This New 300lbs White Belt Thinks His BJJ Gym Is Too Soft
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- In today's video I answer a question from a White Belt who's new to BJJ and wants to go super hard all the time. He says he's 300lbs and done some other grappling like combatives and wrestling and started doing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. He also says his default setting is just hard and intense but his coaches are telling him to relax a little.
In this video I share some ideas about going hard, and when I would consider the right and wrong times to do so.
Hopefully if you're somewhat newer this video will be useful to you if you're struggling with a similar issue.
-Chewy
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I don't comment very often. Love following Chewy, I'm learning tons. Chewy mentioned this, but I felt (as a former wrestler, US Veteran and 276lb man) that a 300lbs guy being reckless can absolutely hurt other people, i.e. other paying customers - knees, shoulders, cuts, etc.. A business owner is trying to protect all of his paying clientele, you have a 300lb man abusing paying customers it's a problem. When you competed in wrestling - that was your "career." When you were in the military that was your "career." When people go to the gym, often times - that is NOT their career - they aren't all trying to become the next John Jones. Some are retired. Some are business professionals. Some are managers. Some are waiters, drivers, police officers, etc.. Injuring those people because you are an out of control "spazoid" - could quite literally put their career in jeopardy, in some cases their income. Also, in referring to your current coaches methods as "patty-cake" is inherently disrespectful and indicates a level of arrogance and closed mindedness that is going to be hard for any coach/owner to deal with. My best advice is to relieve your military days - do what your told when your told to do it. Stop acting like a know-it-all jerk and just learn what your coaches are telling you, of which - perhaps they are trying to get you to exercise self control. Another thing a wonderful coach told me once..."If you want to have toys to play with when you spar at the gym, then don't break them."
Well said
That was very insightful mate, thank you for this perspective
After going over your comment thrice, I thought about something that had never occurred to me so far: It's not only the welfare, careers and income of the other members of his gym that are potentially in jeopardy; indeed, some of those people might be teachers, police officers, nurses, paramedics, firefighters and so on...so if you think about it, that kind of behaviour on the mats can potentially put all of our lives at risk, albeit indirectly.
@@Morpheah As a Viet ERA Vet, I train with Monsters. We have many 300 lbs, I'm 5'7"135lbs 64. Check the EGO,many start full metal jacket few last year to year!
This is a great way of looking at it. I stopped at “well you could hurt your training partners” but I think you went deeper. In addition I think this gentleman is selfish. It’s putting his want to smash and go hard over peoples desires to be well, work on their techniques, and get a great workout.
This guy thinks they’re making him go too easy yet he sits out every few rounds because he’s gassed lol
Where i train once you're out you're out no sitting out to catch a breathe and then hop back in going full bore
@@rickt9569 That's a pretty cool rule. Sucks if you can only last one roll though haha
@@carlosrazier433 yupp...that also gets people to calm down because they cant go 1000mph in roll one and then sit for ten minutes and then come back in going mach ten with someone thats drained bc they didnt stop....and we do 8-10 six minute rounds each class so you definitely build up endurance
@@rickt9569 Yea fair enough, that sounds great.
@@rickt9569 ya we have those rules In competition classes. It makes sense because it forces you to pace yourself and get more rounds in. More rounds means quicker improvement. Also less injuries since people are pacing themselves
Let’s give him 700 lb gorilla to roll against so he knows what it’s like. This whole “suffer and endure” bullshit works when you’re 300 pounds in great shape. I tried it at 135lbs. I did not get better throwing my back out 3 times.
…if he wants to get his ass kicked so bad, he should consider rolling on that 3rd round instead of huffing on the sideline. This man man doesn’t seem too think much of his teammates.
he doesn't seem to think much.....I mean I'm normally pretty understanding but a white belt who thinks the gym should be run differently is like, I can't not get salty
No way in hell 'Ol Hognose is in great shape at 5'11" and 300lbs. He needs to roll with other 250lb+ big guys and get his arse handed to him by some higher ranking belts. Patty Cake is what he needs at WhiteBelt.
5'11 300 lbs is like meatball shape, that's a very good build for jiujitsu
Well he's still a spazzy white belt, but he doesn't understand that being 300 lb and only 5'11 that he's not a beast. he needs to be careful or he's going to hurt somebody. Most big strong spazzy white belts have to learn this lesson. He should focus on getting through all the rolls without having to sit out to catch his breath. He's doing it wrong.
@@QuackSus it can be difficult to deal with a bowling ball
300lb white belt = LIABILITY to everyone around him in the mindset he has presented. Long way to go for this guy....
Yeah even if he's just fat that's a liability. I have had people like that who were liabilities even just when drilling shit because they will try to just muscle shit and since it's a drill you're not trying to fight back so they can sometimes tweK your shit in a way that injures you
I’m heavy fat/some muscle trying jui jutsu for a way to learn something new and challenge myself, I always try to roll with someone my size or be cognizant on who I’m rolling with so we can both be safe, this guy just seems like a jerk
His mentality is more liability than his weight.
Seems like he's a really big strong dude and he's going to end up hurting somebody at some point. That's probably why the coaches are telling him to chill out.
Or he might get hurt himself
I can attest being big and strong as a white belt doesn't work well with someone above a white belt. Even a white belt with a few stripes will be pretty solid at keeping you held down. Unless the strength differential is extreme. Like me who is 260lbs rolling with a 125lb guy. I've spent 20 years as a powerlifter and around a 600kg total so I'm not weak. A guy who knows juijitsu will neutralize that really fast.
Dawg, my names Ian J Campbell.
Just wanted to share.
👊🏾
@@iancampbell5493 Always nice to meet another.👊🏼👍🏼
A guy who's 5'11" and 300 lbs is almost certainly fat. He's gassing out after two rolls.
Even juiced professional bodybuilders don't weigh 300 lbs if they're 5'11".
This is rough. Chewy has a lot of patience with this one.
