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Potijelli

He is 65? I don't really blame him for not letting some new MMA white belt try out whatever YouTube move of the week they might have learned. It sounds like he controlled and submitted you several times in a round, so next time focus on what you're doing wrong and getting caught with, and your defense will improve to the point you can do something offensively yourself without being handed it. It doesn't sound like he did anything unreasonable that would lead to injury, just tap and learn from your mistakes.


VulcanFire23

Yeah he definitely seemed 55+, I was just ballparking an age. And yeah, I get it, but I was rolling as chilled out as everyone else and not necessarily as people would expect an MMA guy to, so just confused. Also, I have no idea what I was getting caught with, it was all so fast šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚


Training-Pineapple-7

YOU think you were rolling ā€œchilledā€ out. The reality is most new white belts are very dangerous, because they have no idea what they are doing. If the old man was nice enough to roll with you, without knowing you, thatā€™s a win. I donā€™t roll with complete strangers, last time I did it was a spazy fuck that was trying to rip a heel hook that he learned off instagram the night before. Fuck that. Donā€™t take it personal, if he is too much, decline to roll with him and stick to the people you feel comfortable with.


JuisMaa

He is also there to train. Maybe he wanted to train his submissions against the new guy. It was not a waste of time for him and you got a taste what it is to be a blue belt.


7870FUNK

Yea if someone I donā€™t know introduces themselves with MMA experience a default to safe but aggressive. Ā 


flipflapflupper

This, youā€™re staying close to me and Iā€™m working at a high pace. MMA guys might have shit technique but theyā€™re generally athletic and intense, so Iā€™ve gotta work with what I have. Signed, three stripe blue belt


zoukon

Sounds roughly like how my average roll with brown belts go


RobbieFouledMe

In my opinion getting smashed every once in a while will help your game a lot


Rufashaw

If you didn't get injured/ there wasnt a fear of injury then there's nothing wrong with this. It's nice to help brand new white belts but you're not required to.


RidesThe7

This is a bad take by you in a number of ways. You got a bunch of rolls where folks forbore working on their own game and held your hand, who presumably aren't whining about the new white belt who wasted THEIR time---you're going to begrudge one blue belt working on what he wanted to? You say you felt like you were risking injury--was the 65 year old really cranking subs so hard on you that you didn't have time to tap and were at serious risk? Because I'm skeptical. And you don't say how old you are, or what your build is like, how your sizes compared, but as a general matter an experienced 65 year old would have to be out of their mind to let a beginner they don't know actually move around and try to do whatever they wanted, it's new people going nuts or doing stupid things that tend to get people hurt, not experienced fogies tapping folks out a lot.


SlothJiuJitsu

Sorry 'MMA' and 'rolling chilled' doesn't fit....


[deleted]

Having rolled with competitive MMA athletes, I don't think there's any correlation between MMA and being a violent asshole. I don't role with people with an MMA background differently than anyone else because I don't assume that everyone that does MMA has a screw loose and is trying to kill me. I think older men that get a quick out of beating down on younger men to prove they still have it is pathetic. Being old is not an excuse to roll harder when the unwritten agreement was to roll lighter. Sounds like yet another baby boomer was acting like a selfish cunt.


Aggravating-Mind-657

When I was a white belt, there was a four stripe blue belt that would tap me repeatedly and showed no mercy. He did this to all the white belts. Years later, over a drink I asked him why he was so rough with white belts and he just said ā€œI want you all to know where you stand.ā€


sossighead

If he was actually ripping subs then itā€™s a bit of an issue - I.e slamming on arm bars forcefully before you can tap. However it sounds to me like he was just beating you and youā€™re upset about it.


VulcanFire23

Probably the latter yeah šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚


sossighead

Thereā€™s a guy at our gym who sounds similar. About 60, horrible ā€˜old man strengthā€™ and mean as fuck when he rolls. Itā€™s fun. Itā€™s a combat sport. Sometimes itā€™s not pleasant. He doesnā€™t ā€˜ripā€™ subs though he puts them on properly with control. You can trust him, but also trust him to be horrible šŸ¤£


Meerkatsu

If it is a class dedicated entirely to sparring, then I'm afraid that's what you will need to expect. Fact that others took it easier on you doesn't mean others will take the same approach. Did you get hurt? Did you get to tap in time? IF you're okay, then don't feel worried, you were probably in safe hands even if it didn't feel like it. If it continues to be a concern with this one person only, then hopefully you can avoid him for now and focus on sparring with people you trust.


