new to BJJ & forum - q's and introducing myself

ShadowCat · 05-09-2002, 09:25 AM

Hello all,
I'm new to this forum, BJJ and martial arts in general. I was supposed to take my first BJJ class tonight, however, I am getting ready to graduate from HS and have been bogged with work and other shit so i'm going to have to reschedule. Although i'm really hating that because i'm so eager to start. Anywayz, i'm a 17 year old in Wilmington, Delaware(anyone in the PA, NJ or DE areas?) who has recently become very interested in extreme fitness and martial arts. I tried Kickboxing for awhile, which i enjoyed....especially the workout. oh what a workout! however, when it came time spar and the like i found myself becoming increasingly disconcerted about getting hit in the head a lot, especially those kicks! oh those kicks!

and its not the pain or the actual getting hit that bothers me....its the eventual damage you do to your brain. Especially since my dad was once going out for the Golden Gloves and had excrutiating headaches because of brain swelling.....and he says that he notices the difference now that he's older

so needless to say i did some more exploring in the martial arts world and came upon BJJ, which really caught my eye. I love the emphasis on submission rather than plain knocking the dude out. lol sorry if most of this is long and superfluous.....just sorta introducing myself and my situation. What is some good advice for a just beginning student of BJJ? Any good tips on conditioning and strength training? oh and has anyone hear heard of or utilize kettlebell training? I am just about to start it ( have the book and am waiting on the backordered bell) and the amounts of praise from very esteemed persons in fitness(and even BJJ) of this training is incredible. It literally is endless. "a whole gym in one piece of wrought iron" as the claim goes. Well, I'll stop boring everyone and get back to being a library aide.
peace,
Will

p.s.- who here knows of good schools for BJJ or JJ in the Seattle area? any heads out there to hang out/train with on this list? this fall I'm going to Evergreen State University in Olympia, WA (about 45 mins away from seattle)...well actually i'm going in mid august to become acquainted with the area and hook up with like - minded people. but i would really like to start looking now to be as thorough as possible.

JaredExtreme · 05-09-2002, 10:18 AM

Welcome to the board. I definetly agree with you on the sparring aspect of BJJ. Because there isn't any striking for the most part, you can have a pretty good workout without getting pummeled.

As for schools in the Seattle area, there are 3 that I know of. There's a Ralph Gracie Associate in Burien (www.ralphgracie.com), supposedly a Morreria Associate somewhere in Seattle, and a Carlson Gracie affiliate in Tacoma which will probably closest to you. I've taken classes at the Carlson Gracie affiliate (www.seattlejiu-jitsu.com). The teacher (Professor Marcelo Alonso) is pretty cool and the emphasis is on tournament BJJ.

So that helps !!

Flash · 05-09-2002, 10:34 AM

It's going to happen in BJJ as well...just not as much as in kick-boxing, which is probably a good thing.

Karlinhos · 05-11-2002, 01:50 AM

hey shadow, my recomendation is... don't listen to ANYONE with less than 500 posts.

anyone with LESS than 500 posts is just a weekend warrior.

heed my warning/advice.

JaredExtreme · 05-11-2002, 05:02 AM

SweepEm · 05-11-2002, 11:31 AM

Overall strength in BJJ is good, but can at times be a hinderance.

How is this a hinderance?
Well, in the begginning of training you will be successful if you use a lot of power but soon, you may encounter guys that are much better with the techniques and will counter your strength and then you are at a disadvantage.

I would suggest that you try to keep your cardio and endurance as high as possible. Many ways to do that. Swim, bike, run...etc.

Of course hitting the gym with weights helps too.

Grip strength is very important and some have suggested rock climbing or the places that have climbing indoors.

Strong stomach muscles will also help since many times you will end up on your back and need the stomach muscles for different moves. I hate sit ups but do as many as you can, as often as you can. Push ups too.

Not that the other schools in Seattle are not good, but if you can, train with Black Belt Marcello Alonso. I took a seminar with him and he is what they say about him, the walking encylopedia of BJJ. From what I heard, Marcello was the head instructor at Carlson Sr.'s school in Brazil for many years and was deserving of that position. He's also a funny guy too, makes training a lot more fun.

