This Happens When The BJJ Myth meets The Reality of Rolling

[@davidmoore5231]

I tell my professor that he only beats me because he's a black belt and 6 time Worlds champion...he's like yes, that is correct...LOL

[@stantoncochran536]

Who is he?

[@jerrylancaster4386]

lol. Yes.

[@coloradoclif]

I am totally telling my coach that in the future.

[@davidmoore5231]

@@stantoncochran536 diego bispo

[@stantoncochran536]

@@davidmoore5231 Yep, he’s a legend alright

[@danlini2021]

People act like strength isn’t part of grappling. You wouldn’t say things like, “You only beat me because you’re more technical than me.” The spirit of martial arts has always been to simulate high stress situations and be able to address them. Going with big strong guys is part of that.

[@EBMproductions1]

I find it funny cause ive never had that comment yet but most if not all people can't deal with my strength for my size 😅

[@ajshiro3957]

yeah. There's a bunch of people who still think that you can flip a man using something like Aikido because somehow, "using their weight" makes them fall easily. And there's no strength required. It's because of media perception. People just love the small guy beating the big guy.

[@Jacky-Boy]

It's the only sport where people have an issue with the individuals genetic gifts. You wouldn't moan at a footballer for beating you because they had more explosive power, or a basketball player for being too tall. Go to the gym and lift some weights it will considerably help your jiu jitsu

[@DarthRane113]

Exactly, I'm quite a small person. 125-145 lbs depending on any given day (yup I literally fluctuate that much) Literally almost everyone is bigger and stronger than me. Now I've gotten to a point where I can pretty consistently overcome that. But I still get beaten by bigger people on occasion. And even if I KNOW it's because of a strength difference. I will never tell that person it's only because they were stronger. I'll just tell myself I need to get better. I KNOW that strength is a huge factor in any physical sport. But I also know if I use that excuse every/any time I get beat. Im taking the control out of my hands and limiting myself. The agency for my ability is gone.

[@jasonfong7517]

Agreed…I’ve rolled with guys who I felt like I was as technical as but they were like 40-50 lbs heavier and definitely seem to take lifting seriously. Like you said, the “martial” part of it all forces me to up my technique to overcome the physical difference. It’s definitely part of getting better

[@bravotoomuch4218]

I get beaten up cause I’m old, slow, lack skill and flexibility, and rarely show up to class. Besides that, I’m golden.

[@cunn1n6ham]

Rener has a great video about what he calls “Boyd Belts.” It’s about an older /smaller, black belt in his 60’s who would get frustrated about younger belts putting it on him. Touches on weight, strength or age gaps and how at a certain point those advantages can be like belts on you even if they are less experienced. Very good way to frame it. It’s why my out of shape, old self still hasn’t given up….I’m truly happy to be rolling with these fast strong younger folks….if I get tapped by a dude with 8 years less experience than me, that’s all good cause I know without jits I’d have died instantly

[@BandoDNC]

So that's where all my belts went

[@bujindork]

Nature catches up with everyone. Of course younger, stronger guys less experienced guys are going ro tap a guy in his 60s/70s/80s. When I get that old im only going to roll with old guys or just drill

[@rykehuss3435]

@@daves3077 I think Saulo was taking it easy to not injure the old man

[@bigmanbarry2299]

@@daves3077 Kimura would just SMASHED 90 y/o Gracie 😂

[@bigmanbarry2299]

@@daves3077 am i wrong?

[@CharlesDoublet]

As someone who has been the small guy 99% of the time (I'm 5'2 110#), all things being equal the bigger, stronger guy is going to win most of the time. Simple physics, get over it, you can either sit it out and have a hissy-fit or you can accept it, get back on the mat and do your best to "not all things being equal" it. One thing I love about martial arts, it forces you to get past the "life's not fair" BS. It isn't. What are you going to do about it. Chewy, another great video, thank you. I'm a noob to BJJ and really appreciate your videos, helping me to learn this new somatic language which is so different from the Hapkido that I practiced for most of my life. Still too new (4 mo and counting) to see if and how I can merge the two, but having fun nonetheless.