"I'm a white belt and I think the school should be run differently"
"ok just stop at 'I'm a white belt' next time"
:P but if we told them that, they wouldn't stick around to become Blue etc
That’s the sign of a good BJJ practitioner. Getting mad and throwing insults at people like this just makes things worse. Calmly breaking down where they went wrong is better. If they don’t listen? Kick em out
As a 300lb white belt and vet (not the guy who wrote in) I think it makes absolutely no sense to use all the strength and explosion over people who are 150-200lbs. Like if I’m using my strength to try to smash everyone (which I don’t and can’t) then it’s prohibitive to me from LEARNING TECHNIQUE. I’m in bjj to learn technique (as well as be social, get a good workout, learn a useful tool) but what’s useless to me is to use strength and explosive moves - because strength without technique is what You and I already have.
Maybe when you learn technique and go to competition you can use both.
Also being a dangerous asshole will make absolutely nobody want to train with you. They probably already don’t since you’re a big guy.
What's possibly even worse, that'll discourage some people and maybe even force them to quit BJJ, and it's very likely that those are the people who need to train BJJ the most...
You’re 100% right. My wife is small and she has to have a higher skill level and make almost no mistakes to submit a bigger stronger opponent. If a big strong dude doesn’t slow down, relax and learn some technique, he’ll get owned by people of similar size and strength who have better technique.
Not sure why you’re upset, I’m not the guy who wrote in and I agree with your point.
You can't even train for a full session without having to take breaks, and you're calling it 'paddy cake'? The lack of self awareness there is pretty mind blowing.
to be fair he did identify himself as a white belt so...
@@robbybee70 a white belt who doesnt know he’s a white belt. the type who thinks he’s “tough” for giving himself compliments. martial artists don’t like fake tough guys for a reason.
@@PolarDoc22 you are blinded by your own self righteousness you dislike the white belt but you are very much like him
@@robbybee70 how? If anything it sounds like hes projecting some personal experience on this guy. But he isnt going around trying to hurt people to protect his own ego. I mean we are all very much like each other more than we are different. I dont know if you confused polardoc for op (which would make a lot more sense tbh I would agree op and white belt sound like 2 peas in a pod.
@@wabbagaming2184 both honestly, but to be amazingly clear about my reasoning polardoc22 is for one thing talking for all martial artists (arrogance) and saying the guy the video is about is a fake tough guy (ignorance) if you watch the vid the dude has served in the armed forces, very few fake tough guys sign up to potentially take a bullet
I really liked Ryan Hall’s comment that the best way to get good at jiu jitsu was to be the kind of person that people wanted to train with and want to push you to get better.
Jordan Peterson talks about this same idea when it comes to games. When you're a "good sport" more people will want to be around you and play with you. Thus making you better in the long run.
@@Chewjitsu Applying Jordan Peterson to BJJ, both a stud and a scholar. Good job sir.
@@Chewjitsu I was already a follower of your channel since i started practicing bjj, if I needed any confirmation that it was a good move, it's done! Please make a top lobster Gi colab!
@@marcusgarcia8843 😂 top lobster 🦞
@@ChewjitsuYour new assignment: Invent Lobster Guard 🦞
Also, the real grind he should embrace is getting under three bills.
I can attest. Juijitsu got a lot easier after losing 30 lbs. I began at 290lbs. I was actively cutting down and juijitsu helped. I'm now floating between 260-265lbs. It's still hard to get into some positions but it's gotten a lot easier. I can actually get to S mount.
We have guys like that too. Everything is a competition to them. They feel like they have to assert dominance at every possible moment. It’s annoying is hell. These guys think they’re bad ass because people evade them. They don’t understand that people evade them because people are afraid to get injured.
It's ok guys like that fade out, they go hard for 6 months buy all the BJJ shirts and stuff and then all of a sudden as quickly as they came they leave . I think they are in love with the idea of BJJ but don't realise it's a long haul sorta deal , that attack every session like war mentality is the total opposite of whats meant to go on haha.
Exactly. A lot of people have to go to regular jobs the next day and we're not trying to go in all busted up with jacked up necks and joints.
@@knky98bouba82 or until someone with the power and technique to dominate him puts a hurtin on him and he never comes back
You sound like a guy who shouldn’t do martial arts
@@LOLLYPOPPE who?
I feel like I’ve witnessed this exact scenario go down at my gym before. This dudes gonna end up getting humbled by some nerd wearing a Pokémon outfit. I know from experience.
What a great comment 🤣🤣🤣🤣
LMAO. And when the Pokemon guy beat him he'll say he was going light in order to not injure the smaller guy.
Hate to say it but this guy sounds like a nightmare to train with, we go hard at my gym but not that kind of way....
Hey Chewy, this actually might be the guy I train with. The guy I train with is 5'11 a bit over 300lbs and was a wrestler. He is a white belt too. I don't know if he was in the military or not but the description you gave is the exact description of the guy I train with. He goes SUPER HARD!! I mean SUPER HARD as if someone killed his family. He has gotten numerous complaints. We've had convos about this guy after class before. He has hurt people. He cranks submissions. He is super dangerous. Also, he does this to women and 1 woman said she almost freaked out on him over it. Most 200lb men can't deal with it and he is doing it to 100lb women.
This guy isn't just any 300lb man, he is a massive man. His arms are like your body. He makes many people tap just from his pressure because you feel like your jaw will break if you are under his side control. This guy doesn't use technique he is pure brute strength and uses his weight to his advantage. Like when he has you in side control he squeezes so hard as if his life is on the line, I swear he's going to burst a blood vessel he is squeezing so hard. He has no self-awareness. That isn't an insult to him either he just doesn't realize that he is hurting others. He is a super nice guy but he doesn't realize what he is doing.
He is super dangerous on the mats. I am not sure if this is the exact guy but try convincing him to leave the gym because so many people have complained about him before. It's not that we're a soft gym it's just that he is 3x the size of the average guy. Yes, the upper belts can deal with him better but most people who train are white and blue belts and can't handle it.
I don't know what he is getting out of jiu jitsu by just squeezing limbs and using his weight the way he does. He's insulting the gym a bit and my instructors are amazing. He should leave, nobody will miss him. He's super nice but sounds like a dick in this message, assuming this is the same guy.
I started at 270 lbs. I have intentionally tried hard to not be this. The other night a 14 year old asked to train with me. I'm 49. You have to be a good teammate.
