Beginning... BJJ?

[Hansson]

Hi... making my first post here. I was thinking about putting this in the Grappling forum but I thought it really is more General... and there seems to be very low activity in the Grappling forum which is too bad as these forums are the best I've found on the web as of yet.

I really want to take up some martial art, first and foremost to get in shape, but also because I enjoy it and need a challenge. In a week or two I'll visit the two local BJJ clubs and see what they look like.

The only thing I'm worried about is that there won't be any suitable sparring partners for me. Both clubs seem pretty small, and on every picture I've seen, it's only big guys... and being big is not enough, most seem to have a background in other MA...

So... here I come, 25 years, 60 kg (130lbs? maybe), in the worst shape since my military service three years ago and no martial art since boxing (started when 15, quit when 18)...

Of course the white belts should tap a lot and take a lot of punishment, but if the difference is too big between me and the other guys, I'm afraid I wont progress that much...

Sometimes I think I should take up a more beginner-friendly art to get in shape (kickboxing and kung fu have a lot of beginners every term of all sizes and shapes) but I'm really curious about BJJ...

I know this is more a rant than a question but if anyone has any thoughts please share them.

 

[Wertle]

I can't say I know squat about BJJ, but I suppose the most important thing is to have a look at the school and the setup before you start. Sometimes you can have a good art and a bad instructor, or vice versa, so I guess the most important thing is recognizing if you'd be comfortable with something or not, you might find one of the clubs to suit your personal needs better than the other, or something.

Beyond that, I'm not much help, but I'm sure others will have better advice on BJJ specifically ^_^

 

[sweeper]

I used to practice olympic judo and there were a couple of BJJ guys that would come on sparring nights, that's about the closest I have been to it. I don't think it will matter what your skill level is, ground fighting is nothing like stand up fighting so a back ground in another art isn't gona help much unless they also work on ground fighting. I would actualy say without an other low rankers you would actualy progress faster, I always learn alot more when practising with someone more skilled than my self, it's kinda like practicing with an instructor, they will probably be better at giving you advise and feeding you and they are obviously gona be more of a challenge. I would say give it a chance, if you like the people and the instructor go with it.

 

[hand2handCombat]

if u want to get in shape fast, i suggest Muay Thai. it keeps you in good shape and is a very very brutal art. not beginner friendly. BJJ, is very very good for ground fighting. you'll need it when u fall.

 

[J-kid]

Hey i am in judo Jujitsu and i can say i can take out people bigger then me . its a great art to learn because of take downs and grappling. 80 percent of fights end up on the ground. Find a good place. trust your gut on this one. Judo / Jujitsu is a great choice for M A .