[@jabshire74]

Thanks Chewy! Great topic. When I started Judo, I was tired of getting smashed by wrestlers. I didn't cry they were too strong. I got in the gym and got stronger.

[@Chewjitsu]

That's the way to do it!

[@christophervelez1561]

Thank you for constantly hammering this home. I had to tell a student of mine yesterday that strength is required in bjj. It is strength inside of technique (aka an efficient use of strength) It kills me when people say that. I personally think that every time someone says, "You won because you're too strong." You should get to say, "You lost because your technique isn't good." Also I'd be willing to bet the people who say you are too strong are the same people who say, "size and strength doesn't matter." Love the vids.

[@tomtrader6559]

We all know that size and strength do matter, it's only Gracies who say they don't!:P I was rolling with a girl the other day, I never realized how small she was until that roll. I was literally afraid to use any strength not to hurt her, even though I am a white belt with 2 stripes and she is a blue with 1 stripe (training over 2 years) I did not have to do much to win as my size and weight was enough. Knowing that, we did a free flow round (like a purple belt did with me a week before) and now we are friends:P You see - my prof also says 'trust the technique' all the time and I saw him rolling with strongmen for charity and winning! Yet we are not talking about black belt with over 20 years of experience going against bigger and stronger guy with a few years of BJJ but about people training not that long! If the person complaining is a purple belt and he gets smashed by a bigger and stronger opponent that it wasn't even close that would be disturbing but in case of 1 person training for 6 months and another 1 for a year the strenght and being athletic is still a deciding factor same like having to purple belts around the same lever!

[@christophervelez1561]

@@tomtrader6559 nah I’ve heard a lot more than just Gracies peddling this nonsense. I’d say at least 95% of Jiujitsu people have said this in some form or another. This is coming as someone who bought into the hype a bit when I started too.

[@thejacobanderson1]

As long as you aren't injuring anyone, your strength is not a problem. If you have an easy time doing cartwheels and a better understanding of how to move your body on the ground those are just as hard to deal with as a strong person. If people are getting angry because you are strong, it isn't you it is them and they really need Jiu Jitsu. I have had to deal with some freak strong guys and as much as I don't like the beat down they lay on me, I am grateful I have them to show me my weaknesses and shortcomings. Just don't grip and rip and keep your partners safe. this is all that matters. Thanks Chewi, and that Golden Eye reference was legit.

[@LOLLYPOPPE]

I’m 125 kg and probably fairly strong. My solution is for the most part to go for the bottom position when I’m going against people who are 60-90 kg, and practice half guard, escapes etc.

[@spiralinglight]

Get a couple bench reps while they in side control 😆

[@jacobharris1846]

Sometimes it's just the proper application of strength can make your opponent feel much stronger than they are. Strength alone without technique rarely does much good.

[@psyience3213]

People - "you're not supposed to use strength!" Also people -"Oh man im so sore, bjj is such a great work out"

[@DallasFenderMMA]

Currently dealing with this as the newest white belt in the gym, I'm rolling with the "striped" whites no issues from the get go and I've gotten several comments about "well he's just so much stronger than me", guy in question actually felt a bit aggressive in the not cool way during our last roll tbh What sucks is I'm actively holding back and trying to be technical. I'll get a triangle and hold them and get told it's only cause I'm strong, not because they couldn't break the triangle Tbh I just wanna get better, idc about winning or losing anyway P.S. sick beard boss

[@bujindork]

Thats cause all white belts suck, striped or not. You dont start geting good until youre about to hit purple. Before that anyone can tap anyone. Purple and above its hard for the younger belts to tap them

[@conorsreps5265]

Strength definitely matters. Andrew Wiltse says something to the effect of ‘your technique has to be so much better than their strength for strength not to matter’. Technically sound AND strong is the aim 😃

[@Chewjitsu]

If it's positive it's all good. I tell people they're strong, fast, flexible, etc all the time. But like you I'm more excited about it.

[@overrideFunction]

Fantastic advice. As a no stripe blue belt that isn't super young or fit I often struggle with strong white belts, especially wrestler types that that have a few stripes and know where not to put their neck. I fully understand and agree that this is simply because my technique isn't good enough yet. I'm now purposely trying to roll with stronger wrestler types because I see it as a weakness in my game that needs fixed.