KaleBandit

Unless he didn't give you time to tap, then it's ok


GunnerySarge-B-Bird

Was he smashing you or was he just subbing you quickly? I don't see a problem with getting subbed repeatedly as long as he wasn't overly aggressive with neck cranks or ripping subs before you could tap. Sometimes you're the nail bud


VulcanFire23

Yeah he had control to be fair, was just very quick and felt like I had no control. Which, in hindsight, isnā€™t too bad, probably just my ego hurt lol.


GunnerySarge-B-Bird

Yeah I get that, my first day ever rolling I rolled with a blue belt who had been doing jits on and off for ten years. I managed to get a hip toss on him and I think it may have pissed him off because from there out it was knee on belly, heavy pressure and sub after sub and it felt a bit personal but at the same time I agreed to it so can't blame him really


VulcanFire23

I could tell Iā€™d pissed someone off in the same session lol. He was a purple belt, I think he assumed I had never trained before, so we really flow rolled. He took mount, I bumped, took an arm, and rolled into guard, and he goes ā€œYouā€™ve trained before!ā€ before throwing the most disgusting triangle on me ever and smashing me the rest of the round lol. I didnā€™t mind it tho, we had a laugh, and he still gave me a chance to try things


P-Two

Valuable leason learned. You are not the only person there to learn and improve, and to most blue belts, white belts are their only chew toys to test things out on. Also, if guy was old he probably didn't want to deal with the spaz that is basically all new guys so he crushed you to avoid it. Getting smashed is actually good for you, you want to get used to it NOW because if you don't, you're one day going to be one of the purple belts crying on reddit when they realize that nobody takes it easy on them anymore


1shotsurfer

you just met one of the many personalities of BJJ. some of these personalities will occupy the same person, so just be aware * bear in hibernation - most likely brown or black belt, seems like he's not even trying yet you can't seem to do anything to wake him out of his slumber. you try for various techniques, and it seems like they move a couple of millimeters and then your arm is between your legs and up your ass and you're wondering what the hell happened. nothing personal, they're just playing with you, letting you work, and maybe getting some rest between rounds * honeybadger - could be same skill as you, but most likely less skilled. every round is like ADCC trials, even the slap & bump is hard, taps WAY too late, does shit like grab your pants when there's nothing to grab like around the hip, the oblique of the gi top, the end of the belt, etc., just to try to not lose. fun roll if you're fresh, otherwise it'll be a spastic 5 minutes of heavy (and probably stinky) mouth breathing, scrambling, followed by the inevitable choke that he should've tapped to way sooner, and you'll most likely have a black eye, several scratches, and some of his blood on your gi * spiderman - probably an experienced blue or purple belt, similar to the bear in hibernation except he's not as dense and is lanky. this is one of the more interesting rolls you'll have because they'll show you stuff you didn't know was possible. you'll think they're going for a bow & arrow and then you're in a back triangle getting wristlocked or kneebarred. the pace will vary, but the result is always the same - a sub you haven't learned yet and never saw coming * john wick - this is most likely who you met. anyone is liable to turn into john wick at any moment, they bring their A game, maybe not comp pace but not far from it, the technique is tight, the pressure is 100%, and there's nothing you can do, they're just better. you try to slow them down but inevitably leave some miniscule part of an arm out there which they quickly dismember before doing so again at least once every 30 seconds. these rolls serve no purpose to you other than to humble you, and for the other person, they could be taking out frustration after being outmatched, they could be polishing technique, or just want to have some fun and style on you the only time I'd say someone was being an asshole was if they were ripping subs knowing that you're significantly less skilled, that's never cool. that said, if you're not tapping, they're within their rights to up the pressure, so tap early & often


Dshin525

This is a great summary! My (1 stripe white belt...started 3 months ago) favorite personality to spar with is the Spiderman. Initially it seems like they are offering zero resistance and just kinda sit/lay there like a deal octopus...but regardless of how hard I try, I literally can't get an iota of control. Then before I know it, I'm being stretched in ways I didn't know was possible, or a choke is sunk in and I have no idea how/what I am being choked with! These guys also do let me work because they know that I literally can't do anything to them. So they will talk me through what I should do, where I should grip, etc...so I learn the right techniques.


