Advice I Wish I Had as a White Belt

These are some major bits of advice I wish I had when I was a white belt.
Focusing too much on winning in the beginning can create a lot of stress and frustration because you will be losing a lot, shifting to a focus of learning makes every class a success. Learning to see jiu jitsu as multiple positions rather than looking for over arching principle is another major perspective change that gave me a lot more clarity in my development. Lastly specifc training and video study were the big secrets to my long term success and development in the sport.

[@janmeppe]

Summary: - Focus on learning, not submission - Even if you lose or got submitted you always are going to have a good day if you focus on learning - Break BJJ down into specific techniques and not general concepts - Find a partner that you can grow with - Use the wealth of free online content online

[@Toodoi]

I really needed to hear this today. Been training for 2 years and I’m still a no stripe white belt. Thank you for this.

[@JonThomasBJJ]

No problem buddy really happy to hear it helped!

[@bradvincent2586]

Um, that seems like way too long to have no stripes...

[@Toodoi]

@@bradvincent2586 tell me about it. Maybe I am just really bad? Sure feels like it.

[@bradvincent2586]

@@Toodoi lol I doubt it. I’m not one that’s quick to jump ship, but I did leave my first gym after 10 months and took a bunch of free classes to try out different gyms. Don’t hesitate to look around to find the best spot for you!

[@sharlah4057]

Did you change gyms? Did it help? I have been training for a few months and don't feel I have learnt much. Part of my problem is I can't get to the beginner training so I am always a bit out of my depth. Half the classes are open rolling and as the smallest person I just get squished. I really don't have time to work on anything outside of the classes. The gym isn't open outside of classes. I am considering changing to another gym where I can get to more beginner classes.

[@aaronjeter8523]

This was very helpful. 45 year old white belt training for about two years. I have been in 8 tournaments and have had some success after like 17 straight losses, but still don't feel like it's clicking. I like the idea of just finding someone to just work the positions with. Thanks!

[@stdwdh16]

Need that "purple belt advice" video

[@CharlesNgodotcom]

Show no mercy to 2 stripe white belts. You don’t know what kinda micro-adjustments they’re capable of

[@soundtorial4567]

Skip warmups!

[@wendezhi]

"If you are trying to find all these broad themes and broad patterns that is gonna connect everything and make everything make sense, that's not gonna work". Totally me. Learning to just do one thing at a time and be patient about it

[@JonThomasBJJ]

For sure people always want to quick fix that solves everything but it doesn’t exist it’s just lots of work in lots of different positions.

[@TridentLion]

Great advice, thx man. Been training 7 months, got 1 stripe. Won gold at 1st tournament in Nov. Got my next comp next month!

[@usbsol]

Best advice: focus on defence, to survive is to win (especially against someone better than yourself).

[@dond2807]

Great video. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Only thing I disagree is your advice on what to focus in the beginning. As many fail is learning the basics first. Do NOT start on things like triangle IMO but rather on clean positional control basics like how to mount, how to balance pressure, same goes for side mount, etc. For me first focus as a white belt is to learn surviving.

[@RenAtkins]

Thanks for this. Concepts have thrown me off in the past. They're like those English language rules that are briefly useful until your vocabulary expands and then you realise there's a ton of exceptions.

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Yeah people are always looking for big broad concepts but there are in reality very few of them and it usually ends up confusing people more than anything

[@Seven-gf7uo]

Great advise !!! As a 57 yo 2 stripe wht belt who has come to hate the brand new 20 something guy that has zero technique but goes 110%. admittedly some days i hate getting ready for class but can’t think of a single drive home where i wasn’t stoked i went and rolled my ass off and in need of an ice pack and beer !!!

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Yeah you always feel great after going!

