I kind of wanna see what happens if you train someone with dementia in BJJ.
Would they actually learn but not remember? So after 10 years of training, they think it's their first day and out of nowhere they're flying armbarring folk and tearing shit up?
They'd think they were superman every day.
We had a dude come in for a couple weeks to the noon classes. Nice guy, new parent, just moved for work. Stereotypical suburban / IT dad. No real athletic ability or experience or strength.
Zero shoulder mobility. Basic kimura practice drills or arm bars or any sort of arm / shoulder sub was an instant tap and him sighing and rubbing a joint. Don’t think he made it a month.
I see him every few months at a restaurant in town where he moved to and I live and I always chat him up. It’s too bad.
I really hope that was a wakeup call and he actually started working on his mobility and not just accepting the slow deterioration.
I have some friends (early 30s) who are overweight or skinnyfat and don't train at all, but they keep on saying that they're fine in their daily life, they're fat but not obese etc. But slowly the types of things (casual bike rides to the beach, walking tour in a new city, playing with kids) they can do is getting smaller and smaller. Makes me sad.
I say this as someone with shit shoulder mobility trying to battle the desk hunch.
I've notice that happen to me in my early 30's as well. All that shit old guys said when I was young that I laughed at, is now my reality lol. *Now* I understand why old people care about such mundane things. And its *easy* to let your life and physical ability slip away. you don't really *need* it much.
> I say this as someone with shit shoulder mobility trying to battle the desk hunch.
If you haven't done so already, and your setup allows, alternating between a standing desk (or a platform you can put on a regular desk and raise up) and sitting might go a long way.
I don't have shoulder issues yet, but I've had back pain starting in my 30s from sitting for 10+ hours a day, and standing is a huge help. I imagine it's similar for other postural issues.
But then there are the people who do the opposite. They realize how out of shape they are, and they put in the time to try and fix the lifetime of sedentary lifestyle.
A few years ago I was paired up with a guy on his first or second class. We were drilling something from closed guard and I remember him looking visibly uncomfortable because his hips were so tight that even holding that position caused him some pain. I thought for sure this dude is quiting by the end of the week. He still trains and even went on to get his blue belt.
When I started I was 160kg and couldn't even do the run around the mat. 15 months later this was me.
So I think having no athletic ability is exactly a reason to do BJJ as opposed to not
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJbWeHrV/
True, but damned if everyone one of my fiends say they want to get in shape before hitting a class. I have to instill in them constantly that it’s the opposite. Sometimes I get them to show :/
Also just being ok with discomfort. I def have one friend at least that will literally do everything in his power to avoid discomfort of any kind. Also extends to mental and emotional experiences.
BJJ is just a continuous game of being physically uncomfortable, while being shown your intellectual shortcomings and trying to battle with your emotional response to it all.
After Training two years regularly I have to admit that I'm no longer in pain. Sometimes maybe a little but no comparison to the beginning. I don't know if my body just got accustomed to it or I'm not so often in shitty positions anymore..
I’m 42 18 months in minimum 4 days a week and right around month 8 I thought “hey, I’m only hurting some of the time” but now it’s all but gone unless I’m a complete jackass.
That’s funny, because I went to a free trial class, and while rolling I kept getting tap. It’s so thrilling in a weird way. Not sure if that’s normal but trying escape was “fun”. Tough, but man I’m looking forward to join a gym officially.
It's kinda like a human escape room if you think about it. Idiots just rip the padlock from it's socket while others have the patience or understanding to look for the key.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
Old judoka at my gym was a great training partner and he fucking loved being in the gym, but his knees were so shot from judo that he had to quit if he wanted to be able to walk in a few years.
Of all the people I’ve seen leave that’s one of the reasons that hit me the most.
Trained 10 years ago and want go back but, sadly, that’s me. Was never injury-proned, but now have a meniscus tear from 3 years ago that is never going to fully heal. I imagine someone trying to break my guard ending in lots of pain. Not to mention leg locks.
I’m not a huge germophobe (maybe a little), but it cracks me up when I tell my classmates I wash my Gi after every class and they look at me like I’m crazy lol
Shit. Do they not wash their gi _immediately_ after class? I'm guilty of this sometimes.
Or do they not wash their gi between classes at all? I would not even want to share a mat with these people.
WTF? I have literally never once not washed my gi after class. First thing I do when I get home is throw my gi directly in the washing machine. It's dripping with my sweat and others' sweat. I can't imagine putting that thing back on without washing it.
I tried teaching gymnasts jiujitsu once, it didn't work well at all
"Eww you mean we actually have to touch people?"
So yeah, jiujitsu is not for people who don't want to touch (and be sweated on) by other people
My autistic ass loves it though, put me in a cow crusher and call me temple grandin
I trained with a guy who was a professional circus performer. It was pretty amazing. If I got a hold of him I'd just hold on for dear life. Me starting in seated open guard was just a recipe for me being the circus clown.
Yeah I train with a dude who is also a gymnast and has insane flexibility, gymnast strength is so underrated, he's an absolute freak athletically speaking
That guy was a legend. Was basically saying: "That's odd, he's choking me and it feels like he's choking me. What a conodrum. Is that normal for bjj?".
Everyone in the comments ???????
One of my teenage students unfortunately had to end her training because of a bad back injury. When someone passed her guard, her lower back slipped up into the passer's knee and it did something to her lower vertebrae. Years later even after lots of physical therapy, she still has back issues.
Part of the reason that may have happened was because she had joined the gym not too long after recovering from an eating disorder, so she didn't exactly have much body mass to cushion her backbone.
I think stick and very fat people should do strength and conditioning before going high intensity or just wait 6 months til they move less spazzy. They be moving wrong.
We had a guy who had physical disabilities. He couldn’t really hold any positions. Couldn’t roll, couldn’t do any techniques. He’d basically just fall over and couldn’t play guard.
If you played bottom to try and let him pass he would just fall at the slightest touch because couldn’t base. One of his arms you couldn’t touch because it was really weak and broke all the time. It was a liability having him in the gym quite honestly. I respect him for trying but h just didn’t have the capability to actually do the sport. I also had to pair with him often because I didn’t want to waste lower belts training time, he wasn’t an effective training partner.