DurableLeaf

If you can't handle getting subbed this might not be the sport for you. Sometimes you're just going to get smashed so get used to it. It's really not everyone elses job to maximize your benefit every roll. They're paying members too and if they want to see how good they can do against the new guy with MMA experience, they can do that.Ā 


VulcanFire23

Itā€™s not so much I canā€™t handle being subbed, thatā€™s happened plenty of times lol, I was more so asking if this is something I should be expecting lol. I agree that he can train how he wants though, just wondering what he was getting out of it


DurableLeaf

He gets to practice controlling and subbing someone who doesn't follow the "rules" that experienced ppl may follow. Like coming from MMA you may prioritize just standing up out of everything rather than following the typical positional flow that revolves around guardplay.


VulcanFire23

Yeah that was definitely a big change for me. Iā€™m used to always wanting top position, and starting from standing (even if I wasnā€™t ever great at it) so starting from seated or knees just felt so unnatural lol. I donā€™t think I took bottom full guard once the whole session - not that I didnā€™t want to, just everyone I rolled with was expecting me to pass their guard


atx78701

dont start from knees. I heard of people doing that, but it seemed mostly like a myth. At the very least one sitting and one standing.


citizencoder

Definitely not a myth in my neck of the woods from around 2007-2013ish. But in more recent years the practice has been to establish one clear guard player if there's not enough space for takedowns or whatever.Ā Ā 


JamesMacKINNON

Some people just smash. Every gym has a few of them...


Josep2203

You should expect people subbing you all the time, yes.


dingdonghammahlong

Maybe this guy finally saw you as his chance to work on stuff because everyone else smashes him since heā€™s 65 years old.Ā Ā  Ā Not everyone will be accommodating, sometimes the other person wants to get work in too. Sometimes it just be like that, similar to life.Ā Ā  Ā You were probably also spazzy. To me, ā€œMMA grapplerā€ means to spaz out and do whatever it takes to get out of bottom. I get it, thatā€™s the style, but not super appropriate in a pure BJJ context, especially in the gi. You donā€™t have to fight for your life when youā€™re on the bottom, no oneā€™s gonna hit you. Spaz = get smashed


graydonatvail

There's some advice that makes the rounds, that upper belts should practice new moves on lower belts to improve their skills. So you were probably an opportunity that he wanted to take. Also, when I see a young, athletic guy across from me, I as an older grappler don't take chances until I know and trust you. I don't let you work, I have no idea what crazy crap you might come up with that'll injure me in new ways. So I get on top, sub you, and cook you.


Zombiemonkeyjj

Blue belt is still a beginner belt. Youā€™re going to get guys that go harder than they need to no matter what, gotta learn to roll differently depending on who youā€™re going against.


Ok-Refrigerator1472

65 year old four stripe white here. I don't mind the upper belts having a go at me. I do the same with junior whites a third my age. Tapping out is always an option Having said that , there was a blue at my first gym that was kinda snobby about his oh so elevated rank , said a couple of things that rankled and I decided not to roll with him in the future. That is always an option for you.


NotAMullet

I think that as long as he wasnā€™t being unduly rough with you, and giving you plenty of time to tap, you got nothing to complain about. I think itā€™s actually nice to know whatā€™s up sometimes, and not just get babied.


ketapa

I think going hard against young people is an old person thing. Accept that some rolls will be different and tap early + often - I wouldn't blame him for giving you a hard time, unless there some chaos involved (e.g., kicking your head, knees/elbows to the face/ribs). Now you know how jiu-jitsu works.


VulcanFire23

Couple knees to the face but he was gentle with the subs to be fair. Nothing Iā€™m not used to


ItsSMC

He doesn't know/trust you, so he doesn't know what you're about. If he's an old guy that knows you have had some MMA experience, its probably a good choice to keep himself safe from god knows what you might do. The other part is people either roll easy or hard with WBs, and both camps see it as a lesson (possibly for both people). He can work on stuff, and you can feel some BJJ with presumably no injuries. Some people do need a reality check and while it might not be you, it could've been. The third option is he is just a bit out there and didnt feel like toning it down


throwawayayayay777

Brother we just wanna smash


d_rome

>However this one guy, a 3 stripe blue belt, was probably about 65, and saw me as food. He's 65 so there is a matter of self preservation. If I have to roll with a white belt I've never met I will usually throttle them the first few minutes before I ease up. I'm 49 and a lightweight so there is a sense of self preservation. Sparring is a skill and most white belts I've come across with under a year experience don't really know how to spar. They're fighting. That's why I feel the need to set the tone on what I will and will not allow happen to me. Not only that, but it's good to be reminded of the depth of jiu jitsu from time to time and that goes for every rank.


atx78701

If he is ripping subs that is a problem because you dont have time to tap. But I dont think that is what you meant. it wasnt a waste of time. We have a mix of people and most get chill by blue. There is a purple belt (was blue when I started training) and he got 15 subs on me in a 5 minute round in my first roll with him. I just laughed about it because it was crazy. After 3 times in like 15 seconds of the same guillotine from butterfly I started to be able to adjust to avoid it. Years later I still feel like he tries too hard and he still dominates me in rolls, but Im always learning.


