What are you embarrassingly bad at?

Martial Arts Training Forums BJJ and Advanced Grappling Forum
1

Yeah, sure we all suck at lots of things. But what are your struggles that you REALLY OUGHT NOT HAVE?

For me, it’s my inability to play with/against de la riva. After over a decade of no gi training, 8 years of gi training, a brown belt, and a lot of time spent with a high level black belt straight out of Brazil… I still can’t do this basic freaking thing. I’ve had peers and mentors try to tutor me on this, and its like their lessons go in one ear and out the other. We drill for a while and by the next day it’s already gone.

For passing DLR, I usually just spaz out until we’ve changed to a different position and I can then pass in a manner befitting of my experience. When I’m trying to employ DLR – even on newish white belts, so as to build the skill – it just makes no sense to me and I can’t figure out the leverage.

And I’m kind of embarrassed about this. As I should be.

What about you folks? What should you do better, yet still don’t?

2

[QUOTE=strikistanian;3048149]
What about you folks? What should you do better, yet still don’t?[/QUOTE]
The basics.

3

[QUOTE=Dr. Gonzo;3048151]The basics.[/QUOTE]

I laughed a lot harder than I should.

I feel you though. Shrimpin’ ain’t easy.

4

[QUOTE=strikistanian;3048154]I laughed a lot harder than I should.

I feel you though. Shrimpin’ ain’t easy.[/QUOTE]
Interestingly, many if not most Jiu-Jitsu schools teach shrimping in a manner that is detrimental to use in grappling, with or without striking.

Most Jiu-Jitsu schools teach falling poorly, rushing through it, or largely skippining it.

You can build quite a champion on a small basket of moves, done well, correctly, and consistently.

You can spend a lifetime trying to learn de-ashi-barai.

A lot of people spend the first ten or twenty years of their training doing things wrong, or poorly, and then realize it, and finally take a legitimate interest in the basics.

But, the basics are where all the magic happens.

Well, that, and those athletes that have freaky athleticism who may be a slightly different sub-species or odd mutant of human…

Also, really good bacon.

5

[QUOTE=Dr. Gonzo;3048161]Interestingly, many if not most Jiu-Jitsu schools teach shrimping in a manner that is detrimental to use in grappling, with or without striking.

[/QUOTE]

I’m really interested in what you mean by that. I’m not doubting, but I am very curious.

6

[QUOTE=strikistanian;3048167]I’m really interested in what you mean by that. I’m not doubting, but I am very curious.[/QUOTE]
I’m pleased, and I hope it gives you something to think about as you drill shrimping without a partner, and with a partner, and while grappling.

7

Gonzo is more expertisish than I, so I’ll let him get into the nitty gritty (I was well into a diatribe when he posted). But, I agree - shrimping is taught so differently from gym to gym, and there are so many nuances and different ways to use a shrimp. It’s not just for warmups.

8

First off, I’m an MMA guy. I don’t shrimp, I just give up my back and try to stand up (and consequently get bow and arrow choked a lot). Secondly, I’ve suffered many concussions and asking me to think is straight up rude.

That said I’m going to try to fish an answer out of you yet!

The main shrimping warm ups I can think of are shrimping down the mats and shrimping in place. My main gripe with those is not in their practice, but more so that most gyms I’ve been to favor only one or the other. And then most of the students don’t realize why they’re a lot better at shrimping out of mount than side control, or vice versa, depending on which shrimping warm up the gym favors.

9

[QUOTE=submessenger;3048171]Gonzo is more expertisish than I, so I’ll let him get into the nitty gritty (I was well into a diatribe when he posted). But, I agree - shrimping is taught so differently from gym to gym, and there are so many nuances and different ways to use a shrimp. It’s not just for warmups.[/QUOTE]

Idk if he’s going to reply. He’s tryna Yoda me and make me be introspective or something.

Also, Staff question. How do I change my username?

10

[QUOTE=strikistanian;3048174]Idk if he’s going to reply. He’s tryna Yoda me and make me be introspective or something.