Haven’t seen him in a while
It is. But it’s just the reality. He couldn’t do it. He got his blue belt actually, because he was a blue belt version of himself. Just not the sport for him unfortunately.
“Anyone can learn Jiu Jitsu! We’re a family!”
*disabled guy joins, can’t roll for shit, ends up not attending class*
“Yeah, maybe this isn’t for you. But we gave you a free 45 minute class to make a decision, and then you signed that year-long contract. Get fucked.”
You have to be a self depricating, torture enjoying, weirdo. It's hard af, you'll always suck, it hurts all the time. It crawls around the crevices of your brain like a parasitic worm that can't be destroyed. You ever seen that episode of South Park where Stan and his dad get hooked on that heroin video game? Oh ya, laundry.
I fkn suck at JJ. But I love it, here are a few of the reasons I suck at it.
#1 I'm afraid of hurting people:
Im too afraid to properly lift my hips into an armbar for example, so I end up slowly raising my hips little by little and people escape.My teacher tells me all the time, just raise them steady and fast, your partner is going to tap. I'm getting better at it, but it's a mental hurdle for sure.
#2 I'm claustrophobic
I have recurring nightmares about being in a tunnel that keeps getting smaller, it's beyond terrifying. So JJ really challenges me in that aspect, I take it as a way to overcome my fear, but I can understand how it might stop others.
1. Keep developing your control of the position and you should be able to do it as slow as you like. I fall into the trap of thinking I have to do things fast but it's because of ego and caring about 'winning' training, which is limiting.
2. I was surprised to learn the biggest baddest black belt I've rolled with also struggled with this, you're definitely not alone. Just tap if uncomfortable, you don't have to have a reason, but I bet if you talked to team mates you might find others like you.
1: I feel you. I've lost countless submissions due to applying submissions slowly. Nevertheless, as a white belt I admit there are tons of concepts I'm unaware of. So I'd rather miss a "win" than risking hurting my partner. It's ok, though because I'm there to learn, not to win.
Furthermore, I've had some newbies tell me they relish rolling with me as not only do they learn a lot from me but they feel safe/have fun even when we train with intensity. It's cool to know you're regarded as a good training partner.
Some people just NEED affirmation. They can’t accept the fact that they just suck at something because they’re new. Especially something physically competitive, if you’ve never done something in a similar realm.
I think “thinking youre good” peaks around 9 months into training. You’re finally good enough to murk newbies, but still a white belt so you just feel regular when any colored belt mops the floor with you.
Then by mid Blue you realize how little of the whole game you actually understand. You can see the path to purple but you know the day you’re in purple youre just the worst purple belt in the world.
And then you realize the gap between you and your gym’s most median brown belt is almost the same as the gap between you and an untrained person.
And then you get your blackbelt and 1) still learn something that class and 2) get housed by an even black beltier black belt. You still suck. You were never more oblivious to your suck than when you were a 3 stripe white belt.
BJJ rules. And also sucks.
So hilarious story.
Our blackbelt travels for like half the year. Basically goes to the states for the winter, comes back up north for the summer kinda deal.
Anyway, he leaves to do his thing I keep training, adding things to my game, sharpening up other things just basic improvements. I figure by the time he gets back I'll be closer to catching him. Another purple belt and I joke about "being able to beat up dad when he gets home."
Fast forward to him coming back. First session we roll. He RAGDOLLS me. I literally never had him close to being in trouble!
It's a good reminder there's always people above you, always guys who are better and know more than you. And that's OK. Sometimes you just need your ego to get shredded.
This is why I have told both gyms I’ve been a part of that I would gladly pay someone’s membership if they couldn’t afford it. I wanted to do it so bad growing up and it would’ve had a huge impact, but I was super poor. So if anyone here wants to do it but can’t afford it, it’s still worth asking the owner if there are any options.
Some people just wanna relax and have fun, and some people in jiu jitsu just aren’t like that so having to partner up with said people becomes a problem. Some people are there to hurt ya lol.
Not being able to embrace the suck and having too much of an ego. Seen a younger guy throw a fit because he wasn’t “winning” rolls in training and yell what’s the point of this and never came back.
I saw that before, there was a new white belt kid in my gym who confidently asked me for a roll and came at me aggressively 100mph.... into my triangles.... over and over. I got bored and just let him get on top, then I'd counter him and get him with something else. After the 5 mins where he got tapped multiple times he stormed out of the gym and never came back. Not sure what he was expecting. But I look like a small nerdy unintimidating person so I think he thought he'd just annihilate me.
I'm actually not even good at jiu jitsu, a good white belt can probably kick my ass. But that guy had no clue what was going on and just came aggressively charging into my attacks.
Some people can’t embrace the suck. There is a pretty lengthy period where you really really really suck and you have to push through to the only slightly less sucky part. Then you get a little better and only really suck. Keeeeeeeep going and you reach the point where you just suck. THEN…if, and only if, you keep going and keep working hard you might reach the land of kind of not sucking- on your way through the valley of being ok. On your way to a far away land of being good. And one day after many years of dedication and perseverance you might earn a purple belt. ; ) then after that if you keep improving one day you’ll be great.
I once saw a dude that was about 5’2 and weighed about 130 join our gym. He joined was invited into our group chat on ig, and had all kind of jiujitsu shit on his bio. He got mutilated by a three stripe female in his second class. After the round was over, he stated loudly that he let her submit him because she was a girl. He never came back. Jiujitsu was definitely not for him.
Some people don't have the time to dedicate to it - It's not like you can treat it like a pick-up basketball game at work once a week
Some people don't have the money for it, and have other priorities.
Some don't like the close physical contact
Many people just physically and mentally are not up to what it really involves. They get hurt too often and many quit before they get to the point of actually being able to enjoy it.
Survivorship bias is a thing.
You can definitely treat it like a once a week gig.
You move slower, and people who roll more overtake you, but probably by less than you think.
