4 Things You Should Know in Your First Week of Starting BJJ

Whatever thing you do for the first time, you feel uncertain and insecure. So, the same applies when taking up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This uncertainty is even greater if you’ve never practiced martial arts before. In order to feel more prepared, there are several rules you should know prior to your first sparring. Therefore, we made a list unspoken must-knows for the first week of your BJJ journey.

4 Must-Knows When Starting BJJ

1. Be Prepared for the Hard Work

Training Jiu-Jitsu is a hard and challenging task. It might not seem that way, but it requires lots of drilling. This drilling demands plenty of body movement and that’s why people tend to lose weight when training BJJ. Moreover, you need a lot of effort when moving and learning new techniques. So, be prepared to sweat your ass off as soon as you start sparring.

2. Never Compare Your Progress with Others

 

First and foremost, you should bear in mind that BJJ is an individualized activity. You should learn to follow your own pace and never compare with the progress with other practitioners. Each one of you is a different individual, with different body and capacities. Thus, learn to be focused, cheer your success, and have patience. Your goals will become reality eventually. Even though you might face difficulties and failure, never give up!

3. You’re Going to Be a White Belt for Awhile

If you are taking up BJJ for the color of the belt, you have a wrong reason to start training it. You should never worry too much about the color of your belt or the number of stripes you have. Some practitioners change colors very quickly while others need more time for it. So, as soon as you start thinking about it and focus on your process, things will get better. Moreover, focus on your training, the relationships you form with your fellow practitioners, and the experiences you gain.

4. Forget About Your Ego

This is another crucial tip you should know when starting to train BJJ. Bear in mind that you should put your ego aside and take every failure as a learning experience. You will experience plenty of unpleasant situations, you’ll be beaten by weaker and younger opponents, but that’s all part of the BJJ experience. Hence, make sure you switch your attention to getting better and tighter.

Additional Tips You Should Know Before Starting BJJ

Besides the above-mentioned must-knows, there are also several other tips you should remember when considering to start training BJJ:

• You will make close friendships on the mat. What’s more, some of these people will be your friends for a lifetime.
• Always set goals and reasonable expectations. Don’t overestimate yourself so you won’t be disappointed.
• Remember that there is a set training frequency for every goal. Hence, you should train three times a week if you get faster, twice a week to get better, and once a week to maintain your progress.
• Always have fun when training as you’re becoming better with every training.
• Don’t be afraid to try something new, such as a new technique.
• Take each sparring as a learning lesson.
• Learn to tap as sparring is not a competition and you should know your limits.

We hope that these tips will help you not to feel overwhelmed during your first week of training BJJ.