Also, Staff question. How do I change my username?[/QUOTE]

Hit me or Phrost with a PM, we’ll work it out.

11

[QUOTE=strikistanian;3048172]First off, I’m an MMA guy. I don’t shrimp, I just give up my back and try to stand up (and consequently get bow and arrow choked a lot). Secondly, I’ve suffered many concussions and asking me to think is straight up rude.

That said I’m going to try to fish an answer out of you yet!

The main shrimping warm ups I can think of are shrimping down the mats and shrimping in place. My main gripe with those is not in their practice, but more so that most gyms I’ve been to favor only one or the other. And then most of the students don’t realize why they’re a lot better at shrimping out of mount than side control, or vice versa, depending on which shrimping warm up the gym favors.[/QUOTE]
You don’t need to fish an answer out of me.

You can drill it yourself, comparing how it is actually taught commonly as a solo drill and then compare it to pro level application in submission grappling, or MMA, or by video’ing yourself doing it for real, if you have had sufficient training.

Differences in real application often include, elevation of the pelvis, more shoulder bridge action, not letting the driver leg lose potential energy and structure position, arm position, etc, etc.

In MMA, it’s handy for the shrimp to continue the bucking process to invite posting instead of striking your face.

Arm positioning is different.

Framing against the right parts of the opponent have to occur, or it is all for naught.

But, I just cheated you.

With a dedicated session, you could have figured all this out for yourself, even without video taping yourself, and without pro footage to watch.

Once you look past the dogma, and mob custom of teaching the basic shrimp drill the way it is commonly taught for such a fundamental movement, you immediately realize that you could have been drinking a V8 all this time instead of training the new people with less than 15 years of experience to do the basic fundamentals wrong.

12

[QUOTE=submessenger;3048179]Hit me or Phrost with a PM, we’ll work it out.[/QUOTE]
It costs $100.

13

What am I bad at?

1.Faking being humble, it makes me seem douchey until you realize I am pretty straight up about where I am at.

2.losing. I am working on my Buddhism and stoicism. The fear of loss causes me to not perform as well as I can.

3 Cardio and Energy consumption. If I smell blood I can blow my wad trying to get the finish. I am more fast twitch so it will always be something i have to be weary of doing to myself.

14

[QUOTE=Dr. Gonzo;3048181]It costs $100.[/QUOTE]

No, that’s a different service that we offer.

Also, adgrap - keep the irrelevant patter down, please.

15

[QUOTE=submessenger;3048184]
Also, adgrap - keep the irrelevant patter down, please.[/QUOTE]
Roger that.

16

[QUOTE=Dr. Gonzo;3048180]You don’t need to fish an answer out of me.

You can drill it yourself, comparing how it is actually taught commonly as a solo drill and then compare it to pro level application in submission grappling, or MMA, or by video’ing yourself doing it for real, if you have had sufficient training.

Differences in real application often include, elevation of the pelvis, more shoulder bridge action, not letting the driver leg lose potential energy and structure position, arm position, etc, etc.

In MMA, it’s handy for the shrimp to continue the bucking process to invite posting instead of striking your face.

Arm positioning is different.

Framing against the right parts of the opponent have to occur, or it is all for naught.

But, I just cheated you.

With a dedicated session, you could have figured all this out for yourself, even without video taping yourself, and without pro footage to watch.

Once you look past the dogma, and mob custom of teaching the basic shrimp drill the way it is commonly taught for such a fundamental movement, you immediately realize that you could have been drinking a V8 all this time instead of training the new people with less than 15 years of experience to do the basic fundamentals wrong.[/QUOTE]

I don’t disagree whatsoever that doing the move live is completely different than the warm up drill. But isn’t the standardized warm up drill supposed to just familiarize your body with the foundational motions so that you can more easily layer the finer element of hip escapes on to that later?