[@mattihelenius2]

This is so spot on ! I've been training around 5 months and had these up & downs.. I just need change my mindset form now on! 💪🏻

[@Jiu-Jitsu-Robot]

My friend, the only thing we disagree with is that while all of these things you say are ABSOLUTELY true, if you are training under the right instructor, you don’t have to figure any of this out. My professor took me from point A to point B to point C and so on. If you have to figure out how each instrument works, your instructor is ineffective. If you are massively confused by what your instructor is teaching you or having a lot of trouble performing the technique, your teacher is not actually teaching you - they are showing moves that their instructor showed and passing along jiu jitsu without actually teaching. If you are reading this, ask yourself if the person leading your jiu jitsu class is “teaching” or “showing.”

[@twr3kd306]

Thanks for this video (and others)! Really great content, perspectives, communication style, and production quality! I always learn a ton.

[@gergomagician]

I really liked this video, so I decided to check out the rest of the channel, and the direction you were going with it in the last few weeks made me subscribe 🙌 Keep up the good work! 🔥 OSS

[@kiesha220]

This is so good! Great perspectives for new Jiu Jitsu practitioners. Very informative and encouraging in regard to progression of skill. Thank you!

[@user-yn3zl1fd4k]

Great video. Thx for sharing! This is the perfect advice!

[@justinmarkow6117]

Really great insight. I would love to see a video from you on a few basic takedowns.

[@ghostwarbirdstm126]

Nothing to say but Thank You!! The BEST advice ever!!

[@roleg2007]

Thanks for yet another great video. The idea of finding a partner to train with outside of class makes so much sense and is something I've been wanting to do for some time (I'm a one-stripe blue). Unfortunately the members are spread out all over town, and jobs + kids and restrictive gym hours make it very difficult to coordinate something. Hopefully I can swing something though!

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Yeah that’s a common problem in general but it’s worth the effort to message and contact people and try to make something work if you want to get to where you want to be you really need to find a partner like that.

[@zlklein]

Let us know if you are going to produce anymore instructional videos Jon. I purchased your double sleeve instructional on BJJ Fanatics and found it super helpful. You're one of the best teachers out there, in my opinion, so any further instructionals that you can put out would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for all of your great content and best of luck out there in Sweden. Oss!

[@JonThomasBJJ]

I will let you all know for sure

[@twan5555]

Dude- again- you are a fucking PHENOMENAL teacher. Your channel is going to grow no matter what, because the quality is just so obvious and apparent. I'm a (school) teacher btw. I tell EVERYONE I train with about you; all have subbed. Thank you for your content, and thank you for existing.

[@DBlaze9]

Great advice, thank you for all the great content!

[@JonThomasBJJ]

No problem buddy happy to help

[@YetMoreCupsOfTea]

The instrument vs orchestra analogy is very useful. Thanks a million. On thinking on it, it's already changed the way I'm going to approach a few things.

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Yeah I really like that one it helps a lot

[@fredriksjoblom5161]

I love this! I've never done BJJ, but i recently started to box and i used to do judo. My attitude from the start has been to just learn, and i'm actually doing that really fast. And what do you know - I'm actually learning more when i'm loosing. Winning is what happens later on, when i apply what i've learnt! Am i winning a lot? Hell no! I'm training exclusively with friends who's skill goes way beyond my own, and they could literally put me to sleep at will. They don't do that though. Because this mindset will give you more than just personal gains. When you bring absolutely zero prestige and 100% respect to the mat, your superiors will actually want to teach you stuff rather than just beating you up all day long!

[@thelifeofpieman]

Great video. The concept about the instruments was perfect. Expanding what you said about not thinking about winning and losing and thinking long term. Once of the mistakes i made was to try and learn something online and try it in every session when I would have been much better off picking on position (and like you say, a subset eg sleeve and collar de la riva) and stick with it for a month, rather than a session of even week. Slow down to go faster

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Yeah always focus on position over technique then take what they give you not what you want to work

[@PinkiesBrain]

Ty. Some stuff seems a bit obvious but it really helps to get validation on it.

[@yungniggga23]

awesome video paul felder!