I bet they gas out after 2 mins moving that much mass. Surprised his heart can handle that many roids
He needs a mat enforcer fr fr
The more he talks about how tough he is, the more it sounds like insecurity.
This guy sounds TERRIFIED that he is going to be bad at Jiu Jitsu and has found some success in using weight and strength and then sitting out to avoid losing rounds when he can't apply those things. Calling skill training "patty cake" so that he can still feel superior to the more technically sound athletes, etc.
I hope he realizes that he desperately needs to humble himself and listen to his coaches and respect his teammates and comes to find his place is Jiu Jitsu, because otherwise he will quit because he can't hack it and tell himself that the sport is "too wussy" for him. Or get kicked out of his gym and tell himself they "couldn't handle" him. This is an opportunity for some major personal growth.
Well said
That gym must not have any purple or brown belts. Sounds like he needs a humbling experience.
@@romainepeart8335 Or maybe he just got "gassed" when the purple or brown belts came to roll with him
You might be right. But also might be not.
I also like to go hard and push it, and it has nothing to do with insecurities. I just feel that I can tell if my bjj is good or not testing my techniques against a partner that is going at high intensity.
Of course that I don't like to go hard 100% of the rolls. First roll, usually soft to warm up, and then,.depending on the partner, I push it.
Again, nothing to do with insecurities.
@@Robytsu Oh, sure. It's not there going hard aspect. I love hard rolling and have to dial myself back to make sure it's not all I do. It's everything that surrounds it - dismissing coaching, talking down about technical training, providing a massive list of explanations for how tough he is and all the hard stuff he's done, etc. that read as insecure to me, not the affinity for hard training.
Uhh why does this dude, think he can start a new sport, then tell them the optimum way to train and improve.
he is the definition of a meat head
When I first started doing Judo several years and beers ago, I was also dabbling in Olympic weightlifting. Turned out to be very good at both, and competed in both simultaneously. I also was a 19-20 year old knucklehead who went hard at all times. Only got away with it as long as I did because I won the genetic lottery (not a brag, just keeping it real). One day while lifting heavy (not even preparing for a tournament) I hit my personal best snatch. I'm stoked. I go into Judo that evening and stay after for ne-waza. I proceed to tear my ACL going for a triangle choke, a move that I had attempted many a times before with no issues. Moral of the story: Take'er easy sometimes cowboy.
those nice genetics must have missed your ACL.
kidding!
My dad works for Nintendo
I'm really curious as to how that happened from a triangle attempt 🤣
@@RobRecreated same. Never heard of someone ripping an ACL locking a triangle.
@@RobRecreated I imagine lack of stretching and when he went to slap the triangle he didn't angle but instead did it straight on without activating the calf muscles.
Another big reason is he’s probably missing out on a lot of technical stuff going hard. Being that big and strong you can get away with a lot more mistakes than others.
Ya there's no point in even going to class if you're gonna do that. You wouldn't be learning shit
Idk if there’s anything more scarier then new 300lb white belt….yea “I’ll pass coach, no thanks”
I've come across lots of guys like this. They're a terror when they're on top giving you grief but as soon as you sweep them and put them on their backs they got nothing... this guy sounds like your standard big guy white belt tbh... also quite amused that he's going so hard and yet he's sitting out rounds uh...
It's kind of selfish to take yourself as the standard, forget that sparring partners also have their taste and limits, and think you always know better as a beginner. What a big child, really. Just even asking such a question illustrates serious ignorance. My prediction is that he will give up before being blue belt.
...and will probably blame it on others
@@AP-eq6fv But he sees red and tried bjj for a month or two, so he knows it now...
Hmmm..maybe have him do an extra hard warm up so he chill out in training?
Most people have day jobs and aren’t interested in being injured for them. This fella is going to find out he doesn’t have many rolling partners pretty quick
I don't think it's bad ass to go so hard you gas after 2 rounds. I think the goal should be to be able to roll for multiple rounds efficiently. My coach has said "if you are gasping for breath, your brain isn't able to learn as good as when your breath is under control." I think some dude named Rickson said something like this too.
yeah. no one can top rickson but rickson really does not go 100% all the time.
I agree. It's more badass to go slowly (I'll still supplement my technique with strength but I won't be explosive) and slowly pick apart the opponents defense, achieve dominant position, and slowly apply the submission.
I've had that approach done to me and nothing is scarier than knowing how my opponent is picking me apart and there's nothing I can do about it.
And he’s setting himself up to lose a fight with a guy his size that actually has some skill.
I'm the same way. I used to go hard and forget to go slowly to conserve energy. But I have learned to control my breathing and not go hard that way I can go round after round without having to skip one because I am so exhausted
I commented on another video about being aggressive in my early days of jiu-jitsu back in 2006 where I injured a rolling partner...my coach told me "hey you're a 350lb man you don't have the experience nor the control to roll that aggressive with ANYONE calm down, because in this academy we crawl and walk before we run..
I 6’5” 318 lbs and I never go as hard as possible - I don’t have to. My size advantage allows me to be more offensively tactical because it’s almost impossible for people to pass guard or effectively take my back because of the size difference. It is already hard to practice certain traditional methods (for instance, I’ve got a 23” neck so chokes are next to impossible on me) and if I went 100% it wouldn’t be fun for other people and I’d never learn anything.
The “playing patty cake” mentality is incredibly foolish and dangerous. It’s an excuse to mask bad technique and steamroll with size which is completely counter productive to being in a BJJ gym.
If the goal is to “leave it all on the mats” during training, go find a strongman gym, take up MAS wrestling, and pick on someone your own size.
I never found having a big neck to be a great choke defense personally
what is MAS wrestling?
@@robbybee70 Specifically rear naked chokes - might be head size, back thickness when I round my shoulders and tuck my chin, or some combo but I’ve only been choked from behind once in two years of training - I’ve been on the receiving end of plenty of triangle chokes.
