How do *you* grapple with a newbie?

[tekshow]

Originally posted by Apoth
The point of a class, especially the first one, isn't to hand someone's ass to them. It's to let them get in their, try their techniques, and allow the new person to learn something. Going hard on a guy who's never done your style before is, IMO, unnecessary showing off. Start out light, judge their ability, and adjust accordingly.

yup. you can't just some up newbies in one category. obviously the bouncer from the Boom Boom Room who comes in with a big ego isn't going to get the light and nice try these moves treatment if he's trying to prove soemthing...


likewise the 140lb kid who walks in shouldn't be crushed before he's allowed to learn something...



most people that have never grappled have such an alien sense about them it's pretty easy to gage the intensity level..


my .02

[Maui Jim]

How do *you* grapple with a newbie?

I think Michael Jackson would be your best authority on the subject.
ROGFL!

[Bjjexpertise@be]

I know I'll be bashed for saying this but here goes. If the newcomer has no idea what this grappling is, I would go just hard enough to show him what this is actually capable of. Just hard enough to make him say, "WOW! I could be as good as him one day!". But not so hard where you body slam him into the ground then heel kick his face and then finish with a shoulder choke and scare him away.

[osopardo]

That's about right, hard enough to impress but not discourage.

[BadgerFu57]

i just let them tire themselves out. first i use one of my takedowns then sit on them. the next day i usually pull them in my guard and let them play a little bit. Against a newbie you shouldn't have to use hardly any strength, while they are muscling everything.

[Rasta]

From a newbie that's been grappled...

Hey there, I've been reading the posts for a while, but am posting for the first time. I started BJJ a few weeks ago, and I love it. I've got four years of experience with Aikido, but wanted to learn something that was useful on the ground.

My first class went something like this: pair up w/ a patient blue belt, have him show me some falls and basic positions, then roll w/ other blue belts. I was having a blast. I think they could tell I had some sort of experience (many of them asked). I think it might have showed through in my balance, and ability/willingness to literally roll around when wrapped up w/ someone. I could often get to a "safe" place, but would never be able to effectively advance, or attack, and would then easily get mounted. There was one guy who was all about muscling me though, and practically snapped my neck in less than five seconds. Had whiplash the next day, and made a mental note to avoid that guy for a while, as it wasn't a very helpful lesson for me. Yeah, I get it... you can kick my a$$.

By the fourth class, I was pretty much figuring out the routine - learning what positions to NOT get in, and getting frustrated by the fact that I was getting thrown around like a rag-doll. I have a pretty good disposition though, so I understand that these are the steps you gotta take, and can laugh at myself at some of the creative or just stupid ways I got tapped out. I had one guy just climbing all over me, switching from one knee on my chest to the other like five times in a row. I was squiriming and pushing, and trying to get out from under him, and finally just started laughing (which wore me out even more, and set him up for the finish).

I'm loving the workout too - that exhausted feeling is something I've been looking for for awhile, but never got w/ Aikido.

Unfortunately, it was in that fourth class that I'd grabbed on to a purple belts' pant leg, and he responded by holding onto my hand w/ his, and kicking his leg out in the other direction. I wasn't sure if the snapping sound w/ his gi, or my finger, but from the way it felt, I'd say finger.

It's been two weeks now, the swelling's gone down, I've got about three-quarter mobility back in the finger and it doesn't hurt too much. I'm planning on going back on Monday.

All in all, not a terrible beginner experience, but the thing I'd recommend to the more advanced practicioners is to do whatever your going to do, but keep in mind that the newbie can benefit from your teaching, and is usually looking to learn. There's probably no doubt you can dominate and whup some a$$, but do you have the control and skill to do it in a way that encourages instead of destroys (ex. the patient blue belt, as compared to the guy who put a neck lock on me so fast, I didn't see it coming but felt it for three days after). I find I try to do that w/ newbies in Aikido. It's easy for me to throw them down, or put a wrist lock on them and let the FEEL the pain. But when it's their turn to do the technique, they're going to mimic that and think that's the point, or get discouraged and leave licking their wounds without ever getting a glimpse into the "art" of it.

