Tips for the Brand New White Belt

We all remember our very first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class. Even if you have been training for over a decade you can still look back and remember what it was like to be a clueless white belt. It’s hard being at the bottom of the totem pole struggling just to master shrimping during the warm ups. BJJ is a complex sport with many different guards and techniques to learn which is one of the main reasons so many people enjoy it, but it can also make for a large learning curve. It can take 3-6 months for it all to begin coming together, and for the beginner to really start seeing consistent positive results in their rolls. Once you get past this small hump the world begins to open up. The longer you train the more you add to your arsenal, and you can really see your own personal game appear. It is so important to stick with it and for upper belts to remember what it was like to be brand new.

That is why here at Atos HQ we really strive to create a positive learning environment where everyone helps each other and the upper belts are always open to answer questions, and offer help when they can. Our beginners are taught by World Champions just like the upper belts. We know how important it is to create a solid base, and we never want anyone to feel they are not welcome.

3 Helpful Tips from Brown Belt No Gi World Champion and Atos HQ white belt instructor Dominique Bell:

“Always ask questions after training- If you’re a school student, and run into a math equation you don’t understand, you ask the teacher for help. The next time you see that math equation, you know how to solve it, and you continue until you find another that stumps you. Treat Jiu Jitsu the same way. Don’t accept that you had “a bad roll”, because it’s not true. At some point in the roll, there was a math equation you didn’t know the answer to and you need to ask for help to solve it and continue learning (I didn’t get the underhook in time, I crossed my feet from the back, I don’t know how to get out of spider guard).
Try to avoid injury- Easier said than done. Just be mindful of positions that you don’t understand. It’s fun to roll hard, but going for a throw you’ve never practiced, or jumping for a wreckless flying armbar on your opponent can leave both of you sidelined. And once you’re off the mats and out of Jiu Jitsu for a few months, you might not pick it up again.
Drill!- Drilling is how you add techniques to your “Auto-pilot”. When you turn on the auto-pilot, you don’t think, you just do. Sometimes what you do is sloppy, or incorrect, and you need to drill in the correct responses or sequences to fix this. White belts are the prime candidates for drilling efficacy, so if you have the time before or after class, rep out some drills!”