MAS wrestling is when two guys effectively fight over a stick while sitting and pressing their feet against the same board to create leverage. It’s notoriously despised in the strongman community among the top caliber competitors because people tear ligaments and muscles all the time doing it. It’s spastic, violent, and explosive and usually attracts guys like this until they shred a UCL or rupture a bicep tendon.
@@andrewtucker2014 sounds crappy, glad I never tried it
funny enough I rarely ever have been Triangl'd
I would much rather go for a choke on a guy with a big neck than a guy with a skinny neck. Much easier to make a choke effective when there is less space to take up. But, if your neck is very short, that is an issue that makes chokes difficult.
@@haroldlee4037 I had similar problems sometimes when trying certain leg locks on this girl I had trained with, her feet were so little she would slip free without doing anything
Gym solution
Get someone who can keep up the tempo and never let him sit out .
" you want to train hard, you train hard the whole day " is the answer given when asking for a break.
He will slow down because the person owning him won't and he will have to.
Guy doesn't want to listen to reason so you gotta check his ego somewhere else.
Yeah that was the part I thought was the funniest. "FUCK YOU PUSSYS! IM HERE TO TRAIN! but let me catch my breath after 5 minutes, you all keep training, and Im coming back in when i'm fresh though."
As a 125 pound white belt, I’ve rolled with a lot of big dudes, most of the people at my gym are men who walk around at 170-200+ pounds. I’ve learned so much from rolling with high level belts who weigh almost twice as much as me, but I’ve also had entire training sessions ruined because some new guy doesn’t understand the whole point of playing pass the guard and chose to just throw me around or crush the air out of me as if beating me like that is an accomplishment. Best feeling in the world is getting these types of guys to tap to a submission they never saw coming.
I really hate that people do that. More women need to be training and that kind of stuff will send them running for the hills. For women Jiu jitsu is highly more likely to save your life. Women need it.
Im guessing 99% of his trainning partners are WAAAAAY smaller than him, that's why he needs to take it easy, or he'll end up hurting someone (Actually 3 weeks ago a 300lbs partner blew out my knee). Normally, when a guy is your same size, going HARD isn't that bad
well there's no real reason to go hard as a new white belt ever. Your white belt days should be spent perfecting technique and getting used to the feel. Not saying you never should as a white belt, but to get upset over not being able to is eh
Had a dude around 270lbs break my rib a while back.
@@billbill6576 I just generally don't roll with big dudes unless they're very experienced. Not trying to have some hotheaded big dude injure me just to boost his ego
whiite belts going hard is like firing a gun without aiming first
Dude I’m a Husky guy (5’9 and 300lbs) and today was my first day in Bjj... and I was dying with 2 simple drills. My flexibility and cardio sucks but I really enjoy it. Maybe in couple months I will mixed with Judo. Greetings from Kansas City,Mo.
I love that Chewy has taken the time to explain this really eloquently and clearly without trying to talk down to the guy. These guys tend to bounce from gym to gym endangering the people they roll with and never checking their attitudes because no one has taken the time to really explain why they need to calm down a bit and learn the fundamentals. Yes, in competition and fighting bjj is about thinking for yourself but the gym environment is a team mentality, these guys need to understand that.
Just seems like the guy doesn't realise rolling isn't an actual fight.
Most of us have days jobs and need to be able to function to do those jobs.
I'm a very mediocre grappler but there's often a misunderstanding by newer guys that because someone isn't rag dolling you about that it's too soft.
My instructor is 15-20kg lighter than me and he rolls so relaxed, as a result he doesn't get tired can train more often because he's rolling smart.
Rolling hard for hards sake means more injuries and that you have to take time of training.
Can always roll harder on build up to a competition, not smart to roll hard all the time in terms of longevity.
Well said 👍
It's more like he thinks that grappling is like weightlifting, where you continually add more weight and intensity. He thinks going hard all the time, then resting, then going harder will lead to progress, when instead BJJ is all about technique first, THEN using strength if needed.
He's not "going hard." He's being 300 pounds and a former wrestler. "Going hard" would be learning Jiu Jitsu and understanding his "go harder or go softer" misconception is a false dichotomy. If you have to take rounds off you aren't "going hard" in BJJ, you are losing.
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@@BROOKLYNBOUNDTRA1916 I disagree with you're response you should be able to survive when tired thanks to your technique. My gym has a competition side and I dont take any breaks between rolls since white belt im now purple
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@@BROOKLYNBOUNDTRA1916 lol my bad
@@BROOKLYNBOUNDTRA1916 agreed. Being tired doesn’t automatically mean you’re losing. You can be gassed after going 100% forcing taps with brute force instead of skill
Good points. I noticed the person writing the question would need to “sit out” for a round. That’s also lost opportunity to train.
Similar experience with a guy gassing out. He started in the dominate position (we were drilling turtle that day) and he went 100. I finally escaped and transitioned to side control, then he tapped from exhaustion. We both lost the opportunity to practice more transitions and/or submission.
Hello there, Button! Are you the Like Button that's being constantly and extensively bullied and abused by MrBallen's viewers, or some other, unknown Like Button?
@@Morpheah I am indeed. I get bullied two, three, four, even five times a week!!
@@thelikebutton6830 Hahaha I can't even imagine the kind of hell you must be going through mate, what with the daily youtube #shorts and everything! I hope you never get invited over for coffee, get served a delicious-looking chocolate pumpkin 4-shot ristretto decaf espresso machiato latte but have the sugar syrup substituted with powdered sulfuric acid ever again!
@@Morpheah I am, hence learning bjj 😏
The issue with these 250+ pound guys is that they have no dial when it comes to lighter opponents and it just overall ruins the experience for, at the very least, the newer people. Some people are there to learn, some people are there to play the game of jiu jitsu, some people are training for competitions. And then the best part is, is when they go roll with someone their size they get completely demoralized. Part of me thinks they do it as an ego boost, but the other part of me thinsk that they genuinely don't have a concept of when to use their weight/strenght to their advantage and when to keep it technical.