[@danythegrappler]

same here brother

[@zman5387]

When I wrestled sometimes we had the opposite happen. We used to call big muscular guys "musclers" because they would always try to use just their strength and not much technique. They were usually easy wins. But I believe to be an even better grappler/wrestler you should pump some iron and increase your strength to be a better grappler. Just make sure you combine it with good technique training, endurance training etc. Have a good balance.

[@spiralinglight]

Id say, more power to him. When I trained regularly the gym I rolled at (catch) I was a noob for awhile. In free rolls I would just get subbed over and over. For months. So I focused on defense and position instead of trying to submit people. Long story short. My defense got to a point where even more experienced guys had trouble catching me or taking me down. After that began to hapoen I had options to start refining the sub game. Never cared about how much stronger partners were unless they being deliberately assholes. Use what you got.

[@hasanicoward4425]

I always found the strong people more better because it helped me change my technique and better my training

[@stuartclubb4302]

Thank god for honest words. One of the biggest disappointments for newcomers is the awful realization that the fitter, stronger, or just plain heavier opponent invariably wins unless there is a huge disparity of technique and experience. Life isn't fair. Outcomes aren't equal. There's always a bigger fish.

[@KosRoss]

They never tell “you’re too flexible” or “you’re too experienced”, it’s always because of strength. And you don’t have to necessarily apply much strength - just the fact that you are strong and could be explosive is enough to brag about it. Chewy gave a great advice - sometimes you have to avoid rolling with these kind of dudes.

[@TheJahool]

Haha I have people tell me how incredibly flexible I am every. day.

[@KosRoss]

@@TheJahool yes, but people are telling it to you more as a compliment, not complaint, right? I know because we also have insanely flexible guy in our gym (when you americana him he can sometimes rotate his hand all the way to almost 360) and everyone complimenting him. And when they bring strength argument it’s usually goes with “shame & blame” kind of attitude. I guess we all should just take it as a compliment.

[@tomtrader6559]

If you are a white belt and roll with a purple or brown then phrase 'you are too experienced' is obvious to everyone watching and if you managed to be tapped just 2-3 times during 5 minute round that is a success!

[@micaylapresley]

No one gets hurt by the flexible people, but by the strong people. It's great to be strong, but if everyone's complaining, that person isn't being a safe partner and needs to check themselves. Training stops when you run out of partners.

[@tomtrader6559]

@@micaylapresley Exactly, flexible people will just tap you with a smile:) I had bruised rips when training with 1 guy a few months ago, we both heard a crack while he was trying to squizze my life out of me in closed guard, I was ok then but by the evening I could barely move. Had to have a break for a weak. When I came back we had a chat about general stuff and same guy said that he is usually training 'hard' for a few weeks and then is off for a while because he keeps getting injured and he doesn't know why! Another guy who rolled with him a few days before started laughing and said: 'Maybe because you are always in Hulk mode and only smash!'

[@dwee6469]

I’m a seasoned brown belt. Through my experience, I can honestly say that those who excel the most are those who train the most. It’s pretty simple. When I roll with another colored belt, I can usually instantly tell if the person trains often and hard, or not…..

[@merkins87]

Yep, can confirm: I'm a brown belt with 4 stripes, I get to train a couple of times a week these days & the athletic blue/purple belts who train daily/twice daily & compete in mma absolutely give me the fits when rolling- & I was that blue belt 10 years ago, which is what can make it harder to stomach

[@JamesBrown-]

Good advise to decline rolling with someone if you don’t want to - There’s a couple people in my gym who feel they have way too much to prove, to the point they’re basically just a hazard to whoever rolls with them, and I’ll be taking this approach with them

[@quasar4601]

Yes there is this younger guy I won’t roll with . He goes psycho and is not technical and only goes for lousy heel hooks . He has great intensity and I just avoid him

[@EndrChe]

The dudes who can kill me without jiu-jitsu are some of my favorite rolls. I want worst case scenarios so that when I’m in an actual worst case scenario I’m not surprised.

