It’s common knowledge that BJJ is a marathon, not a sprint. There are no shortcuts and you can’t fast-track your way to the top ranking with sheer personality and bravado. It takes patience, lots of work, and above all commitment. The average person takes up to 10 years to get the black belt in BJJ. So what should your first six months be like?
In BJJ just like anything else in life, moderation is the key. You need to find your sweet spot as far as the number of classes to attend is concerned. You need to focus on learning submission and guard replacement techniques, getting into sparring, and most of all, you need to give your body time to recover. Home recovery is just as important as attending classes regularly.
When you think about it, your first 6 months in BJJ are about getting your bearings, wrapping your head around the basics, and establishing a rhythm. It’s important to get the dynamic right with your classmates and teachers and not get off on the wrong foot. And while those early few months would be chaotic for the most part, there’s a way you can turn that to your advantage and survive the chaos and uncertainty.
Surviving your First Few Classes
How you make your appearance on the first day you present yourself to the academy and your classmates sets the tone for the rest of the year. It pays to be prepared. So even if you don’t have a gi a tee shirt and shorts will do. Don’t forget to pack a bag with a change of clothes, flip flops and a bottle of water. The flip flops are for when you visit the bathroom.
From the get-go, you’ll get a feel of the place, your teacher, colleagues, and your love for the sport. So you need to set the number of classes you’ll attend every week and stick to it. Too few classes mean you will not progress as fast as you hope to. Too many classes and you might injure yourself or burn out.
As you’ll soon find out, nobody can tell you how much training is right for you. You need to listen to your body and learn to differentiate between the sweet tingling of achy muscles and the sharp pain in the bones that is a sign of a body being pushed to its limits. The first symptom is a sign your body is accepting and welcoming the practice. The other one means you need to rethink your schedule and learn to take longer breaks between classes.
Between one class a week and having a class every day, I’d recommend you start with 3 classes and see how you’re taking them. Remember that you’ll be losing a lot of weight during those magical first 6 months. You’ll get fit and as you build up stamina, you’ll also enjoy great bursts of energy. So it’s important to get the training frequency right to avoid pushing your body too far.
Warm-up and Techniques
Before you set your hungry chops in the meaty parts of the techniques (BJJ is notoriously choke-full of techniques and variations of techniques) you need to get your body prepared for the strenuous tasks you’re going to push it through. And by that I mean you need to learn the importance and value of warm-ups.
Now, this is the normal start of every class in BJJ. Your teacher will introduce you to various exercises and stretching routines to get your blood flowing and loosen those cramped up joints and muscles. Don’t take these warmups lightly nor go through them like a chore you have to do. Embrace them with vigor and enthusiasm. You never know, they might be the difference between classes that go smoothly and taking forced long breaks until you recover.
BJJ is an invasive sport. This means you’ll probably work out every muscle in your body by the time you’ve finished your first month. So if you’re out of shape, it’s recommended you try to get yourself in some form of light workout before you start your BJJ practice. This will help you a lot as you learn your offensive and defensive techniques.
As we mentioned the techniques are varied but in your first few months you’ll be focussing on submission chains, roll and bridge escapes, scissor sweeps, hip escapes, and guard replacement among others.
Stand up techniques are also important at this early stage in your training and your teacher will introduce you to many of them. Try to master the art of getting close to your opponent so that you can execute a takedown.
Sparring is a Serious Business
Sparring is at the heart of BJJ. As a self defense system, you’ll need to learn sparring in order to progress on your journey. If you find it challenging or intimidating to get on the mat and get ready for sparring, take heart in the fact that many BJJ practitioners feel the same way. It doesn’t mean that you’re not built for this or that BJJ is not for you. It’s a natural reaction to shy away from getting so close to being hurt or causing someone else to hurt.
The good news is BJJ is safe. As long as you follow your teacher’s instructions and pay attention, you’ll be fine. Don’t stroll onto the mat like you got this and don’t be afraid to bruise your ego. You’re into BJJ to learn your strengths and weaknesses and what better way than to spar with your teacher or classmates?
And you’ll learn about your weaknesses soon enough. Tapping out is almost mandatory and you’ll be doing a lot of that. If you feel your pride aching, look down at the belt around your waist. As long as it’s white, know it’s fine to get beaten and tap out more often than you can count. Everybody goes through that stage.
Drills are important in BJJ the same way they’re part of the daily life of a military cadet. So go through them without resenting them. They’ll help you become the fighter you aspire to be one day. If you feel demotivated take a break between classes until you get your spark back.
Take Time to Recover
Motivation and setting a goal for yourself is a vital part of passing the test of the first 6 months. These are arguably the most important months in your whole BJJ endeavor. Your body is going through changes, your mind is also evolving. There’s a lot to take and it’s not uncommon for students to burnout or worse, quit.
To avoid both of those unwelcome outcomes, you need to learn the importance of taking breaks between classes. Many BJJ experts recommend 3 classes a week for beginners. This gives you 4 days of rest. Think of these days as forced recovery time. Your muscles get injured during training and need time to heal. Your joints go through hell and back and if you keep pushing them they might snap. And your mind, too, needs the break. You’re learning a lot in every class and cramming doesn’t work here. Your brain needs time to process, sort out, and file the information you’re receiving.
Exhaustion is your number one enemy. I’m talking about physical as well as mental fatigue. People get injured in BJJ mainly because they become sloppy and lose their focus. Sparring, in particular, is where injuries happen the most. An over-zealous opponent can cause harm if you’re not paying attention. All that flowing adrenaline that spikes on the mat needs time to cool down.
Related to rest and recovery is sleep. You’ll need to get as much sleep as your body needs. It is recommended you have 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. This is the time your body heals faster so don’t deny yourself that right.
What NOT to Focus on
People join a BJJ academy for various reasons. There are those who have their heart in the right place and know how to treat their teacher and classmates with respect and there are the others. Now, you wouldn’t want to be one of that other group.
As a combat sport, there’s a lot of ego in BJJ. Adrenaline and testosterone flare up and students start to act cocky. This is the easiest way to lose friends and make enemies in the academy. Every class has one or more of those students. They walk around looking for someone to pick up and slam down on the floor. That’s not nice and soon you’ll learn the hard way the importance of humility.
BJJ is not wrestling and you don’t need to show off. You’ll get a chance to spar with an opponent so don’t go twisting their necks until they crack or squeezing their head to make their eyes pop out. Being courteous and attentive to the health, safety, and wellbeing of your fellow classmates is just as important as mastering the techniques and learning the drills by heart.