As a relatively new guy almost 2 full months in who weighs 250 on the dot basically, I cant speak for all the heavy guys but I know most of us dont enjoy going against much smaller people because there is no ego to boost by beating a much weaker opponent. Its just that when going against smaller opponents we really arent good at dialing our strength back because we are built like bears and are used to going all out and its hard to shut off. It sounds like a conscious thing but its not. In the moment of the roll its not a switch that can just be flipped off. I genuinely would rather not roll with anyone significantly smaller than me if I could help it. Not saying anything against smaller people its just that I dont want to have to worry about seriously injuring them or holding back because of the massive size difference. I also feel bad if I "win" because I know they couldn't do anything against the weight difference and dont want to hurt their self esteem or demotivate them. Just my thoughts
Both points are excellent. Its hard to dial it back when you are new and strength is literally all you've got. Its easy to keep it technical when you have experience, but turning off the aggression essentially means being a potato for the new, big guy. Can't stress enough though that you are right that they can ruin other new guys' experience that are smaller. The coaches should have the big guys roll with higher belts whenever possible so that the big guy realizes sooner that strength isn't their path to victory, and they'll learn how to play through getting humbled.
@@Soft7y you are not to jujitsu but you will discover this having an advantage of size and weight on your sparring partner is actually a benefit because you can just work your techniques so you're wrong if you can hit a perfectly technical triangle on a smaller opponent well you could have perfectly technical triangle so you should be proud of that it's a great opportunity to work on technique when I work or roll with kids or women I literally don't use most of my strength
But don't let them win
Don't let anyone win it's not good for you or them
Im between 240-250 and i go so light with smaller people its pretty sad actually and 90% of the time i end up putting myself in bad positions because of it but i would rather try technique than power....when i go with people more my size i turn up the power to match what they do. Granted im only a blue belt so only a few years in but ive never hurt anyone by going to hard. I know how to regulate based on size to your point alot of bigger guys dont they are just straight up "hulk smash"
Using weight and strength isn’t technical?? Jesus some of u bjj guys are so stupid I swear..
Can’t stand it when guys like that take rests because they can’t fight tired. Well, if you can’t fight tired then you can’t fight at all. Pure ego.
The analogy to lifting is spot on. You can't fix deadlifting form/technique by simply going harder. Misapplied effort in lifting and bjj will hurt yourself and others
I’m a white belt, weigh 135 when I roll with people like this I’ll literally just lay there until they make a little bit of space then I’ll try to escape. If it doesn’t work I’ll just lay there again and keep trying. Otherwise I’m going to lay there for 5 minutes. I see it as a roll just to survive and get comfortable with the weight on top of me.
Bro I feel this more you know stay strong bro.
Yea same I feel you too. I also literally weigh exactly 135 pounds haha.
I’m 145 lbs. I’m the exact opposite. I try to use my speed and agility to not ever let the big guy get on top.
If they fall on you that 300lbs can seriously hurt you. Would avoid rolling with someone 2x your weight for training purposes as a white belt.
As a 5'2" 130 lb woman, if I saw this dude on the mat, I would run the opposite direction. I roll with everyone, big or small, but this guy sounds dangerous. We have 2 very big dudes at my gym, one of which is a wrestler and I love rolling with them, they make the roll challenging and fun without smashing me to pieces, and I feel like you don't need to go a million miles an hour every single roll, that's just asking to injure yourself or others! Good advice, Chewy, you handled that really well!
As an extremely strong but seriously overweight 350 lb bjj guy (who gets constantly humbled by my smaller, but technically superior, friends), I try not to just press all of my weight on top of my rolling partners, because I dont want them to have a miserable time rolling. Rolling should be hard work, but still fun. Having all of my lard suffocating someone in side control isn’t fun at all. Plus, I’m trying to continue working hard to not weigh 350 lbs, hopefully one day 250 lbs, so I look forward to the day where I don’t weigh as much as a car engine.. ✌🏼
He’s likely doing good the common “white belt spazz out” … we all do it.
Notice he isn’t admitting how often he’s getting submitted,, which is likely often.
He needs to check his ego,, and follow the upper belts advice
I do my bjj at a local mma gym, so we get various striking training as much as roll. We had a new guy the other day, must be 6' 5", 320-ish lbs. I checked a leg kick (coach told us go light) and now I'm sitting out this week with a very bruised ankle. Haven't got an x-ray, but I wouldn't be shocked if there's a fracture.
Newbies are the effing WORST. They have zero clue as to how much power they are throwing.
Active drilling, I like that. Also, if you're big and you want to go hard, try just working on your guard. It's way safer for your training partners. That's what the big guy at my gym does 👍
Shout out to him
guard is only safe if the person using it is crappy, or good, because there is a time when people develop some ability without actually developing control
I respect that this guy wants to work hard, and it seems like going 110% is how he generally does that. With that said, one of my old coaches told me that half of your training is for you, half is for your training partner.
For me (I'm a 140 lbs newly promoted purple belt), if I'm rolling with a beginner who weighs 200+ lbs and he's going all out, I can't really work on technique. All I can do is try to make sure I don't get seriously hurt. I also probably won't be able to give the beginner opportunities to use technique because I'm just waiting for the round to end. After that I probably won't be willing to train with that beginner at all until I'm confident that it's safe.
This is all to say that trying to make rolling a cooperative experience can be helpful for development. Even if you want to work hard, going all out isn't always the most productive way to do it, especially in a full contact martial art/sport like BJJ.
I really enjoyed hearing from inside the mind of someone who trains so hard and is reckless on the mat. Thanks Chew
As a 315 pound wrestler myself.
The one thing I hate the most is rolling with big guys that never learned how to actually control their weight.
Going hard it’s just an excuse for them not to learn to control their weight.
First thing I always have to do is break them in with a Peterson roll or peek out while catching their arm and seen them fall and nearly break their arm because they never bothered to control their weight.
If you’re 300 pounds you need to roll with people that are just as big as you if you still have an ego and think it’s Patty cake.
People like that take rounds off and put themselves on the back because they think they do good.
Instead of continuously rolling even when they’re tired
I train in Japan. I'm a 6' 0", 172lb, 46yr old Brit, so I'm pretty much the biggest guy in the gym. Apparently I was a spazzy white belt. After getting my blue belt, my coach told me my job is now to learn how to roll with smaller people (Kids, women, everyone). It was an eye opening statement, because I didn't think I was going hard or being excessively rough with anyone. In a recent roll with one of the women, she got me in a pretty solid arm bar which I could have easily strong armed my way out of. Then my coaches words popped up in my head and I tapped to the surperior technique. Great learning experience.