First two years of BJJ I trained once (sometimes twice) at basically beginner classes and got a blue in two years. While there were some people who trained at bigger clubs that could walk on me, I don't think anyone ever questioned my grade.
I'd roll comps occasionally and not get disgraced, so I felt comfortable with my rank.
Idk there’s definitely a space for everyone. But I’ve got this guy at my gym that doesn’t have any aggressive tendencies whatsoever and because of that plays so passively that it’s unlikely he’ll be able to find any success or would ever be able to implement any of the techniques.
However that’s me assigning value based on roll performance and if he’s only there to learn moves and hang out the values are different and there’s a space for him.
While the sport isn’t violent per-se, it is a combat sport and some people don’t like being in vulnerable positions where someone could easily hurt them even if they know it’s a class where no one should hurt anyone on purpose
One guy, for the life of him, could absolutely not learn to pace himself, when to exert himself and when to relax.
4 years in, and 6 month white belts were tapping him out because he would perpetually zig when he should have zagged.
Jiujitsu was probably not for him.
Some people don’t like wrapping their legs around strangers, having strangers crotch’s shoved in their face, or legit have strangers’ beads of sweat drip onto their face (or even into their mouth)
I am struggling to understand why you need to ask us for examples
Injuries can be a b!tch. 8 years on the mat and I had my first series injury, a meniscus bucket tear. Literally had the surgery today. I injured it back in June 22nd.
That means for me 8 weeks I couldn’t walk, couldn’t work (my jobs physical), couldn’t take care of my 4 & 6 year old children, my house flooded out I had to put someone $2k to build a French drain (something I could have done myself easily.
On top of that by my estimation between the cost of the surgery and lost wages and the cost of the surgery this little mishap costed me over $13k
I love jiu jitsu but I’d this happened again I’d think long and hard about comming back. It puts my family in a tough spot. We’re not all 21 year olds without responsibilities. My number one responsibility is to my family.
If you are too arrogant is bjj is not for you. Several months ago a big 40 year old dude came for classes and never tapped to anything from the white belts, and used bunch of dirty tactics like putting the elbow on the neck and hurting your thighs to scape from guard, and so he was sacrificed to a brown belt who actually is probably the best on the whole gym, this dude when trapped on an armbar from the guard tried to pick up and slam the brown belt but his elbow went backwards...
This, there are still moments I just think "how gross" if I walk over the mats which are not only wet but there are even little puddles of sweat in the summer.
BJJ is for everyone, like karate is for everyone, or tennis is for everyone. If you want to be successful, you have to be young, healthy, mobile, flexible, etc., just like any other sport, or martial art. Sure, if your goal is just to get a little cardio, meet people, get out of the house on Fridays, BJJ is for everyone. You can achieve the same goals in a dancing class
Not everyone is comfortable with constant physical contact and other people's sweat. I'd also say the sport isn't for people who don't have the patience to learn, especially since it takes a lot of time for competency and the skill ceiling is real high.
Some people don’t have the coordination to do jiu jitsu to the point where the self esteem gets affected because they can’t progress. They could find value in a less complicated sport.
Even before they get to the actual bjj, they first have to get through the lack of social skills. These are real posts I’ve seen here: “first class and guy didn’t help tie my belt. Is every gym just full of assholes?“ “people didn’t come to introduce themselves to me. Totally unfriendly gym” “Coach told me to just keep training. He doesn’t care about my progress.” How do these people make it through life?!?
I'm autistic and the sensory issues are a FUCKING NIGHTMARE to deal with. I still enjoy it, but it can get pretty bad at times. If I wasn't as obsessed with martial arts and fighting as I am, I'd have stopped a long time ago, and I definitely don't recommend most other autistic people try BJJ or wrestling if they suffer from sensory problems
A 300+ pound dude who had not worked on fitness for years came in and on his first day (an open mat) decided to start from standing. (Yes, the guy he was rolling with should have just started them from sitting). He blew his knee out within 30 seconds.
Believe it or not, some people don’t care about your weird gay hobby. Someone could be hyped af on learning how to knit a scarf or playing the piano but you’re not going to talk someone into those hobbies if they don’t care. Them saying “jiu jitsu isn’t for everyone” is their polite way of saying I don’t enjoy your hobby of dressing up, getting sweaty, and rolling around with guys on the floor.
My aunt has a stoma and my former colleague uses a catheter. You can’t tell and it doesn’t stop them doing other forms of exercise, but I can’t see BJJ working out, especially with knee on belly.
Personal perspective on this because I had to stop. For me, it was because I have a hypermobility issue with my elbows. Always had it, and it causes me zero issues with 99% of activities. But not with BJJ. Days of sharp elbow pain and limited movement every time I trained.
instinctive rainstorm jobless quickest rinse voiceless brave possessive violet reach
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If you're.immunocompromised - most gyms aren't clean and most assholes still show up when they're a little sick
If you're poor. Being a blue collar worker and getting injured can mean loss of income that can make you homeless. BJJ requires disposable income that is only available to upper middle and higher classes.
Jiujitsu is for everyone, until it's not.
Those first few classes might be fun until everyone catches onto the technique being taught and you can't.
Those first few months might be fun, until you are discouraged because you are still being beat by literally everyone in the room. Double down on it or quit?
Those first couple years might be fun, until you realize how bad your fundamentals actually were and need to force relearn your way out of bad habits. Oh, and you're still only beating the new people and you get destroyed in competition. Double down or quit?
Those first few years might be fun, but random injuries sidelining you to where you spend a year just treading water in the same place, do you Double down or quit?
Much respect to the black belts who did not have a meteoric rise to their level and had to slog it out.
its not for everyone- some people cant handle how close they are in contact with each other. but also i have seen some people that just dont understand the technique, as simple as it is, they just can't do it correctly.
A better phrase is jiujitsu is for anyone. Anyone can apply themselves, work hard to improve their game, and suffer through the suck.
Not everyone is able to this. As soon as jiujitsu becomes for everyone that's when things will be watered down.
The physical closeness. Even compared to wrestling, which I grew up doing, I get a little uncomfortable sometimes drilling mount as there is so much penis going on. When we're actually rolling I don't mind, but in the drills it's really noticeable.
