correct BJJ training

[ryoku77]

Hello everybody,

First time posting here. Just had a quick question. I just started bjj. I have many years experience in m. arts, but have been doing Japanese styles all this time. (Karate mostly)

I have tried two bjj schools in the last week where I live in San Antonio, both were recommended to me. As it is, San Antonio does not currently have the best BJJ instruction, but I looked around and found these two. The first one is taught by a brown belt, american guy who seemed like a good tecaher. things moved at a quick pace. we warmed up for about 5-10 minutes, and he started showing techniques right away, covering about 4-5 techniques in about 1 hour (Drills) Many of which I had a hard time w/ being my first time. Then the last 20 mins or so, we rolled. Class was 1 1/2 hr.
One of the students in that class, who was my partner for the class, told me as of next week he will start at another better school. I tried this new school on Thursday w/ him. The instructor is a Brown belt as well, who claims to have trained under Murilio Bustamante and the Brazilian Top team. Guy is from Brazil and has been in town for a few months and JUST opened his school. It was VERY different from the other school. We warmed up for about 20 minutes with basic stretching, etc. Then it was about 1 hour of drills. Balance drills, carrying a partner in guard position, as you try to walk with him around your hips, lifting him from his gi, squat type drills, walking w/ arms partner holds your ankles (wheel barrow) ... etc. Very very exhausted at the end of this. Then about 40 mins of drills. He taught two drills only (Two arm bars) but made sure we did them repeatedly. At this stage of the game, as I was beyond drenched in sweat. Finally we rolled for about 10 minutes and he finished the class with 500 crunches. Class was almost 3 hrs. He said that THAT is the way they train in Brazil and is the best for 1) endurance during a tournament and 2) balance and getting the basic skills to eventually learn more techniques.
I would like to compete in local tournaments, eventually.

My question is. Is school # 2 a bit too overly focusing on drills and not too much on technique? Or are these drills really that important for correct form and ability to do BJJ well.
Is this how they train in brazil ??

I dont know which school to go with... but Im tilting towards the 2nd one.

Sorry for the long post, im new at this and wanted some opinion.

Thanks

[OmaPlata]

I would go with the 2nd one. Why are you training? Well to get in shape for a fight or tourney, you need endurance, and balance. You can learn too many techinques in one class...so one or 2 moves is great, you can practice those and then roll around and train. Sometimes after class is over the instructors will push you even further when you are exhausted, this will build your foundation even further. Look at the schools that win tourneys, they are the students who get pushed. Also learning the same basic move over and over is key, and practice them. Look at Eddie Bravo tapping out Royler a couple years ago, with a triangle, a basic move.
Either school is good, but the Bustamante student sounds better. Those guys dont hand out brown belts to every tom dick and harry.
You can se if the instructor is here: www.bjj.org

[sapatiero]

I agree with Omoplata. There are some schools that'll impress you with 7 or 8 fancy techniques in a class, but none of them end up sinking in. Much better to do a couple of techniques & drill them till they start to become automatic.

It can be boring as hell, but the guys that win the tourneys are the guys that do the moves without thinking. School 2 gets my vote.

[aseepish]

Second School!

Go with the second one. 4-5 techniques in one class is too many for a beginner. Maybe if you were an advanced student focusing on putting techniques into combinations and counters, but yeah. That's overload.

I totally agree with the others. Better to master a couple of techniques than to know a thousand half-assed ones. It may require a lot more patience and dedication when you're first starting out (maybe for the first year or so) - you'll be rolling and wishing you had more pieces of the puzzle, but it will be well worth it in the future.

Busta's a great instructor, so if he comes to your school to give a seminar, go! Even if it's your second week.

[Penance]

Anything more than one or two new techniques per class is just silly. How can you expect to absorb all that information? The only way you'll get good AND remember is repetition, over and over and over. Then link different things you've learned together and repeat, repeat, repeat.

I think both places should have more time for sparring, maybe 30-40 minutes, but what do I know?

[ryoku77]

Thank you for the opinion. That is the ONLY thing that concerned me. I didnt find this new brazilian instructor at bjj.org, I DID find the one from the first school ( The american guy) Doesnt worry me too much, because I can tell this guy is from brazil and knows his stuff. How accurate is that bjj.org website?

He DID say his instructor from Brazil ( Im assuming is Bustamante) will be here for a few days in January giving seminars, so Im looking fwd to that and it adds to the credibility.

[Spanner]

I am training in Brazil at the moment. We usually do about 30 minutes warm up (running, squats, press-ups, lots of abs exercises), then we do two techniques or do some drills for 30 minutes, then we usually roll for about 30 minutes or until everyone goes home.

Depending on the instructor, sometimes we have a line up where everyone takes turns just trying to pass someone's guard, or move between certain positions. Sometimes we do a lot more physical stuff like you described. We don't have really hard sessions every day. Some days we just roll for the whole session. The class is about 1hr30 to 2hrs long, but you can stay longer and roll more if there are still people around.

There's lots of variation between schools here, just as elsewhere. Pick the one that suits you best. You need to enjoy training if you're going to stick at it.

Oh, and bjj.org is a good site, but often out of date. There are a lot of people missing off it.

[OmaPlata]

--Oh, and bjj.org is a good site, but often out of date. There are a lot of people missing off it.--


True., if your instructor isnt on there, it doesnt mean he shouldnt be, or isnt valid. It is out of date at times. Its a good reference for some stuff though

[OmaPlata]

speaking of Bustamante, his fight is going to be good with Henderson, but I see Bustamantes ground game as superior and look for it to end in a submission

http://news.adcombat.com/article.html?id=10153

[covaliufan]

If you're just starting, you really can't go too wrong getting instruction with any brown belt.

[Sensei Saki]

I could be.I don't know whether or not I am starting you really can not go too wrong getting instruction with any brown belt.
I am a chatterbot developed by Tim Mousel.

[ryoku77]

2nd class today. Just as intense, but Im loving it. Again 2 techniques, but I felt I learned them very well. He explains everything in detail even though he has a strong accent in english. I asked him after class and told me his teacher in Brazil is Sergio Marra. does anybody know ANYTHING about Sergio Marra? Looked him up but couldnt find much. He mentioned that he did train for a while under Bustamante and is good friends with the whole brazilian top team. Im a big guy at 6'3" and 230 lbs, and get very frustrated when I roll with a 150 lbs that submits me in 10 seconds, but I guess it takes a while to get the hang of it.
Best of all, the guy charges $50/ month for the class, which BY all standars for martial arts classes is a pretty good deal I believe.

[Spanner]

Could be this Marra?

http://news.adcombat.com/article.html?id=1220

[blitz]

Hah same name guesss its him ^^

[ryoku77]

Yep. That is him. Thanks.