Monterey Bay Jiu-Jitsu Club

More mount work on the mats this week. See you Tue/Thu 1715-1830.

Back at it this week with more Mount Defense techniques. See you on Tue/Thur 1715-1830!

Happy New Year crew! Reminder, we are back on the mats this week, Tue/Thu at 1715-1830. Hope to see you there!

Last class at NPS for the year on Tuesday at 1715-1830. Then we are off for the Holidays. Class will start back up on Jan 8th.

Hope to see you on the mats!

FIELD TRIP!!

Due to some conflicts this evening the NPS Crew will be training at Elite Team today at 1600 in Seaside. All are welcome!

For those of you that don't have a permanent home yet to train, this is a great chance to try out one of the best BJJ gyms in Monterey County.

Hope to see you there!

Class this week on Thur, 1715-1830. See you on the mats!

Working more North/South turtle attacks this week, see you Tue/Thur at 5:15pm!

Working more Turtle escapes this Tuesday at 5:15. No class on Thursday this week. See you on the mats!

A great article!

Are you Enjoying Your Time as a White Belt?

By Alec Baulding

Becoming a white belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the most important and the hardest step in training because it is the first step. Going from no training to walking into an academy and trying a class is not an easy task. In fact, it can be scary depending on what academies you go to. Unless you have prior martial arts training, it will be hard to gauge what type of academy to try out. Some academies are geared towards competitions and creating champions while others offer a more family friendly atmosphere. This can make trying your first class a game of chance. You might go to a great academy that instills a love of training in you or you might find an academy that makes you write off training Jiu Jitsu forever. A lot of it comes down to luck.

Regardless, as a new(er) student your experience will be similar no matter where you train. You will have a hard time doing some of the movements, especially if you do not exercise frequently or sit at a desk all day. So try to move around and stretch as much as possible. The moves might seem weird at first and you will sweat a lot but they will strengthen your body and prepare it for training.

You will forget the techniques. Your instructor will show a technique to the class and by the time you turn around to pair up, key details will start to go missing. This is normal so try to work with a more experienced student that can help guide you through the move. Worst case, call over the instructor or a senior belt to give you a refresher. Don’t be afraid, they would rather help you now than have you hurt someone later by performing the technique incorrectly.

You will lose a lot. It’s a part of training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Take your beat downs and try to learn from them. Even if you only take away a small detail you will be that much better than before. You will tap out a lot. It’s also a part of learning. Be smart and tap early. If you feel your vision getting blurry or an arm or leg getting stretched too far, tap out. Better to be safe than sorry.

You will get tired. Your body is getting used to all these new and weird movements. It’s okay to rest. Two or three times training a week is a great starting point. Then add more classes as your body adjust and adapts. The biggest benefit to being a white belt is that there are no expectations on you. When you mess up, which you definitely will, it’s okay because you are a beginner. When you get tapped out it’s not a big deal because you are a white belt. However, when you do something well it will be amplified even more because you are a white belt. If you hit a sweep or pass on a higher belt then people will start to wonder if you truly are a white belt or why you still are a white belt.

So enjoy your white belt and rock it with pride!

HALF GUARD MASTERCLASS! This Thursday we will be reviewing many of the sweeps, submissions and passes that have been covered over the last month before we move on to the next position. If you want a refresher or review of some techniques that you missed, be there!

Having trouble passing the half guard? You won’t want to miss this week.

See you on the mats!

Bottom Half Guard defense, sweeps and attacks for the next few weeks. If you want to improve your half guard game, you won’t want to miss!

See you on the mats!