[@EsotericDave]

I'm 150lbs and I have a guy in my club who is skilled blue belt and has at least a 150lbs advantage on me. He can literally throw me off mount with such force that I land on my feet. I've never complained about his strength yet you have people out there complaining about a 30lbs weight difference.

[@forrestgunt668]

This is so true & such a funny part of the process. Part of the magic of jits, is that you get crazy-strong learning an art that is meant to magnify your own strength & mitigate the physical strength of an opponent. Then, after training for a while, one begins to feel more knowledgeable than they are strong. Then, along comes a super physically strong beginner or someone who wrestled through their entire childhood, & you suddenly question everything. When I was brand new to jits, the first thing that happened was that I got really strong. People forget just how physically strong you get doing this sport, especially at the beginning when you are constantly on defense and scrambling. Compared to most random people, just the physicality of rolling is going to make you strong. Most people that is. Most...

[@MrTungminhlee]

A good response I’ve heard. Small guys aren’t going to slow down when rolling with a big guy. So work with what you have!

[@BobDowneyIII]

That’s 100% accurate. I never get a light roll, everyone goes full out on me.

[@Static_artist90]

Rener Gracie talks about this very thing. He coined the term “Boyd belts” after John Boyd a black belt who spoke with him in regards to a blue belt he had difficulty rolling with. Rener explained to him that he should be proud. For every 20 lbs over that’s a belt the other person has. For every 10 years less that’s another belt advantage. The purpose of jiu jitsu and why we train is to make it as even as possible. So if you can survive or win against someone bigger, stronger, younger then it’s exactly what training jiu jitsu is about. Look at Rickson Gracie vs Zulu. Zulu had 0 jiu jitsu training but was so big, strong and aggressive that it still took Rickson 10 minutes to submit him. Nicky Rodriguez as a blue belt used his freakish athleticism to take 2nd at adcc against former champion black belts. As long as this guy isn’t just using his strength to rip submissions and hurting people in training then the others should take this as a learning experience on how to handle people of different sizes and strengths.

[@InvisibleHotdog]

Nicky also wrestled from 12-20, that's 8 years of competitive grappling experience. He's not the first and won't be the last good wrestler to blast JJ black belts.

[@Static_artist90]

@@InvisibleHotdog Facts. I only highlighted his athleticism because it’s the most talked about attribute by his coaches and teammates. Danaher talks about Nicky Rod literally flipping out of back takes and submission attempts made by Gordon Ryan and having no answer for his shear athleticism . Not taking away from his skills as a wrestler, but the guy is a freak. His brother Jacob is definitely a competitor to follow. He’s been wrestling his whole life and is starting bjj at an earlier age surrounded by savages.

[@mineshaftrisotto]

I think the counter side of the strength argument is that people often say “oh these techniques aren’t working, I must need to get stronger.” Which is kind of a counter productive mindset

[@TheGhostofTomMetzger]

You just need to get stronger at the technique. lol

[@badwerds]

Imagine if you could somehow train for technique *and* strength. How crazy would that be?

[@micaylapresley]

@@badwerds it's good to train s&c, but not to make up for shitty technique. If you only win against smaller, weaker people, then you suck at BJJ and need to ditch the weights and roll more for a bit.

[@robbybee70]

this is true 90+% of the time, however when I started it was actually true specific to my grip, my gi grip was so bad I just couldn't use any technique that involved gripping the gi effectively so I did indeed need to get stronger with my grip to improve

[@Meta_Meech]

@@badwerds BRO!! Thank you!! People act like you have choose between the two

[@trxscreed]

I play the leg game with the juice heads. Then I get looks from my professor for heel hooking whitebelts.

[@TheOfficialArthurMorgan]

I think its dumb that a lot of gyms don't teach on leg locks. I'm a Whitebelt. 2 years in and NEVER got shown leg locks til I started rolling with a purple belt friend. Now because he showed me some simple stuff I am more aware of where I put my legs but before I was just setting myself up to be leg locked. Its kinda like not letting someone shoot a gun at a target for practice cuz there's a slight possibility of them getting hurt. But they won't get hurt if you guide them and show them how to correctly fire said weapon. Sure I get not letting aggressive apeshits in the gym leg locking people day 1 but after some time this needs to be addressed.