Awesome adviece as always Chewy.
Firas Zahabi has talked about this kind of thing on Rogan's MMA podcast which was very good. Volume over intensity to develop skills. Intensity for competition preparation.
I’m his huckleberry. We’ve got some big fellas here willing to play haha. Great points man.
I’m happy with how my mindset was when I started bjj recently. Mind you, I’m 30, been in the military, played college baseball, been deployed, been injured and feel I’ve done it all. So starting BJJ at 30 wasn’t scary or anything. I basically showed up and said “I want to see what this is all about” and first day loved it and I’ve been going back ever since throughout the week. And I basically just have the “you guys know more, I don’t know shit, if I’m doing wrong, teach me. We’re good.” Idc if your a 15 year old blue belt, your more knowledgeable than I am at this. So I will listen. I’ll say, I’m having a blast, I’ve gotten much better, and I think it’s a part of my life from here on out.
No man under 6ft 7 should be anywhere near 300lb lol, he is causing issues just through that alone
As a 160lb white belt that has had to sit out for almost half a year because of getting my ribs crushed by this type of person... It is just frustrating that they don't understand.
I was rolling today, and we weren’t going super hard or fast, but I went for a choke from guard, and my leg got jacked in a funny way, and I pulled my groin. So imagine how easier it would be to get hurt if you don’t know what you’re doing. Thanks for all the great advice.
Damn, hope you're doing alright.
I appreciate lighter sessions even more because I see things I usually wouldn’t see going full speed. It also keeps you fresh and technique doesn’t get sloppy.
We have a 300lbs guy in our No Gi class. He is very receptive to feedback and so far a great addition to our class. I’m a (3) striped blue belt, In my experience these really big guys that have some wrestling experience they need to be shut down quickly and often. That tends to get them to slow down if words don’t work.
They should just make him roll for 15 straight mins, swapping opponents out every 3 mins. By minute 8 he'll have probably worked out it might benefit him to pace himself.
I was that guy and my coach worked with me a lot to slow me down. Slowing down really helped me focus on my technique which has been huge for me. Just as the saying goes, technique is the medium through which strength is expressed.
Yah people don't appreciate you going super hard for two rounds, resting two rounds, and then you going super hard again when they have been doing four rounds straight with no rest.
I used to train with an apprentice steel worker in NYC. I had him in side control and he bench-pressed me and picked me up like a baby. I'm 6'2" more than 200 pounds.
Dude sounds insufferable. You handled this question with grace.
The more experienced I become the more I realise that "training hard" means trying to do more transitions/scrambling in the same amount of time. He probably thinks it's about exerting muscle endurance...
There is research now that shows that you learn best when you're relaxed.
If the upper belts went 100% against him (a white belt), all he would learn is how to wake up from passing out.
As a 172 lb purple belt who has had several injuries be for jiu jitsu as well as after and having had spinal surgery, I think it is highly imperative that all of us understand the different levels of strength, and durability of our training partners.
I look formidable because I am well built from weight training, but I roll in a very managed way to protect my body from breaking down. If I go all out every roll, or even more than a few times a week I run the risk of breaking a tendon or tearing a muscle. I have done it in the past with over exertion on several occasions with other sports and I can recognize the feeling when its starting to accumulate.
I have also rolled with a big overweight guy who wants to muscle everything and really try to smash me while we are drilling. Its not cool to have that mentality. The size difference is comparable to myself next to an average female. I may be more durable, but lets put it this way. There is absolutely no reason that anyone should get injured while drilling a technique.
So you guys who come in with that crazy energy. Calm down because the truth is that the upper belts are actually protecting you when they go with you. Be considerate and offer others that same care. You have weight and power and you also need to be responsible with it. Just ask Spiderman.
I'm 48 and four months in on this journey. What I tell the guys I roll with is that I'm there to have fun and I want to come back for the next class. I avoid the guys who are young and aggressive like they are the plague. I'm sure that I bore some of the older blue and purple belts who I roll with, but they have enough respect to roll light and when I get to a position that I'm unfamiliar with or get tapped in a way I wasn't expecting they are great at answering questions I have about how to deal with those situations. Let the young aggressive guys roll with other aggressive guys, leave me out of it.
Ironically had this issue yesterday at class. I'm just a white belt(3 months) and average size (6ft, 210) and was working de la riva with the big hoss guys. One of the big guys (estimate: 6'3 300~) was wondering why I wasn't doing the backroll sweep on him. Easy, you're huge and its not a risk I would take when I rolled/drilled. Told him you work what your opponent is like. If he wanted to go hard, it would be riskier to us both because neither of us are experienced enough to keep each other safe.
I'm trying to get into BJJ and I feel not all instructors should be teaching white belts. Chewy you sound super smart and I respect your mind set.
I'm only on my 5/6th session currently but I'm a larger guy, 6'2 and around 90-95kg.
I've trained my strength for a long time and although I'm no bodybuilder, it was the first thing people were saying to me after my first few sessions. I was getting called 'strong' and 'tough' a lot and it felt great at the time but it's only occurring to me now that it may not be all that great. I've been submitting some much more experienced white belts and even blue belts and although this may be a strange way to word it, I don't feel that I currently have the right to do that.
My strength is a shield that I can use against the vulnerability that being new should give me currently and that vulnerability is what I need to get better. For that reason, I've stopped using it so much, the opportunities are still there for me to just throw someone out of mount or push someone's arm without using proper leverage or gaining an advantageous position first, but I know that that's only going to work for me until I reach someone my size and then I'm not going to know what to do.
In the interest of self improvement alone, this guy should learn not to be so one dimensional and allow himself to experience the things that he's bad at so that he can improve. Save that inner gorilla for the people that can deal with it and teach him how to use it more effectively.
