so serious try and be playful like you would in class Easier said than done though, the pace is different. Good luck!
@@robrolls Thanks, tomorrow is the day! I write in this comment next week for my impression!
La gara non è andata molto bene e ha vinto il mio avversario con un bel arm lock! Però il mio avversario più grande era la paura e la preoccupazione, andando alla gara li ho vinti!
I'm curious about that call in match 1, no shade on you but if I were the ref I might have called double stall, since you never opened up your guard to make an attack.
Ya I had no clue haha and opp was really making it difficult to get any grips going
Thanks for sharing
Watching this to prepare for my first match 6 months in 1 stripe white belt got 2 months to prepare nice video
Nice good luck ! 👊🏻
You're an inspiration man
You had plenty of Oppt. To grab an inside leg and rotate for a straight arm bar attempt to sweep Brudda?! Sometimes letting go of the guard will help you. I’d recommend drill some solo rotations. Great video and narrations. Keep it up, you looked good! Ooosh!
Yessir! Up i til this point I hadn’t worked much on armars from closed..thats obvious🤣 Also wasn’t confident to open my guard in fear of getting passed but its comin brotha! Need way more drilling with the arm, guys always rip out from closed guard so im missing something! Thanks man 🤜🤛
Good job bro, competition is tuff.
Thanks man yes, indeed it was! Haha
@@robrolls Im 62, took up Jujitsu and went to classes. even doing private lessons. rolled for first time and was gassed out in one minute. still wiping my tears.
Respect the effort ✊🏽
Thanks man 🤜🤛
I am 42 yo and started 2 months ago and for me it is fucking tough, I used to gas out within seconds with each roll but nevertheless, it is tough rolling with younger people
Yeah i remember bein dead first roll too haha
Great job!
You did well man!
Salve irmão, começa a trabalhar guarda fechada acredito que pode ser seu jogo.
Yeah I like working from closed!
First match ref had that dumptruck
To me your opponent is trying to force a submission from the closed guard. If it was me I would focus on passing the guard first, hands on opponents hips posture up, attempting to slide through with the knee and get into position before attempting submission. I seriously doubt he could get a submission without passing the guard.
For you you need to knee to elbow creating a space getting your knee underneath and this would get you into a position.
You need to upset his balance by pulling down on 1 side, to be in a position to get the sweep. It doesn't look like you wouldn't be able to triangle by going straight onto his hips.
Eventually you will use less energy and be less tired. Keep fighting
Right on love it! 🤜🤛
Thank you. Congratulations
Nice BJJ match - Snoop
Thanks brotha!
Do people in their 50s ever compete in BJJ tournaments?
Oh ya ive seen much older! But being able to compete up until 50 is probably my goal haha