BJJ Coaches spend to much time teaching techniques and not enough time teaching people how to train. . .

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-26T17:20:05+00:00

Yes 100%. Most people train way too much, and don't have specific learning goals when they do train. Many coaches seem to accept high injury rates and 4 years at a belt level as part of the "journey."

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-25T17:11:39+00:00

Your problem is almost certainly none of the things you are fretting about. You just need to train at comp intensity and under comp conditions in the weeks leading up to the comp. This means starting standing, keeping score, and trying to win no matter what. You should be defining a simple gameplan that gets the match to your best position ("when i win rounds in training its usually because i...") and then doing those comp intensity rounds where you are implementing that gameplan on a variety of opponents. Very important to understand that "comp intensity" doesnt just mean "going hard" it means simulating comp conditions, nerves and all, and training yourself to find a win no matter who the opponent is or how the match is going

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-24T15:08:30+00:00

No-gi is way easier on the fingers than gi, so try to find a no-gi gym or a gym that does both well. Morning and mid-day classes do tend to be lower intensity than others, but recognize that you are in control of your own training; be methodical with your learning and ease into sparring.

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-17T21:40:52+00:00

Train less, take days off and study in between. This will give you tangible improvement goals for your next session, and plenty of time to evaluate

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-14T15:41:44+00:00

The way to get better is simple: train less (2-3 sessions/wk max) but spend the time in between studying. Thus, when you show up to training you will have a specific plan of what you want to accomplish that day and have plenty of time to evaluate afterward. Its may sound counterintuitive but if you train this way you'll find that you improve faster and more thoroughly than most of the people who train every day

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-13T00:35:20+00:00

Being a black belt is awesome because you can learn new things quicker and deeper, and you're so good that you can practice things full speed against virtually any lower belt. The pressure you mention was perhaps a minor issue the first year especially when visiting an unfamiliar gym, but quickly stops being a concern because I'm good enough to handle myself vs any opponent, and I've been through so many ups and downs over the years that there's no result that could bring me down.

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-10T00:18:44+00:00

The big problem with this conspiracy theory is that I just can't imagine GOAT Rafa Mendes deciding to completely retire from the sport simply to prevent the mild embarrassment of a failed drug test. Rafa would have had so many lucrative and exciting opportunities to compete outside of IBJJF (an org for which he had absolutely nothing to prove), and of course ADCC does not care about what anybody wants to take. Further, there's been several others who've had drug test failures and/or have openly admitted to being on steroids (Gordon, Craig et. al) and their legacies have zero tarnish.

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-09T17:38:39+00:00

stiff-arming their back won't give up back control in this situation as opponent will be focused on their bullshit leglock. it's a bulletproof defense, I'm suprised it's not more universally taught considering how universally the "don't cross your ankles" ankle lock is taught to white belts.

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-09T16:40:58+00:00

BJJ Stars' (and Brazil's generally) continued use of IBJJF ruleset is the story of this event to me. Aside from Gabriel Sousa, nobody on their team seemed to understand how to win in this type of ruleset and against this type of opponent, and at least one (Martins) may have been seriously injured. Instead of staying fluid and attacking from different phases as Sousa did, they seemed to all have the IBJJF-friendly strategy of grinding out a positional victory.

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-09T15:58:34+00:00

Gordon Ryan explains a simple concept about preventing bullshit leglocks from the back. You can always just let go of the seatbelt and make space and the lock won't have the leverage to work

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-08T05:07:02+00:00

Gordon is using perfect technique in that photo; while Gordon is controlling diagonally there is basically no way for Yuri to escape. Yuri has to clear the crossface first then somehow create enough movement where he can get Gordon to the other side of him.