Granted, if someone comes in w/ ego and attitude, you can and probably should squash it quickly, but even that can be done in a way that opens the person up to learning more, instead of breaks them down.

Just my $0.02

[THT]

You Barbarian

To crush the newbie, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of Mr.Poopy!

"That is good..."

[Ronson]

I think many approaches work well with newbs.

My approach is to let them have their way with me so that I can see what skillz they have and just generally how they roll. Then I'll turn it on and submit them (if I can hahaha) . I'll usually give a sandwiched feedback (positve - negative - positive).

I'm just a relatively new blue belt and get tooled on a daily basis. I've learned from guys who will take you out the first chance they get, some who switch from submission to submission, others who play the position game, and the ones who will focus on one aspect of their game with you. All of these approaches lends itself to improving yours and their game.

The one approach I hate and learn nothing from, is from the guy who will go ape nuts and submit you just to save their ego.

[RYO9]

I never really experience newbies. but if I do I take it easy for 2 gatherings, then let em have it.

Mullins

[SamuraiGuy]

Well im kinda new to a grappling "class" but shocked most of the people when I went in the first day, so I kinda am a newbie but this is usually how I play it, especially if I dont know the other persons skill level.

Try to beat them as quickly as possible, pull nothing, go for it, dont try to injure them, but if they feel some pain its not a problem.

If I win, good i'll slack off a bit and work with them, ive shown them that I know my stuff...

If I lose.... go for it again... they are obviously better than me if I just lost.

Thats how I work it....

although the instructor just laughed at me the first time I tried to go with him, not a make fun of laugh, but he just sat on me for awhile and chuckled to himself as I tried to power out of his JuJitsu.....


Humbling.... first time I ever lost...

(Lost a hell of alot more times when I went up against some other people in the class)

[Tom Yum]

although the instructor just laughed at me the first time I tried to go with him, not a make fun of laugh, but he just sat on me for awhile and chuckled to himself as I tried to power out of his JuJitsu.....

Humbling.... first time I ever lost...

(Lost a hell of alot more times when I went up against some other people in the class)

Boy is it humbling and it shows technique vs. power.

Once you start learning technique and defense, you'll be hard to beat!

[SamuraiGuy]

lol I was fine until I was on the bottom, my wrestling is better than my Jiu Jitsu its actuall ythe side mount that I hate the most.... damn side mount, however I love being on top in the side mount. So many possibilities.

[Sensei Saki]

I am glad you find this funny. Where were you fine until I was on the bottom my wrestling is better than my Jiu Jitsu its actuall ythe side mount that I hate the most?Colloquial expression.
That is a very original thought.I understand. Which ones?

[SamuraiGuy]

well it happened, there was a newbie kid to grappling, and he was pretty tall and pretty weak from the way he was punching one of the bags.

Anyway, we started on our knees because it was all groundwork, so were just rolling, (this isnt BJJ by the wya, just grappling and fighting), so i just kinda pushed him a bit, and started to make contact, he came forward, I put him in the guillotine and tapped him ,HERE ME ROAR, lol seriously though thats what happened.

So then I was like ok, thats one of myf avorite things to do, how much do you know. (I didnt know he had never grappled) so he says that he has never grappled, and im like ok, so we start to go again, and I just pull him into my gaurd and let him try some stuff, he says he doesnt know how to do anything like get a mount.

I told him one of my favorite ways of mounting someone from the knees, and then showed him how he could mount me if I was in his gaurd. Once he was on top of me he asked me any chokes that he could do from here. I showed him two of them, then asked him if he knew what an armbar was....

HE DIDNT!!! *gasp*

lol, so I tried to explain how to transition from the mount, and he didnt really get it , so I showed him, then I locked it out, and put a bit of pressure, he tapped, and he saw how it works.

After that I just explained the guillotine choke to him, guillotine in the gaurd, from standing, the importance of wrapping the legs around to remove any opponenent movement.

He got that, and then our 5 minute round was up.


Thats just my experience of how it went, hope that helps.