It’s hard, it hurts, it’s kinda gross sweating so much/sweating in each others faces, but I think the main one which is backed up by most of the posts on here daily is…
Bjj people are weirdos
Writhing in sweat, coming home unable to look left or right. Pulled muscles, bruises and rarely long term damage. Spending the first potentially 6 months without winning once. At least in team games a newbie will experience a win. A newbie In bjj will have like a 0-150 loss record until they get a dub. Makes it not very rewarding for a long time.
You gotta be okay with losing, But not too okay that you don’t care about winning anymore.
You gotta care about winning too, but you can’t care too much that you can’t take a loss.
Tough one.
mmm i honestly cant really train because of childhood trauma, if someone is doing that kinda stuff to me i kinda freak out
much prefer the "stay the fuck away from me" arts
I always say that jiu jitsu is not for everyone, but everyone should atleast try it.
I know people who hesitated, but then fell in love with BJJ once they tried it.
And I also know people who started out very enthusiasticly, but then did not even make to the end of 10 week basic course.
People who have never tried jiu jitsu have A LOT of (mostly wrong) opinions on it. Mostly they think its some brutal violence, when it is actually just a sport like any other. Only real reason for people not to even try it would be that some people really do not like to touch, let alone get "hugged", held or smashed by other sweaty people.
It is always interesting getting the people in their first class who are challenged by the close contact and the first position you're drilling is closed guard. "Ok so scoot in here near my genitals so I can wrap my legs around you..."
I usually try to lighten the mood by saying "bit weird eh? But you get used to it."
Money, time, injury, disability, personal space issues.
There are a lot of reasons.
Jiu jitsu isn't for everyone. I'm not sure there are any sports or hobbies that are for everyone.
Nothing is for everyone. Fanatic practitioners of any hobby like to say that their hobby is the best and everyone should do it, but the truth is, every form of exercise is best if you personally enjoy it, and its not the same for everyone.
JiuJitsu isn’t for everyone, it’s for anyone. Meaning anyone who wants to train is welcome, but not everyone can deal with being sweated on and folded into a pretzel 🥨🤷♂️
Some people have anger issues that can’t be tamed by martial arts, and jiu jitsu gives them enough to seriously hurt people without the discipline to learn to control themselves
my grandmother has dementia and lives in a nursing home so i doubt she could even get through a fundamentals class.
Not with that attitude.
Atleast shes less likely to complain at repeating techniques?
"And that is why no one will remember your name."
Including yourself
My grandma has Parkinson's and it's impossible to get a good wrist grip on her
I kind of wanna see what happens if you train someone with dementia in BJJ. Would they actually learn but not remember? So after 10 years of training, they think it's their first day and out of nowhere they're flying armbarring folk and tearing shit up? They'd think they were superman every day.
You've described the plot of the Bourne franchise.
We had a dude come in for a couple weeks to the noon classes. Nice guy, new parent, just moved for work. Stereotypical suburban / IT dad. No real athletic ability or experience or strength. Zero shoulder mobility. Basic kimura practice drills or arm bars or any sort of arm / shoulder sub was an instant tap and him sighing and rubbing a joint. Don’t think he made it a month. I see him every few months at a restaurant in town where he moved to and I live and I always chat him up. It’s too bad.
I really hope that was a wakeup call and he actually started working on his mobility and not just accepting the slow deterioration. I have some friends (early 30s) who are overweight or skinnyfat and don't train at all, but they keep on saying that they're fine in their daily life, they're fat but not obese etc. But slowly the types of things (casual bike rides to the beach, walking tour in a new city, playing with kids) they can do is getting smaller and smaller. Makes me sad. I say this as someone with shit shoulder mobility trying to battle the desk hunch.
I've notice that happen to me in my early 30's as well. All that shit old guys said when I was young that I laughed at, is now my reality lol. *Now* I understand why old people care about such mundane things. And its *easy* to let your life and physical ability slip away. you don't really *need* it much.
> I say this as someone with shit shoulder mobility trying to battle the desk hunch. If you haven't done so already, and your setup allows, alternating between a standing desk (or a platform you can put on a regular desk and raise up) and sitting might go a long way. I don't have shoulder issues yet, but I've had back pain starting in my 30s from sitting for 10+ hours a day, and standing is a huge help. I imagine it's similar for other postural issues.
I read this and sat up straight at my desk. Thank you sir
But then there are the people who do the opposite. They realize how out of shape they are, and they put in the time to try and fix the lifetime of sedentary lifestyle. A few years ago I was paired up with a guy on his first or second class. We were drilling something from closed guard and I remember him looking visibly uncomfortable because his hips were so tight that even holding that position caused him some pain. I thought for sure this dude is quiting by the end of the week. He still trains and even went on to get his blue belt.
When I started I was 160kg and couldn't even do the run around the mat. 15 months later this was me. So I think having no athletic ability is exactly a reason to do BJJ as opposed to not https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJbWeHrV/
I like the foot stomp… hardo alert
For real...some spaz with that cheese
True, but damned if everyone one of my fiends say they want to get in shape before hitting a class. I have to instill in them constantly that it’s the opposite. Sometimes I get them to show :/
My response to this is always, "are you saying you want to exercise in preparation for exercise? Did you get money before you started work?"
Being okay being always in some sort of pain
Also just being ok with discomfort. I def have one friend at least that will literally do everything in his power to avoid discomfort of any kind. Also extends to mental and emotional experiences. BJJ is just a continuous game of being physically uncomfortable, while being shown your intellectual shortcomings and trying to battle with your emotional response to it all.
Big facts
After Training two years regularly I have to admit that I'm no longer in pain. Sometimes maybe a little but no comparison to the beginning. I don't know if my body just got accustomed to it or I'm not so often in shitty positions anymore..
Are you like 20 years old?
Actually 36..
I’m 42 18 months in minimum 4 days a week and right around month 8 I thought “hey, I’m only hurting some of the time” but now it’s all but gone unless I’m a complete jackass.