170lb blue belt here. Trained with 225lb purple belt last night. He smoked me and brought it. But I love training with him bc he coaches me, goes hard, and doesn't "plop" on me during scrambles or when he passes my guard. He stacks me a lot, but he passes when he can't rather than deliberately torture me. I think skill level and respect for me goes a long way. I think I got a little better last night and so did he.
Surely something that should be agreed between the two people training.
Go as hard as you're both willing to go.
I love training with smaller and less experienced guys (with whom I go very light) and I love training with bigger and more experienced guys (who are normally patient with me and talk me through ways in which I could overcome the gap between us).
Sometimes newer guys are too eager, so it's important to remind then to slow down and focus more on technique than speed at first.
Love your content chewy. Easily the best ju jitsu channel on RUclips. Keep up the great work
I have 2 stripe white belt in my gym, that was D1 champion in wrestling. Had multiple matches with Daniel Cormier. He would love to roll with a guy like this.
Oh shit haha. That'd be an interesting match .
The guy wants to build his ego off the backs of his training partners. He wants to go hard so he can feel like he WON. chewy is actually being nice here. The guy is lucky he hasn’t been green lit because every one of those rolls he sits out will be an extra intense ass kicking by some purple belt and then the brown belts and black belts are giving you pressure and intensity that you thought you wanted but actually only wanted in small doses at YOUR pace. I know this video is a few years old but right now, this guy is either a blue belt who got humbled and changed his ways or he’s quit jiu jitsu entirely and watches a lot of UFC fights thinking about how weak those jiu jitsu guys are and how he could be a champion if he had wanted to.
The goal is get better not win.
The reckless driving example is perfect for this.
Also the different gears of intensity you've mentioned in another video applies to this imo
I’m 170 lbs, 5’6 and a blue belt and we got a new white belt who built just like this guy he’s so big I can’t put him in a guard and I’ve had him crush me when I don’t hit a sweep and he just drops his weight on me and he’s always trying to rip submissions but he never has position and just gasses; he’s hurt others in the gym that are smaller than me but the worst part he’s not even good to train with because he’s so big and goes so hard all you have to do is weather the storm and then I tap him; so neither he or I are benefiting from rolling together I can’t seem to get him to slow down even when we’re just going over technique; going to go over some of your points with him so we can get more out of our rolling, thanks
I'd love to see this guy do "patty cake" with the Thais in Muay Thai.
Damn Chewie. Listened to the latest podcast, wish I had known you were in the Denver area.
Far as this guy... you're a more patient person than me 😁. You're argument here is great since he obviously lacks the ability to look beyond himself to realize what he's doing to his partners.
I don't know if I'm patient more so that I actually want to help the guy. Calling him stupid or something doesn't help him.
Hopefully things worked out for the guy. He should be happy that people were still willing to roll with him regardless. I'm in a situation right now where I'm a healthy and natural 300lbs. I'm athletically functional, I can sprint, do basic sambo acrobatics etc. I never thought I'd ever be this heavy. If I really slimmed down, I wouldn't doubt that I'd still be 260 or so, and that's like bean pole slim. My issue right now is that nobody wants to roll with me anymore. Use to do sambo, but the gym went through some changes, instructors passed away, others left, and things didn't work out, plus alot of old injuries were creeping up on guys, so now we prefer to do alot more ne waza. Only issue is that I feel pretty left put. Theyv told me I need to lose weight, and habe just flat out told me they don't want to roll with me until I lose weight. I'm not fat, I'm not loaded with muscle lile zangief either, I'm just very broad for my height, and I think I would fit under the actual term of being big boned. They just said that they're tired of being steam rolled all of the time. We also had a strong wrestling base in our sambo. Our instructor demanded that we be ontop in a scramble. So alot of that instinctive drilling just comes around. So it's gotten to the point where theyv made rules with me. I can't do any throws or take downs where I'm basically landing on the guy. Iv injured 2 guys already because of it. One guys shoulder is still in pretty bad shape. So that's understandable. They also basically don't want me mounting them or even being in side control unless my knees are tucked in. Obviously knee mounts are out of the picture to. So it sucks. Stuck with a few throws, while shots are basically out of the picture. New waza is super boring and limited. I really wish I could find a guy my size that isn't going to nerf the game. I just want to do it for hobbiest fun. I'm not looking to hurt myself or anyone. They told me I should maybe put on more weight and learn some sumo. I think they were serious. I actually like sumo, but it looks like there's only one place to train in canada, unless maybe they'd do it by correspondence. My issue again wouod be finding a few guys that size to train with I suppose. I dunno. Just came here to share my blues. Martial arts are a big thing here in the city for its size. Tons of clubs, some a bit more private, yet it doesn't seem to host any people my size. Maybe I will try lose as much weight as I can and see how it goes. Right now like I said, I'm a comfortable weight. I'm not obese or anything. Can.sprint for a block, etc.
Yeah, I lift weights as often as I do BJJ, and that's really the best way I can understand it. I don't max out every single day. Just yesterday my shoulder was hurting so instead of trying to max out at bench pressing, I went lower weight for more reps. In the same way, you can roll hard some days in BJJ and other days go easier. I have to be in a certain mood to actually roll hard. Most of the time I'm rolling 60%
Love your content man just subscribed. I'm a few weeks into bjj and your words of wisdom are coming a long way.
We were practicing armbars in class and one of my newest friends got up too fast and at an angle when we were on the ground. I am not as new but still new overall and maybe didn't know a proper defense that could have prevented this. He almost broke my arm (Accidentally of course) by omoplata. Luckily we caught it, but this is an example of why us new guys try to learn first to be safe!
This question goes to anyone who reads it:
Backstory first: I got my first stripe yesterday on my white belt and I do not honestly feel like i deserve it.
I still find a very hard time submitting other students on the same level or higher and I get submitted a lot.
I love the sport and I am not willing to quit.
My question is as follows: Do I deserve the stripe? and if so, then why am I getting submitted and finding such a hard time executing the skills being taught.
Would appreciate any answer I might get from the bjj community
I am a blue belt who went through this as a white belt, especially because I am the smallest guy at my gym.
Short answer is don't worry about this at all (especially if you are smaller than the people you roll with because size does make a difference)!
