Freestyling BJJ?

[nxixcxk]

Hi. I took 10 classes of beginner BJJ in Boulder, CO and had to quit b/c of transportational reasons. I've moved to Denver, and the Denver academy is way out of my way, so I cannot attend classes.

I'm wondering: Is there a way to learn and become proficient at BJJ techniques w/o enrolling in a class?

I have a younger brother who would like to learn and we were thinking on ordering some instructional videos on BJJ, but I'm not sure how well this would work. (We would buy a mat and then practice on each other)

Is it plausible to become a great BJJist w/o having a teacher there to give you tips; and, are there any DVDs/Videos that progress from beginner to advanced? (I'd be nice to hear if anyone has learned BJJ through a method like this one)

Thanks for your help, it's much appreciated.

Nick.

[Penance]

No. I would say absolutely not.

You can probably learn the rough basics but you will end up missing out on countless little details that make the basics work like they should. You will never become "great" by teaching yourself.

If it's possible, schedule a private two-person lesson once or twice a month for you and your brother and take the time to drive to the nearest academy. Make sure the instructor knows your time is very limited. Have him show you one or two things each class with alot of detail and ask him to show you some drills you and your brother can practice. Take notes on these sessions and practice tons between each session.

For example, your instructor might start off by going over the major positions and then show you two control positions as well as elbow-knee escape and the upa. If he highlights each of the important details and you practice them carefully, then by the next class you should be ready to move on to something else.

[bunyip]

I'll add that's it's important to roll with people much better than you. Your brother won't have the technical knowledge to capitalize on your mistakes and you'll both end up learning bad habits.

Perhaps you can find a good judo school near you?

[nxixcxk]

Good points. That private lesson idea doesn't sound too bad, if it isn't too expensive.

Also, I'm sure there are some judo academy's fairy close to me (although I'm not sure how practicle judo is), since judo is much more popular, but I'm wondering what other martial arts compare to BJJ? I've watched shootfighters vs BJJist and they seem to hold their own fairly well, any other suggestions?

[bunyip]

Sounds like your head's in the right place. At this point, it comes down to choosing a good school rather than a good art. If you're interested in groundfighting, look for a school that does a lot of groundfighting sparring against resisting opponents. Some judo clubs have very very good ground games, some ignore it completely. Look for a school that does well in submission wrestling and/or BJJ tournaments.

[SamuraiGuy]

I would say you can become average but never great.

I did alot of grappling with friends and crap with no real instruction, maybe a few submissions learned from pictures on the internet or from watching UFC, like the triangle choke but nothing that was really quality instruction.

I only lost to my older brother while wrestlin/grappling just.. freestyle as you put it. I could beat all my friends, and I thought I was really good and relished the thought of having people willing to fight me so that I could beat them too.

I quickly realized that there are ALOT of people who are ALOT better than me, and thats just in my class. If you practice your freestyle grappling you could become the best "freestyle grappler" ever....

Basically this would make you King of the Noobs, or if you prefer the best noob around.

Im speaking from personal experience, there are just so many things you can learn that you may not realize from just your grappling.

For instance I got the back of my instructor, either through luck or he let me, and so I almost have a choke in and cross my legs around him, I am on my back.

He figure fours my legs while I try to sink a choke, and makes me tap out. This is when I learned to put the hooks in, and I've used it on several freestyle grapplers. Little things like that over time really add to your arsenal and grappling skill.

If your serious about it, find a school, didnt want to make this post so long but meh.

[nxixcxk]

Thanks for the replies.

Samurai, how often did you practice grappling prior to enrolling in an actual class?

Also, here is another place I may check out, it is a lot closer to where I live...has anyone heard of it before by any chance?

http://www.grapplers-edge.com/