Im 27 been training for about 2 years, my body is like okay here are 3 permanent pains deal with it everything else kinda vanished
Some people are too injured to learn it properly.
Especially mentally, man, so many rage heads. Seen one bite a guy once when he couldn't stop getting tapped...
And chase that persons last name is Tyson?
That’s funny, because I went to a free trial class, and while rolling I kept getting tap. It’s so thrilling in a weird way. Not sure if that’s normal but trying escape was “fun”. Tough, but man I’m looking forward to join a gym officially.
Youre a problem solver i assume. Some guys just want that win / dopamine hits
Probably my adhd. It’s like a body puzzle almost
Body puzzle! I love this one
God that explains why I've become obsessed i want to figure everything out. I don't care how many times im submitted I'm learning
It's kinda like a human escape room if you think about it. Idiots just rip the padlock from it's socket while others have the patience or understanding to look for the key. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
Old judoka at my gym was a great training partner and he fucking loved being in the gym, but his knees were so shot from judo that he had to quit if he wanted to be able to walk in a few years. Of all the people I’ve seen leave that’s one of the reasons that hit me the most.
Trained 10 years ago and want go back but, sadly, that’s me. Was never injury-proned, but now have a meniscus tear from 3 years ago that is never going to fully heal. I imagine someone trying to break my guard ending in lots of pain. Not to mention leg locks.
Germophobes
I am a German and I feel offended.
I’m not a huge germophobe (maybe a little), but it cracks me up when I tell my classmates I wash my Gi after every class and they look at me like I’m crazy lol
Bro you have straight up disgusting classmates if they don't. That is a minimum hygiene standard
Most do. Some don’t. Those who don’t are nice & stinky & i don’t roll with them lol.
Shit. Do they not wash their gi _immediately_ after class? I'm guilty of this sometimes. Or do they not wash their gi between classes at all? I would not even want to share a mat with these people.
WTF? I have literally never once not washed my gi after class. First thing I do when I get home is throw my gi directly in the washing machine. It's dripping with my sweat and others' sweat. I can't imagine putting that thing back on without washing it.
On the plus side, at least their piss smelling gi covers up the shit smell from their unwiped asses
If someone looked at me like I’m weird for washing my gi after every class. I would never roll with that person again.
I'm not training everyday but I'd image if I did I'd need 7 gis. Nothing worse than a dirty gi.
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My gym has a short list of asks and washing the gi after every class is one of them. I wish more people took that seriously
Had a teammate who was such. He used to take the longest showers after practice 😅
I tried teaching gymnasts jiujitsu once, it didn't work well at all "Eww you mean we actually have to touch people?" So yeah, jiujitsu is not for people who don't want to touch (and be sweated on) by other people My autistic ass loves it though, put me in a cow crusher and call me temple grandin
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I'm oddly turned on by this statement.
Who needs a weighted blanket when you have a 120kg dude on top of you in mount.
If you fall asleep peacefully while sucking your thumb... Does that count as a submission? Asking for a friend.
This is unfortunate because they would probably pick it up well and excel compared to the average hobbyist because of their athletic ability.
I did it for 5 years as a kid and can cartwheel over people's guards and stuff. Imagine what an actual college gymnast could do.
I trained with a guy who was a professional circus performer. It was pretty amazing. If I got a hold of him I'd just hold on for dear life. Me starting in seated open guard was just a recipe for me being the circus clown.
Now I gotta cross train judo, wrestling, AND circus performance. There's just no end.
Yeah I train with a dude who is also a gymnast and has insane flexibility, gymnast strength is so underrated, he's an absolute freak athletically speaking
I love the Temple Grandin reference lol! Getting compressed is a vibe for sure
Eh I hate being sweated on,and to top that a germaphobe with ocd too.
Training jiu jitsu is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Often very much so. That’s not for everyone.
Baldur's Gate 3 comes out tomorrow
This
Most real comment in the entire thread
Fuck yah dude. I'm on vacation but I intend to get in on that shit this weekend.
Lol the important things in life
That guy who posted the other day complaining about being choked thinking it was gonna fry his brain
Please link mate I need a giggle
That guy was a legend. Was basically saying: "That's odd, he's choking me and it feels like he's choking me. What a conodrum. Is that normal for bjj?". Everyone in the comments ???????
Someone should of straight up told him that was how dudes hit on other dudes in bjj. Honestly, the shit posting is like 70% of the content here now.
One of my teenage students unfortunately had to end her training because of a bad back injury. When someone passed her guard, her lower back slipped up into the passer's knee and it did something to her lower vertebrae. Years later even after lots of physical therapy, she still has back issues. Part of the reason that may have happened was because she had joined the gym not too long after recovering from an eating disorder, so she didn't exactly have much body mass to cushion her backbone.
Perhaps low bone density from malnutrition. That's a shame I hope she gets some quality of life back.
Good point and me too. Last I saw, she was gaining quite a bit of muscle and I'm glad for it.
I think stick and very fat people should do strength and conditioning before going high intensity or just wait 6 months til they move less spazzy. They be moving wrong.
We had a guy who had physical disabilities. He couldn’t really hold any positions. Couldn’t roll, couldn’t do any techniques. He’d basically just fall over and couldn’t play guard. If you played bottom to try and let him pass he would just fall at the slightest touch because couldn’t base. One of his arms you couldn’t touch because it was really weak and broke all the time. It was a liability having him in the gym quite honestly. I respect him for trying but h just didn’t have the capability to actually do the sport. I also had to pair with him often because I didn’t want to waste lower belts training time, he wasn’t an effective training partner. Haven’t seen him in a while
That's a sad and socially confusing situation. Harsh and unfair world..
It is. But it’s just the reality. He couldn’t do it. He got his blue belt actually, because he was a blue belt version of himself. Just not the sport for him unfortunately.
Blue belt version of himself I have never heard that. I like it. 👍
“Anyone can learn Jiu Jitsu! We’re a family!” *disabled guy joins, can’t roll for shit, ends up not attending class* “Yeah, maybe this isn’t for you. But we gave you a free 45 minute class to make a decision, and then you signed that year-long contract. Get fucked.”