[@trxscreed]

@@TheOfficialArthurMorgan the danger with knees is you don’t really feel pain until it’s too late. You’ll feel pressure, then pop.

[@micaylapresley]

Most leg lockers don't try to compete the submission out of respect, it's the ones caught who hurt themselves.

[@someguynamedgod2342]

I’m about 6”1 and 178 and I’ve gone against some of those powerhouses in the gym and I’ve always been thankful for them smashing me, teaches you how to adapt to different fighting styles and body types and it helped keep me humble and made me try new techniques (also convinced me to keep lifting lol).Mindset is a powerful thing

[@skepticalhippo6376]

I’m 6’4” , 270 lb blue belt, I’ve never complained about losing rounds to smaller grapplers because they were too fast or too flexible or too technical. I get tapped to smaller (better) practitioners all the time.. and for the most part, I say “🤯damn!! That was awesome!!” Or “😳how did you do that?!?!”

[@dankbreh9013]

This is some very down to earth advice. The two most important things are not getting injured and having fun.

[@stevewood5324]

I’m still very new to BJJ about 6 months in but I find that rolling with a wide variety of different shapes sizes and strengths really beneficial it just continues to expose the wide number of holes in my knowledge. Being older (almost 50) I’ve got very little ego around it I don’t expect a world championship in my future… so if I get smashed by someone on their first day so be it the only obvious issue I see with an over reliance on strength is that your technic could end up being poor simply as you win early on without it. However any way you look at it a stronger / fitter person is always going to cause more problems. Of course you can always just train and get stronger 🤷‍♂️

[@CanaleAV]

Today I was rolling with a guy who outweights me by many, many pounds. We are both beginners. He just wanted to bulldoze me, he even bullrushed me through half the room and smashed me against the wall. Except for one time though, he wasn't able to take me down, as a) I am not the weakest person in the room, and b) I was holding on to a basic stance and keeping him in check with a good old collar tie. And it worked, he even told me he was sad his bullrushing didn't work. Morale of the story: lift your weights and improve your JJ, and you will be able to go toe to toe with giants.

[@chrismcmahon9294]

I get this too. Thing is people at the gym will say you're so damn strong but it only prolongs the amount of time it takes them to submit me because their technique is far better than mine and my strength can only hold them off so long...

[@tomtrader6559]

Yes but that is in the situation when you actually roll with someone who was training uch longer than you! If you both started around the same time and (even assuming that they put a bit more effort than you and are getting better a bit faster than you) it will take them long time before they can actually counter your strength!

[@martialartsvocationalschoo3319]

I still feel the pain from my brother hitting me on the shoulder with a controller every time I beat him in Mortal Combat.

[@Chewjitsu]

Haha. That's funny. Me and my buddies fighting after a good Street Fighter 2 tournament was commonplace.

[@Karen-fs6lf]

In judo when I get over powered by a younger stronger opponent I have those thoughts in my head but I don't speak it heck I even help coach afterwards it motivates me to be smarter better strategy tire him out and then mount my attack all philosophy of judo but it does suck to lose but hey we are all not top teared athletes 90 percent of us grapple to have fun get some exercise challenge our selves great advice you give us it keeps me motivated to keep showing up thanks chewie

[@FourEyeNghia]

One thing that gets me absolutely frustrated is that my rolling partners will go all out 110% on me, tapping me in 20 seconds and then telling me that I need to try harder. These same people are also have time to live in the gym and compete constantly while I have a full time job and can only come when I can. So naturally I get frustrated, and I tend to slap the mat instead of their faces.

[@clj1885]

Really great insight in this video, good to keep in mind 💆‍♂️

[@Nameisworkinprogress11]

ok i agree with you 100% BUT... onetime i was rolling with someone. They were a super chill guy, also just way better than me because he had been training like 3 years longer than me or something. I was rolling with him, and for some reason i was kinda sitting on his chest moving from one position to another. He puts one hand on my leg and one hand on my butt, and bench presses me into the air. he put me back down on top of him and said something like "i'm sorry, thats not very fair" or similar and we sorta laughed about it. I don't remember the detail too well cause that was three or more years ago. I haven't trained in like 2 years but hopefully ill get back into it soon.