[@martialdisciple]

0:50 Focus on learning and understanding 2:25 break juijitsu down into parts; submissions, sweeps ect.( Triangle, guard retention, sleeve grips ) build your base of understanding over time. 5:16 find a training partners you can grow with; increase your roll time by adding time before or after class as well as at a friend's house. This will give you more time to get practice in. 6:28 utilize online content; grappler's guide, Gracie University, MMA vault etc. Instructionals and competition breakdowns help with uncovering patterns in rolling.

[@porkysugrim]

Awesome video!!!

[@PotentialEn3rgy]

I love the orchestra analogy, that will stick with me and I will likely imagine a conductor during rolling thank you for that 😂

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Yeah I thought of that on the fly, really helps see it in perspective

[@user-kp3hd9wr4w]

Thank you very much

[@jedsanford7879]

I hit a dela riva sweep in a spar yesterday and it was the most amazing feeling bc I did a technique I had drilled. I was so stoked. I definitely take the learning approach and in my open rolls I am focused on trying to find the techniques.

[@ColinMcRaeVIT]

There is even I think a lot of value in letting people attack you. If you put yourself in observation mode and offer some resistance but basically the goal is to let them be the attacker, you get to be familiar with recognizing common patterns and movements in people. As a white belt who is also conservative with his cardio because I need to work on that, I tend not to chase after the attacks as much as sort of let the attack happen to me and resist it somewhat, to the limits of my skills that is which is well limited :-)

[@CB-gb4ep]

Very good point. It is important to have a solid defence, especially early on, to become more confident in your attacks knowing that you can get out of any pin, and in the long term eventually transitioning your game as a whole from defensive jiu-jitsu to offensive jiu-jitsu.

[@kylethorne1053]

Audio is so much more listenable haha. Great tips, thank you for sharing.

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Yeah I used the wireless go mic for this one and it wasn’t cut from the livestream, next live stream should be higher quality as well.

[@Cornbreadddd]

This is just what I needed

[@IMPERATOR540]

Thanks Jon

[@emirsaracevic]

top advise..

[@patsycards]

Can you do an "Advice I wish I had as a new black belt" video too?

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Yeah for sure it’s a good idea for video

[@usbsol]

@@JonThomasBJJ could you make a video about "what I wished I knew before I wanted to be a black belt?"😉

[@michaels9388]

@@JonThomasBJJ And blue, purple, and brown?

[@kurtzsb]

This isnt just for white belts but really applies to anyone

[@JonThomasBJJ]

For sure it’s advice for everyone really just was thinking of people who were new when I made it

[@silviamantovani3950]

I find your videos very helpful! Do you have anything about submissions from close guard?

[@_ssssPark]

Thank you~😄☺😄

[@JonThomasBJJ]

No problem! :)

[@ItsXiant]

Great advices! Thank you! :) The hard bit is, I couldn't find a side training partner. I have 2 brothers and i couldnt convince any one of them to do it with me 😑 Hopefully one day i find someone that love bjj as much as me and willing to do side training with me. And i'm suck at making friend 😂

[@donferguson7068]

How about an Advice I wish I had at all belt levels? How has your training changed throughout each belt? Thanks so much!

[@yeojt03]

Hi Prof Jon ! I love your videos especially the ones you put up on grapplersguide. They are phenomenal ! Just a quick question.. i am a 2 year white belt doing about 1hr training, 3 times a week. Is the transition from guard retention to attacking your opponent at open guard an extremely complex topic ? I have problems in 1. Creating off balance to 2. Breaking grips to 3. Guard retention 4. Doing the actual sweep Would love if you could do a video on guiding white belts on concepts to follow through. THANKS !!

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Hey buddy the answers for most of those problems are case specific, for example off balancing will be completely different with different grips. So just focus by position and develop understanding of each of those positions then eventually you will evolve to more positions and it will all come together.

[@yeojt03]

Thanks so much prof jon for your advice !! I just saw your video on defensive to offensive guard with espen and it is extremely helpful 😀

[@MrMelon247]

Jon Thomas can you do a beard styling guide for us

[@kokopelli5357]

Please come back to Atlanta for a seminar at SBG!

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Hope I can visit again soon! Was great trip last time!