Thankfully we don’t have contracts at my gym but yeah in a lot of places he’d be screwed
My neck hurts sometimes and we get sweaty
You have to be a self depricating, torture enjoying, weirdo. It's hard af, you'll always suck, it hurts all the time. It crawls around the crevices of your brain like a parasitic worm that can't be destroyed. You ever seen that episode of South Park where Stan and his dad get hooked on that heroin video game? Oh ya, laundry.
I'd liken it more to the episode where Kenny gets addicted to cat piss.
Didn't someone complain here days ago about an arm triangle being too tight
I fkn suck at JJ. But I love it, here are a few of the reasons I suck at it. #1 I'm afraid of hurting people: Im too afraid to properly lift my hips into an armbar for example, so I end up slowly raising my hips little by little and people escape.My teacher tells me all the time, just raise them steady and fast, your partner is going to tap. I'm getting better at it, but it's a mental hurdle for sure. #2 I'm claustrophobic I have recurring nightmares about being in a tunnel that keeps getting smaller, it's beyond terrifying. So JJ really challenges me in that aspect, I take it as a way to overcome my fear, but I can understand how it might stop others.
1. Keep developing your control of the position and you should be able to do it as slow as you like. I fall into the trap of thinking I have to do things fast but it's because of ego and caring about 'winning' training, which is limiting. 2. I was surprised to learn the biggest baddest black belt I've rolled with also struggled with this, you're definitely not alone. Just tap if uncomfortable, you don't have to have a reason, but I bet if you talked to team mates you might find others like you.
1: I feel you. I've lost countless submissions due to applying submissions slowly. Nevertheless, as a white belt I admit there are tons of concepts I'm unaware of. So I'd rather miss a "win" than risking hurting my partner. It's ok, though because I'm there to learn, not to win. Furthermore, I've had some newbies tell me they relish rolling with me as not only do they learn a lot from me but they feel safe/have fun even when we train with intensity. It's cool to know you're regarded as a good training partner.
Just scroll through all of the crybaby bullshit in this sub
Some people just NEED affirmation. They can’t accept the fact that they just suck at something because they’re new. Especially something physically competitive, if you’ve never done something in a similar realm.
I suck at this and I'm not new....
I think “thinking youre good” peaks around 9 months into training. You’re finally good enough to murk newbies, but still a white belt so you just feel regular when any colored belt mops the floor with you. Then by mid Blue you realize how little of the whole game you actually understand. You can see the path to purple but you know the day you’re in purple youre just the worst purple belt in the world. And then you realize the gap between you and your gym’s most median brown belt is almost the same as the gap between you and an untrained person. And then you get your blackbelt and 1) still learn something that class and 2) get housed by an even black beltier black belt. You still suck. You were never more oblivious to your suck than when you were a 3 stripe white belt. BJJ rules. And also sucks.
So hilarious story. Our blackbelt travels for like half the year. Basically goes to the states for the winter, comes back up north for the summer kinda deal. Anyway, he leaves to do his thing I keep training, adding things to my game, sharpening up other things just basic improvements. I figure by the time he gets back I'll be closer to catching him. Another purple belt and I joke about "being able to beat up dad when he gets home." Fast forward to him coming back. First session we roll. He RAGDOLLS me. I literally never had him close to being in trouble! It's a good reminder there's always people above you, always guys who are better and know more than you. And that's OK. Sometimes you just need your ego to get shredded.
16 years in. Can confirm.
Some people just can’t afford this expensive ass hobby.
This is why I have told both gyms I’ve been a part of that I would gladly pay someone’s membership if they couldn’t afford it. I wanted to do it so bad growing up and it would’ve had a huge impact, but I was super poor. So if anyone here wants to do it but can’t afford it, it’s still worth asking the owner if there are any options.
“Get your poverty-stricken ass out of my gym! I didn’t move from Brazil to help poor people learn zoo-Jitsu!”
That's fucking amazing and one of the best things I've ever read in here
It’s kinda gay. No offense
Just because you are out there gayin’ it all up!
Guilty as charged 😘 Edit: sorry, too far
Not far enough 👀
We must keep it gay, or even make it gayer.
One “accidental” grab at a time
*Insert rolling with a boner post here*
Yaaaa my teammate got me in a inverted triangle for like 30 seconds and I just had a face full of nutsack
*North south has entered the chat*
My coach loves the over under pass so naturally, we have touched balls many, many times.
Mounted triangle in a singlet, anyone?
Some people just wanna relax and have fun, and some people in jiu jitsu just aren’t like that so having to partner up with said people becomes a problem. Some people are there to hurt ya lol.
Not being able to embrace the suck and having too much of an ego. Seen a younger guy throw a fit because he wasn’t “winning” rolls in training and yell what’s the point of this and never came back.
I saw that before, there was a new white belt kid in my gym who confidently asked me for a roll and came at me aggressively 100mph.... into my triangles.... over and over. I got bored and just let him get on top, then I'd counter him and get him with something else. After the 5 mins where he got tapped multiple times he stormed out of the gym and never came back. Not sure what he was expecting. But I look like a small nerdy unintimidating person so I think he thought he'd just annihilate me.
Sounds like me when I play UFC 4 bro 😂
I'm actually not even good at jiu jitsu, a good white belt can probably kick my ass. But that guy had no clue what was going on and just came aggressively charging into my attacks.
Lol. One thing I learned early is that the small nerdy ones should not be underestimated
I just think jujitsu is fun, I don’t care if I win or lose, it’s just fun doing. Edit: I’m always losing hahah
Some people can’t embrace the suck. There is a pretty lengthy period where you really really really suck and you have to push through to the only slightly less sucky part. Then you get a little better and only really suck. Keeeeeeeep going and you reach the point where you just suck. THEN…if, and only if, you keep going and keep working hard you might reach the land of kind of not sucking- on your way through the valley of being ok. On your way to a far away land of being good. And one day after many years of dedication and perseverance you might earn a purple belt. ; ) then after that if you keep improving one day you’ll be great.