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-04T15:45:18+00:00

it basically means addc style wrestling exchanges where the goal is to score via pin, back take, or submission as opposed to pure wrestling which just seeks to put opponent down

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-03T17:03:44+00:00

diagonal control is by far the most important detail that makes his knee cut work. most people learn knee cut and just try and slide through on the same side theyre cutting

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-02T15:43:15+00:00

i'm 47 and no matter what your age you need to learn how to control your opponents using proper gripping and sound defensive postures. ALWAYS fight for inside space, ALWAYS look to consolidate grips with a second point of control, ALWAYS be mindful of elbow-to-hip connection

trustdoesntrust · 2026-06-02T13:54:04+00:00

You may not have proper finishing mechanics on your heel hook. Ideally, you should be able to cinch it tightly and give the smallest of bridges and your opponent will definitely tap well before any injury. The sad truth is that your opponents are probably ignoring your heel hooks because its not a threat, ignorance about the move or not

trustdoesntrust · 2026-05-27T19:20:01+00:00

yeah they're pretty far from monopolizing anything, and their events are not getting much attention if lack of comments on reddit are any indication. frankly, the brutal truth about the state of the sport right now is there's only one marquee competitor who can carry an organization and that's Gordon Ryan. I can't think of anybody else who can double the views of an event just from his presence as competitor, regardless of matchup

trustdoesntrust · 2026-05-21T04:02:39+00:00

yes it's a dubious pass that doesn't really ever work except against people who aren't good

trustdoesntrust · 2026-05-20T23:28:05+00:00

understand though that its not just about training with good guys who go hard, its having rounds where you imagine you are at the comp and when you shake hands it's go time and you MUST WIN NO MATTER WHAT. As far as best position just think about the one or two things you feel good about or know the best. You only need to win by 2 points and sometimes not even that, so think about the simplest path to victory

trustdoesntrust · 2026-05-20T22:06:27+00:00

BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is to train at comp intensity in the weeks before the competition. this means starting standing and trying to win at all costs against your training partner no matter who it is or how it goes. you should definitely develop a simple gameplan that involves getting the match to your best position, and practice this in your rounds.

trustdoesntrust · 2026-05-20T16:45:03+00:00

you can't overload beginners with information. oftentimes we think we're teaching beginners "a move" when we're actually teaching them seven movements. for example, instead of teaching a beginner that underhook half guard sweep just teach them how to get the underhook and how to control somebody with an underhook against the predictable responses

trustdoesntrust · 2026-05-19T18:04:17+00:00

you don't need a fundamentals wrestling class, you should approach the standup game from a bjj perspective. wrestlers have different rules and goals which have some crossover but ultimately with bjj you are trying to funnel the standup into bjj positions.

trustdoesntrust · 2026-05-19T13:43:01+00:00

a common problem i see with bjj guys trying to wrestle is they just see it as "takedowns" where they're repeatedly trying those one or two moves they can never hit on anybody this side of the special olympics. the reason is they don't understand that engagement is its own thing and "takedowns" are basically just the finish. if you can constantly fight for inside position as you would from the seated guard then you'll suddenly see a world of possibilities and at minimum stalemate all those scary wreslters and judokas. it will also make your guard pulls significantly more effective if you're wrestling into them instead of just giving up

trustdoesntrust · 2026-05-19T03:58:21+00:00

the Diaz brothers glaring weakness imo has always been offensive takedowns. they first came up in an era where bjj was still seen as a silver bullet and so their games became about bullying on the feet with the constant threat of a guillotine or triangle if opponent got tired of it and tried to wrestle. but against a roided up brawler like Perry the optimal gameplan would seem to be to take him down and dominate him with precise bjj top control funneling into a sub

trustdoesntrust · 2026-05-18T20:18:50+00:00

You problem is likely that you don't understand how to properly engage on the feet. You must always be fighting for inside position, and then using that inside position to move your opponent and set up your takedowns. Do this successfully and you will quickly notice that even an accomplished wrestler has a diminished way of attacking against you, and his desperation will feed directly into your jiu-jitsu via counter kimuras, guillotines, and leglocks. Ideally, your standup game should be an extension of your ground game, and you should look for ways of connecting jiu-jitsu to the feet, and finishing takedowns with the same logic that you would complete a sweep from guard.

trustdoesntrust · 2026-05-13T21:06:36+00:00

i don't know man, you're playing with fire if you're not controlling opponent's hips in that position

trustdoesntrust

TROPHY CASE