I’m inferring from reading a few of your posts that your grappling expertise is beyond mine, so it’s possible that this is all going over my head, but I guess I just don’t understand how the way shrimping is taught as a warm up is counterproductive vs insufficient in and of itself for escaping bad positions.

But I am very open to learning of a better way.

17

[QUOTE=strikistanian;3048186]I don’t disagree whatsoever that doing the move live is completely different than the warm up drill. But isn’t the standardized warm up drill supposed to just familiarize your body with the foundational motions so that you can more easily layer the finer element of hip escapes on to that later?

I’m inferring from reading a few of your posts that your grappling expertise is beyond mine, so it’s possible that this is all going over my head, but I guess I just don’t understand how the way shrimping is taught as a warm up is counterproductive vs insufficient in and of itself for escaping bad positions.

But I am very open to learning of a better way.[/QUOTE]
Habits are habit forming.

And, it is rather surprising how circling back later often never seems to occur.

Finally, you may have much more grappling experience than I.

18

[QUOTE=Dr. Gonzo;3048161]Interestingly, many if not most Jiu-Jitsu schools teach shrimping in a manner that is detrimental to use in grappling, with or without striking.

Most Jiu-Jitsu schools teach falling poorly, rushing through it, or largely skippining it.

You can build quite a champion on a small basket of moves, done well, correctly, and consistently.

You can spend a lifetime trying to learn de-ashi-barai.

A lot of people spend the first ten or twenty years of their training doing things wrong, or poorly, and then realize it, and finally take a legitimate interest in the basics.

But, the basics are where all the magic happens.

Well, that, and those athletes that have freaky athleticism who may be a slightly different sub-species or odd mutant of human…

Also, really good bacon.[/QUOTE]

A lot of judo schools teach falling really badly.

As well as shrimping/hip escaping and difference between two.

BJJ schools I’ve gone to did not spend a lot of time on basica grappling movements/coordination. Would have helped out the adult learners a lot.

De Ashi Barai, 20 years later and you can do it with a good uke, in randori versus a competent black belt, forgettabout it.

And those freaky athletes, yeah, that was everybody but me, LOL!

19

[QUOTE=strikistanian;3048186]I don’t disagree whatsoever that doing the move live is completely different than the warm up drill. But isn’t the standardized warm up drill supposed to just familiarize your body with the foundational motions so that you can more easily layer the finer element of hip escapes on to that later?

I’m inferring from reading a few of your posts that your grappling expertise is beyond mine, so it’s possible that this is all going over my head, but I guess I just don’t understand how the way shrimping is taught as a warm up is counterproductive vs insufficient in and of itself for escaping bad positions.

But I am very open to learning of a better way.[/QUOTE]

For starters, when was the last time you saw a seminar on shrimping at any grappling school? It just doesn’t happen. You move down the mats in warmup the same way your classmates do, and that’s how you learn - tribal knowledge, which suffers from the telephone effect, because it’s not being drilled at most places (in my experience). I think it’s a big hole in a lot of curriculums.

20

[QUOTE=strikistanian;3048172]First off, I’m an MMA guy. I don’t shrimp, I just give up my back and try to stand up (and consequently get bow and arrow choked a lot). Secondly, I’ve suffered many concussions and asking me to think is straight up rude.

That said I’m going to try to fish an answer out of you yet!

The main shrimping warm ups I can think of are shrimping down the mats and shrimping in place. My main gripe with those is not in their practice, but more so that most gyms I’ve been to favor only one or the other. And then most of the students don’t realize why they’re a lot better at shrimping out of mount than side control, or vice versa, depending on which shrimping warm up the gym favors.[/QUOTE]

I think it’s more than shrimping in place and down the mat. You have to teach the shrimp, and the applications as you go.

In other words, relate the movement back to the application. Simple ones at first, of course, then chaining them together.

Just like any other skill/technique.

I found that most students just want to learn pins/chokes/armbars/throws, and are not interested in what we call kihon in judo, or fundamentals. A lot of that is solo drills (like for the De Ashi Barai that Gonzo mentioned).

It may be a personality/learning style thing…