ShadowCat · 05-13-2002, 11:39 AM

hey all,
thanks for all the help guys! It's definitely appreciated.
Will

05-09-2002, 09:25 AM	#1 (permalink)
ShadowCat Novice Join Date: May 2002 Location: Wilmington, DE Posts: 2 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	new to BJJ & forum - q's and introducing myself Hello all, I'm new to this forum, BJJ and martial arts in general. I was supposed to take my first BJJ class tonight, however, I am getting ready to graduate from HS and have been bogged with work and other shit so i'm going to have to reschedule. Although i'm really hating that because i'm so eager to start. Anywayz, i'm a 17 year old in Wilmington, Delaware(anyone in the PA, NJ or DE areas?) who has recently become very interested in extreme fitness and martial arts. I tried Kickboxing for awhile, which i enjoyed....especially the workout. oh what a workout! however, when it came time spar and the like i found myself becoming increasingly disconcerted about getting hit in the head a lot, especially those kicks! oh those kicks! and its not the pain or the actual getting hit that bothers me....its the eventual damage you do to your brain. Especially since my dad was once going out for the Golden Gloves and had excrutiating headaches because of brain swelling.....and he says that he notices the difference now that he's older so needless to say i did some more exploring in the martial arts world and came upon BJJ, which really caught my eye. I love the emphasis on submission rather than plain knocking the dude out. lol sorry if most of this is long and superfluous.....just sorta introducing myself and my situation. What is some good advice for a just beginning student of BJJ? Any good tips on conditioning and strength training? oh and has anyone hear heard of or utilize kettlebell training? I am just about to start it ( have the book and am waiting on the backordered bell) and the amounts of praise from very esteemed persons in fitness(and even BJJ) of this training is incredible. It literally is endless. "a whole gym in one piece of wrought iron" as the claim goes. Well, I'll stop boring everyone and get back to being a library aide. peace, Will p.s.- who here knows of good schools for BJJ or JJ in the Seattle area? any heads out there to hang out/train with on this list? this fall I'm going to Evergreen State University in Olympia, WA (about 45 mins away from seattle)...well actually i'm going in mid august to become acquainted with the area and hook up with like - minded people. but i would really like to start looking now to be as thorough as possible. __________________ "who is more foolish? the fool? or the fool who follows him?" ~ Obi Wan Kenobi

05-09-2002, 10:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
JaredExtreme Registered User Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 1,115 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Welcome to the board. I definetly agree with you on the sparring aspect of BJJ. Because there isn't any striking for the most part, you can have a pretty good workout without getting pummeled. As for schools in the Seattle area, there are 3 that I know of. There's a Ralph Gracie Associate in Burien (www.ralphgracie.com), supposedly a Morreria Associate somewhere in Seattle, and a Carlson Gracie affiliate in Tacoma which will probably closest to you. I've taken classes at the Carlson Gracie affiliate (www.seattlejiu-jitsu.com). The teacher (Professor Marcelo Alonso) is pretty cool and the emphasis is on tournament BJJ. So that helps !! __________________ "I don't fight in the street, there's no mats out there." - JaredExtreme Last edited by JaredExtreme; 05-09-2002 at 10:20 AM.

05-09-2002, 10:34 AM	#3 (permalink)
Flash Novice Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 74 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Pummeling to the head... It's going to happen in BJJ as well...just not as much as in kick-boxing, which is probably a good thing.

05-11-2002, 01:50 AM	#4 (permalink)
Karlinhos Advanced Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 650 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	hey shadow, my recomendation is... don't listen to ANYONE with less than 500 posts. anyone with LESS than 500 posts is just a weekend warrior. heed my warning/advice. __________________ www.grappletv.com - Accept the ORIGINATORS, not the DUPLICATORS...!!!

05-11-2002, 05:02 AM	#5 (permalink)
JaredExtreme Registered User Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 1,115 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	__________________ "I don't fight in the street, there's no mats out there." - JaredExtreme

05-11-2002, 11:31 AM	#6 (permalink)
SweepEm Master Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2,846 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Overall strength in BJJ is good, but can at times be a hinderance. How is this a hinderance? Well, in the begginning of training you will be successful if you use a lot of power but soon, you may encounter guys that are much better with the techniques and will counter your strength and then you are at a disadvantage. I would suggest that you try to keep your cardio and endurance as high as possible. Many ways to do that. Swim, bike, run...etc. Of course hitting the gym with weights helps too. Grip strength is very important and some have suggested rock climbing or the places that have climbing indoors. Strong stomach muscles will also help since many times you will end up on your back and need the stomach muscles for different moves. I hate sit ups but do as many as you can, as often as you can. Push ups too. Not that the other schools in Seattle are not good, but if you can, train with Black Belt Marcello Alonso. I took a seminar with him and he is what they say about him, the walking encylopedia of BJJ. From what I heard, Marcello was the head instructor at Carlson Sr.'s school in Brazil for many years and was deserving of that position. He's also a funny guy too, makes training a lot more fun.

05-13-2002, 11:39 AM	#7 (permalink)
ShadowCat Novice Join Date: May 2002 Location: Wilmington, DE Posts: 2 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	hey all, thanks for all the help guys! It's definitely appreciated. Will __________________ "who is more foolish? the fool? or the fool who follows him?" ~ Obi Wan Kenobi

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