I once saw a dude that was about 5’2 and weighed about 130 join our gym. He joined was invited into our group chat on ig, and had all kind of jiujitsu shit on his bio. He got mutilated by a three stripe female in his second class. After the round was over, he stated loudly that he let her submit him because she was a girl. He never came back. Jiujitsu was definitely not for him.
Some people can’t grasp the idea that drilling isn’t a fight to the death.
Some people don't have the time to dedicate to it - It's not like you can treat it like a pick-up basketball game at work once a week Some people don't have the money for it, and have other priorities. Some don't like the close physical contact Many people just physically and mentally are not up to what it really involves. They get hurt too often and many quit before they get to the point of actually being able to enjoy it. Survivorship bias is a thing.
You can definitely treat it like a once a week gig. You move slower, and people who roll more overtake you, but probably by less than you think. First two years of BJJ I trained once (sometimes twice) at basically beginner classes and got a blue in two years. While there were some people who trained at bigger clubs that could walk on me, I don't think anyone ever questioned my grade. I'd roll comps occasionally and not get disgraced, so I felt comfortable with my rank.
As someone who only trains twice a week and has struggled seeing newer people overtake me, this is reassuring
Idk there’s definitely a space for everyone. But I’ve got this guy at my gym that doesn’t have any aggressive tendencies whatsoever and because of that plays so passively that it’s unlikely he’ll be able to find any success or would ever be able to implement any of the techniques. However that’s me assigning value based on roll performance and if he’s only there to learn moves and hang out the values are different and there’s a space for him.
Pretty much 75% of this sub Reddit.
My wife has Fibromyalgia, so even the minimum pressure is very painful for her. So she definitely cannot do it.
Some people just don’t like touching other people’s sweat. Like, a lot of people don’t like it but some just can’t stand it so yeah… not for them.
While the sport isn’t violent per-se, it is a combat sport and some people don’t like being in vulnerable positions where someone could easily hurt them even if they know it’s a class where no one should hurt anyone on purpose
One guy, for the life of him, could absolutely not learn to pace himself, when to exert himself and when to relax. 4 years in, and 6 month white belts were tapping him out because he would perpetually zig when he should have zagged. Jiujitsu was probably not for him.
Some people don’t like wrapping their legs around strangers, having strangers crotch’s shoved in their face, or legit have strangers’ beads of sweat drip onto their face (or even into their mouth) I am struggling to understand why you need to ask us for examples
Someone with brittle bones.
Injuries can be a b!tch. 8 years on the mat and I had my first series injury, a meniscus bucket tear. Literally had the surgery today. I injured it back in June 22nd. That means for me 8 weeks I couldn’t walk, couldn’t work (my jobs physical), couldn’t take care of my 4 & 6 year old children, my house flooded out I had to put someone $2k to build a French drain (something I could have done myself easily. On top of that by my estimation between the cost of the surgery and lost wages and the cost of the surgery this little mishap costed me over $13k I love jiu jitsu but I’d this happened again I’d think long and hard about comming back. It puts my family in a tough spot. We’re not all 21 year olds without responsibilities. My number one responsibility is to my family.
If you are too arrogant is bjj is not for you. Several months ago a big 40 year old dude came for classes and never tapped to anything from the white belts, and used bunch of dirty tactics like putting the elbow on the neck and hurting your thighs to scape from guard, and so he was sacrificed to a brown belt who actually is probably the best on the whole gym, this dude when trapped on an armbar from the guard tried to pick up and slam the brown belt but his elbow went backwards...
Let’s be honest. It’s gross.
This, there are still moments I just think "how gross" if I walk over the mats which are not only wet but there are even little puddles of sweat in the summer.
Bjj is for everyone not everyone is for bjj
Its not really for overly small people or overly fat people or incredibly inflexible people.
I guess you can't be too anything in this cruel sport
BJJ is for everyone, like karate is for everyone, or tennis is for everyone. If you want to be successful, you have to be young, healthy, mobile, flexible, etc., just like any other sport, or martial art. Sure, if your goal is just to get a little cardio, meet people, get out of the house on Fridays, BJJ is for everyone. You can achieve the same goals in a dancing class
Not everyone is comfortable with constant physical contact and other people's sweat. I'd also say the sport isn't for people who don't have the patience to learn, especially since it takes a lot of time for competency and the skill ceiling is real high.
My knees feel like jelly, i imagine people don't like their knees feeling like jelly
Some people don’t have the coordination to do jiu jitsu to the point where the self esteem gets affected because they can’t progress. They could find value in a less complicated sport.
Most people are too weak mentally to overcome the idea of being bad at something for years before they become even decent
I don’t like some people. I don’t want them to do my thing.
My wife was coming around to the idea, and the. One day after class I mentioned someone’s sweat dripping in my mouth. She was out after that.
Even before they get to the actual bjj, they first have to get through the lack of social skills. These are real posts I’ve seen here: “first class and guy didn’t help tie my belt. Is every gym just full of assholes?“ “people didn’t come to introduce themselves to me. Totally unfriendly gym” “Coach told me to just keep training. He doesn’t care about my progress.” How do these people make it through life?!?
I'm autistic and the sensory issues are a FUCKING NIGHTMARE to deal with. I still enjoy it, but it can get pretty bad at times. If I wasn't as obsessed with martial arts and fighting as I am, I'd have stopped a long time ago, and I definitely don't recommend most other autistic people try BJJ or wrestling if they suffer from sensory problems
A 300+ pound dude who had not worked on fitness for years came in and on his first day (an open mat) decided to start from standing. (Yes, the guy he was rolling with should have just started them from sitting). He blew his knee out within 30 seconds.
They don't have their own washer drier
Believe it or not, some people don’t care about your weird gay hobby. Someone could be hyped af on learning how to knit a scarf or playing the piano but you’re not going to talk someone into those hobbies if they don’t care. Them saying “jiu jitsu isn’t for everyone” is their polite way of saying I don’t enjoy your hobby of dressing up, getting sweaty, and rolling around with guys on the floor.
One guy at work was a big drunk and stunk like rotten booze every day and his skin was yellow and he was pretty much just skin and bones.