[@benhallo1553]

Danaher believes elbow knee connection and inside limb position are general themes of pin escapes

[@BrMg01]

I Always ask the color belts ( im white belt btw ) to teach me how to escape guards, when we roll I ask them moves avoiding to go crazy on them wasting my energy as we see in many white belts in the gym having no clue what to do and full force

[@questgear4172]

Do you think ,you might make a video with the list you just gave ?

[@derekross6649]

I think having a good side training partner is the key. I must implement this more.

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Yeah it’s honestly the most important thing to long term development

[@derekross6649]

@@JonThomasBJJ You're super beneficial to the jiu-jitsu community. Thanks!

[@KR-qp8ro]

Hi, can you please put the link in the description of the video recap you are talking about at 4:00? Thanks!

[@jekaterinamaksimova1557]

I am dying to have a stripe update! Did you get it?

[@lightningmunk]

Not sure if you have addressed this already, but do you have general guidelines of what each belt (white/blue/purple/brown) should be focusing on if they want to become a top level black belt?

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Hey buddy I’ll do a video on it soon but there is no real pure answer to that. It’s so subjective but I’ll do a video on it soon

[@MrSnippety]

This video was great, particularly the part about not trying to "win" all the time since this can cause anxiety. However, i was a bit confused by what you said about concepts - surely concepts are very useful and help you to analyse what happened? Wouldnt you say that concepts are fundamental to learning but they are not absolute one size fits all things?

[@JonThomasBJJ]

It can depend on what you mean by concept, of course there are concepts like focus on learning not winning or use video to learn or keep the thumb up in an arm bar, but a lot of people think of things like always have your head up, or always have your elbows tight, in reality these things are only case dependent I can make tons of examples when they are not true. They often lead to confusion and people becoming very rigid in their movement because they are trying to force these restrictions on them self. Let me know a concept you are thinking of and I can give you my perspective on it.

[@MrSnippety]

@@JonThomasBJJ a concept I was thinking of was how the inside space between your elbow and knee is important to protect when retaining guard? When i learned this idea it helped substantially with my understanding of what i was doing/what an important goal of guard retention is, and it helped me to be able to watch matches and understand what was taking place. I just feel like without these concepts BJJ becomes a matter of simply learning all the moves, in a more grind-oriented fashion. And thanks for your reply :)

[@kaikkimoi]

Its funny how much things you have to understand in jiujitsu, to understand that you really dont need lots of different techniques to be extremely good in jiujitsu. Basics are the key...

[@tomnichlson]

What is recomposing?

[@kw23031970]

would like a short vs long person video. where the short person is trying to pass a long person... ;)

[@JonThomasBJJ]

Watch video of Cobrinha or Marcelo competing plenty of great short passers

[@jennadoyle57]

❤❤❤

[@shelbukowski1443]

Right?

[@Mohdzn]

do you have a video on how to bjj with long hair for guys please

[@davidc.9758]

❤

[@insidetrip101]

Actually I feel like rugby and football are very similar, but maybe I'm missing the point >.>

[@kokopelli5357]

Also don’t focus on belt! Keep training it will come!

[@phredbookley183]

OK, I'm just gonna look stupid and ask: What is collar sleeve? Is that the hands for a scissor sweep?

[@kylefee4822]

Same thing. You have a grip on the opponents lapel or collar and the other grip is on his sleeve or cuff

[@phredbookley183]

@@kylefee4822 Ah gotcha. Thank you

[@JonThomasBJJ]

I have a video overviewing the position check it out will give good overview

[@phredbookley183]

@@JonThomasBJJ Of course you do! This is why you're one of my favorite channels man

[@hammer12482]

I lost to a white belt yesterday that was a D1 wrestler. Really made me uneasy. I wrestled in high school and have been training 10 hours a week for 4 months. He wasn't that good. But I did not do some easy sweeps that presented itself. I keep kicking myself. Feel like I let my gym down by not beating the new guy.

[@raeban7295]

It happens... shake it off

[@nicolasa6789]

Gg

[@babycheesus666]

lol wtf is recomposing