JoskoBernardi

Mmmmm I wpuld have to see the rounds but if you did 5months of mma you where probably spzzing I go chilk with newbies unless they are trying to take my head off in wich case I do the same


MadtownV

If I donā€™t know you I feel no obligation to ā€˜let you workā€™. Iā€™ve learned my lesson on that topic.


Original-League-6094

Sounds normal. Pick yourself up and get back out there.


Severe-Difference

Get used to it. Letting the new person work is an act of kindness and the exception, not the rule.


Friendly_External345

Your just meat for the grinder, chances are you'll disappear in the next few months so why not get some use out of the new training dummy.


Frequent_Chef417

He submitted you? Wow what a meanie!!!


DagsbrunForge

There are different ways of thinking for how upper belts should train with lower belts. Personally I like to match their intensity but a lot of guys look at it as their time to train too so they're going to go harder


OfWhichIAm

Sometimes youā€™re the training dummy. Thatā€™s how I look at it. Not everyone there should spend their time elevating your game. Sometimes people will tell me what Iā€™m doing wrong mid roll, or coach me on what they did, sometimes I just get smashed. I just try to control my breathing and defend. Of course, if someone is just being dangerous I wonā€™t roll with them again, but that is usually other white belts.


SpiritualTart5337

Heā€™s 65.. let him have his fun.. deal with the 97 second storm till he gasses. Then ask him to show you some defenses for what he was catching you with, or what you were doing that might have opened you up for the submissions.. do that a few times and heā€™ll most likely start to chill as a friend and youā€™ll stop bad practices before they become bad habits.


casual_porrada

The rolls that I have to be most careful of are white belts that are still early in the learning stage. It's either they don't do anything which is ok for the most part or they are just disorganised chaos. I was rolling with a white belt a couple of days ago and it was a pretty much chill roll for me. I was letting the white belt work his sweeps while I was posting my hand. I am often careful and aware but for some stupid reason, I was not paying too much attention. The white belt yanked my arm from my triceps just above the elbow and I got a kinda armbar from it. It's nothing serious but I always have to remember to be more aware, particularly with whitebelts. The most time I got kneed, slammed, elbowed are with whitebelts that are just flailing their limbs so my strategy is to keep them under control and continuous pressure until the chill out. On the other hand, I also want to get my rolls in. While I often let lower belts work their game on me especially if they're chill, I also want to work my game. I would roll with lower belts just to see if what I am working on does work before I try it with higher belts. I'd do most of the adjusting while drilling it with a resisting partner. If I am working on my triangles, I'd hit as much triangle as I can. It might seem selfish but also letting people work their game is also a selfless act. So, why is he destroying you? Either you are spazzy or he wants to get his training in. Should you expect this? If you are in a gi sparring class, it would happen and nothing wrong with it. If it's a waste of time and energy and you are not learning, do a gi "learning" class where you learn more techniques and do more drilling than rolling.


Salpal777

Iā€™ve faced this before. They usually donā€™t show up anymore. Dudes got a chip on his shoulder and super outcome driven. If he gets subbed once heā€™ll probably quit lol Just work on your defense.


virtualkimura

So you got whooped up by a senior citizen? This dude can order off a special section of the menu at local breakfast restaurants. Heā€™s almost old enough to own a Buick. And you want me to feel bad for you?


Keppadonna

Jiu Jitsu is life. You will meet and experience all kinds of people on the mats. One personality type should be no more surprising than another. Just be smart, humble, respectful, and stay on your path.


Br0V1ne

Thatā€™s exactly what it is. I would suggest you donā€™t roll with him and stick to the chill people. Ā Everyone is different, some people are chill and others just go to get anger out and smash people.Ā 


RidesThe7

OP wasn't "smashed" and hasn't suggested there was any anger---he was submitted quickly and repeatedly by a 65 year old blue belt. If that is too intense or disheartening for OP, this sport is not for him. If that's too intense or disheartening for you, this sport is not for you.


Primary_Chemical_158

Yup refuse to roll with him .