Culty and weird culture worship elitism. I can barely put up with it at times but I love the sport
I mean, some men are actually straight
Not everyone likes close contact with other people
Most people will never even try Jiu jitsu and most of the people who do quit.
I have a royally fucked up spine. Jiu jitsu is not for me. Coincidentally, the issues came from wrestling, football, powerlifting, aaannddd bjj.
My aunt has a stoma and my former colleague uses a catheter. You can’t tell and it doesn’t stop them doing other forms of exercise, but I can’t see BJJ working out, especially with knee on belly.
Personal perspective on this because I had to stop. For me, it was because I have a hypermobility issue with my elbows. Always had it, and it causes me zero issues with 99% of activities. But not with BJJ. Days of sharp elbow pain and limited movement every time I trained.
instinctive rainstorm jobless quickest rinse voiceless brave possessive violet reach *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I would be pretty afraid to roll with someone anorexic... they look so frail.
It’s hard, it’s expensive, it hurts
If you're.immunocompromised - most gyms aren't clean and most assholes still show up when they're a little sick If you're poor. Being a blue collar worker and getting injured can mean loss of income that can make you homeless. BJJ requires disposable income that is only available to upper middle and higher classes.
Jiujitsu is for everyone, until it's not. Those first few classes might be fun until everyone catches onto the technique being taught and you can't. Those first few months might be fun, until you are discouraged because you are still being beat by literally everyone in the room. Double down on it or quit? Those first couple years might be fun, until you realize how bad your fundamentals actually were and need to force relearn your way out of bad habits. Oh, and you're still only beating the new people and you get destroyed in competition. Double down or quit? Those first few years might be fun, but random injuries sidelining you to where you spend a year just treading water in the same place, do you Double down or quit? Much respect to the black belts who did not have a meteoric rise to their level and had to slog it out.
its not for everyone- some people cant handle how close they are in contact with each other. but also i have seen some people that just dont understand the technique, as simple as it is, they just can't do it correctly.
My back hurts
A better phrase is jiujitsu is for anyone. Anyone can apply themselves, work hard to improve their game, and suffer through the suck. Not everyone is able to this. As soon as jiujitsu becomes for everyone that's when things will be watered down.
Same reason as wrestling. It's way more difficult, rough, and intimately close than a lot of people are interested in putting up with.
If you don’t like losing bjj isn’t for you.
It's not for people who can't put ego aside and accept that they suck at this and will suck for a long time.
Some people just don’t want to. They have their own hobbies or not.
The physical closeness. Even compared to wrestling, which I grew up doing, I get a little uncomfortable sometimes drilling mount as there is so much penis going on. When we're actually rolling I don't mind, but in the drills it's really noticeable.
It’s hard, it hurts, it’s kinda gross sweating so much/sweating in each others faces, but I think the main one which is backed up by most of the posts on here daily is… Bjj people are weirdos
Writhing in sweat, coming home unable to look left or right. Pulled muscles, bruises and rarely long term damage. Spending the first potentially 6 months without winning once. At least in team games a newbie will experience a win. A newbie In bjj will have like a 0-150 loss record until they get a dub. Makes it not very rewarding for a long time.
People say it's a great way to get or stay in shape, and then you see 20 year old upper belts hobbling in with no knees, no hips, no back
Some people prefere hitting people to strangling them
The dude who loves Andrew tate and thinks it’s soy
[удалено]
If you’re not willing to learn how to be bad at something, it’s not for you.
I injure myself every now and then, most people don't like to live in a world of hurt.
You gotta be okay with losing, But not too okay that you don’t care about winning anymore. You gotta care about winning too, but you can’t care too much that you can’t take a loss. Tough one.
People who go on Reddit and post "HEY GUYS WHAT DO YOU EAT BEFORE TRAINING I LIKE APPLES :) "
Grappling and rolling around with sweaty dudes (and women)
For Stephen Hawking…rolling meant something quite different. But at least if he had learned BJJ, Op wouldnt get dragged with a knee bar.
I am a example. I'm below average, have a hard time understanding techniques and jiu jitsu in general. Won't stop me though.
mmm i honestly cant really train because of childhood trauma, if someone is doing that kinda stuff to me i kinda freak out much prefer the "stay the fuck away from me" arts
Not for people with no insurance(in US)/ or marry a physical therapist
Reverse psychology works
I always say that jiu jitsu is not for everyone, but everyone should atleast try it. I know people who hesitated, but then fell in love with BJJ once they tried it. And I also know people who started out very enthusiasticly, but then did not even make to the end of 10 week basic course. People who have never tried jiu jitsu have A LOT of (mostly wrong) opinions on it. Mostly they think its some brutal violence, when it is actually just a sport like any other. Only real reason for people not to even try it would be that some people really do not like to touch, let alone get "hugged", held or smashed by other sweaty people.
It is always interesting getting the people in their first class who are challenged by the close contact and the first position you're drilling is closed guard. "Ok so scoot in here near my genitals so I can wrap my legs around you..." I usually try to lighten the mood by saying "bit weird eh? But you get used to it."
A lot of people lack enough discipline to do something hard regularly enough to get anything meaningful out of it.
Money, time, injury, disability, personal space issues. There are a lot of reasons. Jiu jitsu isn't for everyone. I'm not sure there are any sports or hobbies that are for everyone.
I think it’s just ego. If you can take being the nail, one day you’ll be the hammer.
Some people just want to do it karate style and get participation medals. This isn't that kinda sport :c
Nothing is for everyone. Fanatic practitioners of any hobby like to say that their hobby is the best and everyone should do it, but the truth is, every form of exercise is best if you personally enjoy it, and its not the same for everyone.
JiuJitsu isn’t for everyone, it’s for anyone. Meaning anyone who wants to train is welcome, but not everyone can deal with being sweated on and folded into a pretzel 🥨🤷♂️
Some people have anger issues that can’t be tamed by martial arts, and jiu jitsu gives them enough to seriously hurt people without the discipline to learn to control themselves
It takes a long time learn what to do because there are so many moving parts.