Your coach gave you the stripe because they felt that you were worthy of it. Assuming your coach is a legit black belt, then you displayed the skill that he/she was looking for.
As for submitting people and getting submitted a lot, grappling is a very hard sport. You are trying to force someone in a position or submission, and they are trying to do the same to you. Assuming Jiu Jitsu is your first martial art with grappling, it takes a while to get used to the process. Since you received your stripe two months ago, I assume you have been training for at least a few months. If this is the case, you should not worry because it took me about a year for BJJ techniques to "click in" my head. By that, I mean being able to connect and transition between different techniques.
The fact that you love the sport and are not willing to quit is great! That is the mentality you need to get better. I sucked my first year of Jiu Jitsu, but the next year, I started to get much better, and many people in my gym have told me that.
My "secret" was that after every Jiu Jitsu practice, I would write down techniques that I tried while rolling that were not successful and/or the ways I got submitted. I then would watch videos about the techniques I was having trouble with and the defenses for the submissions I was getting caught in. Eventually, my defense got really good. This next part is important. I also learned "systems of techniques " rather than individual submissions. By systems, I mean watching a series of techniques where if you do one technique, and if your opponent defends it, then use a different technique. This way, you always have an answer for your opponent's reactions. The best channels for this would be TeachMeGrappling (this is the channel that I attribute most of my improvements to), JonThomasBJJ, and Absolute MMA St Kilda - Melbourne (or Lachlan Giles, a pro BJJ competitor).
A lot of people make the mistake of learning individual techniques, and that is not the best way to learn because if the technique you are trying fails, what are you going to do next?
There is also a channel called "The Art of Skill", and they have a video called "What Do BJJ Belts Mean?" He covers your exact concerns.
So in conclusion, don't be discouraged. Getting better at BJJ is a long process, and it takes a lot of time to improve.
My years training under Cesar Gracie showed me that injuries in the class don't come from submission holds, because once you get your opponent in the hold you know it and he knows it, so you apply enough pressure to make him tap and release the hold. Injuries come from rolling on the mat. If you're a big guy, like I am, you have to take it easy with your opponent so you don't injure him. Even being careful, some injuries can occur, but it greatly lessens the chances. Respect the people in your class and try not to actually hurt them.
Perfectly logical response.
I'd leave a gym with a 300lbs crazy dude going full speed! I'm not doing bjj to get injured or to injured someone else, but to learn and improve on technique and rolling!
Hey so there’s this one guy at my gym and I’m sure a few others think the same thing but he says that I have a lot of energy and I’m strong and it’s very hard to get out of positions when he rolls with me. I don’t feel myself going hard and trust me Ive paid a lot of attention to it. I work hard to build my strength outside of the gym and have my cardio be very good so I don’t know what I should do. I try to match my partners in terms of how hard I go but I don’t know if that’s enough.
As a athletic 260 pound guy I'm hyper aware of my pressure and my intensity. I always do my best to rely on as little power as possible. Technique first. The only time I really go hard is when I want to prepare myself for review matches where I'm gonna gas out if I dont prepare my body to go hard.
He should just wrestle bears….idk. What a blow hard. 😂 he needs to run and lose some weight.
I feel like I’ve seen this dude before
We have him too.
You make a great point especially on the heel hook part! 💯
I was kinda having the opposite issue to this guy. I’ve just started wrestling classes at about 265lbs having no grappling experience and expressed to the coach that I’m worried about putting my full weight on people when sprawling. He basically said “look, you’ve came here to grapple so just use what you’ve got.” Tbf I’m usually paired up with guys at similar size but it took me a couple of sessions to get over that issue.
Yup. We have a 200 lb 20 year kid like that in our school. The teacher brought a 180 guy former student to teach him a lesson. He got pin every time and looked like an upside down turtle trying to get up.. now he understands why he can't go just trying to outmuscle everyone and being the king of the pond every day...
I roll hard for positioning and go slow/easy on everything else. I roll with everyone. I enjoy all styles. Even the guy who submitted this question id roll with. Id slowly help him soften why he helps me harden.
I'm ex military as well.
I’m a 250 lb heavyweight. Ex college football player, ex rugby etc. What I had to learn is that if you’re going hard against smaller guys, you’re using your strength. If you’re using your strength, you’re not learning jiu jutsu. If you’re using your strength so much that you’re gassing and sitting out rounds, you’re really not learning jiu jutsu. It is what it is. I agree with gtxmfa below, make this guy dive deeper into those extra rounds and he might get the point quicker.
I'm a +50 about 150lbs so definitely not light but not super heavy female purple belt who often ends up rolling with the 250lbs men in the gym. They could be total Jerks and smash and tap me out regardless of their belt level - but they don't, they use the opportunity to focus on techniques and refrain as best as they can on relying on size and strength- I realize it is difficult for a big guy to keep himself from feeling heavy on a smaller female.
In the end, jiu-jitsu is nuance. A turn of the hip, a closing of a space, or pressure applied to the right spot is what makes techniques effective. Given this guy's history, physical build, and the fact that he is a white belt, I'm betting he is missing an incredible amount of detail in his moves. I would not be surprised that his "going hard" is really him muscling techniques to make them successful, not that he is able to actually execute techniques with the proper form. It's nothing against him specifically, but it is how we (including myself) are as white belts; we try to force something that isn't supposed to be forced, because we know no better when we are unsure of what to do. We break form to make something seemingly "work".
I'm 330 5'11" and it was explained to me that being bigger I might have trouble finding people that want to roll with me at first because I am a white belt and have no experience and I could possibly hurt because I'm so heavy so I try to learn as much as I can and when I do roll with somebody that's quite a bit smaller than me I don't go as hard
Ok.... The 300 pound due wants to go hard. My recommendation is to find a gym with 300-400 pound dudes and go as hard as you want. Not fair for all the normal folks to get hurt by a meat head.
There is this guy at my gym and he is 6'1, 210 and he is so technical he doesn't use his strength but when he is trying to pass you feel the weight. I am only 5'11, 185 so I am not that small but when I roll with him I feel safe and we have great technical rolls and he is one of my favorite sparring partners.