[@jacobcarter6028]

Sup Jake it’s Jake. I’d also throw in that in my training I try my best to use as little strength as I can but at the same time match the intensity of my partner. I feel like this has helped me get better faster because I am not replying on my natural gifts as much. I find this much harder to do with my flexibility. Which I rely on heavily. But just food for thought.

[@roebuckmckinney]

Goldeneye memories! I was a senior in high school/freshman in college when that game was big. We had a friend who would come over to our dorm to play who was really good at Sniper Rifles, where I was a killer at Prox Mines. When we'd play he'd get super upset at me for going for body armor, and especially for mining the body armor, because he never thought to look for the mines.

[@casualnerd8139]

I always say: 'You only beat me because you're better!" DANG IT

[@yourotherleft]

2:10 Proclivity is word of the day.

[@haroldlee4037]

I think Chewy hit all of the high points. I would only add that as a big and strong grappler who is training in a class, do a critical evaluation of how you roll. Are you beating these higher belts with strength in spite of the techniques being taught? Or does your strength accentuate your technique? Strength makes everything easier in BJJ. But, in a class, your focus should be on working the technique, with 'winning the roll' secondary. Strength makes effectively applying the techniques much easier, but it also allows "success" without applying the technique. In a competition, anything to win- within the rule set- goes. But, in class, learning techniques and creating muscle memory should be the primary focus.

[@ckim420]

It's okay. I get the opposite. "Oh, I wasn't using my strength because I'm so much bigger than you." I am a 133lb purple belt. :)

[@danielordonez412]

Be strong, learn the technique and keep being strong. Do what works and... be strong, it works!

[@bananapatch9118]

A couple weeks ago I marveled at watching “Robert” a then brown belt, now black, as he flowed effortlessly on top of a HUGE STRONG 3 stripe blue belt that outweighed him by at least 70-80 pounds. Strength helps, but it isn’t everything.

[@robbybee70]

there is a level of technique that counters a level of strength but it can go the other way as well, I can practically assure you that the people bitching about the video guy's strength, are not brown belts.....

[@Meta_Meech]

Who would have thought a brown belt could effortlessly beat a blue belt? Learn something new everyday

[@bananapatch9118]

@@Meta_Meech Perhaps I didn’t explain…. The blue belt, who got his purple belt last night is built like a tree, easily outweighing the brown belt by 70-80 pounds. In a street fight if these two had no BJJ training, this would have been a huge mismatch in the other direction. But watching these two roll, to me it would have been the perfect commercial for why someone would take BJJ. Is my point clear or ?

[@robbybee70]

@@Meta_Meech it's almost as if these belts they give us have some type of meaning or qualifier to earn them....ALMOST

[@robbybee70]

@@bananapatch9118 your point is clear you are just ignorant, now have I been clear? you are acting like a 2 belt difference shouldn't offset 80 pounds, well I'll tell you it should (if you are at a legit school) if you don't understand that do yourself and your school a favor and stop talking....REALLY

[@BigBWolf90]

I admit that I've only been going for a few months, but no one I've met at my local academy where I train is around my size so I use my size & strength a lot. They usually get me but even when I get them everyone is happy & congratulatory. Never had anyone seriously complain but there's definitely comments like "shit that boy's strong"more as a compliment

[@AllBikesGreatAndSmall]

What’s the best way to deal with people like that if you’re at a similar level? I rolled with a guy last night who was very strong and heavy and it wasn’t fun. It was like a 5 minute powerlifting contest rather than a roll. I found I was having to use all my strength as well just to stop him muscling in every thing he was trying. End result was I don’t want to roll with him again as I wasn’t learning anything. I rolled with a brown belt after that and really enjoyed it. I got destroyed for the 5 minutes but it was nice and fluid and I learned a lot from it.

[@dreal500]

A good way to deal with the frustrated slap the mat guy is to not try your best with the dude. Let him get everything he wants. Put up very little resistance. In essence give him what he wants and save your best rolls for your other team mates. Let's see how good he feels about his game when he can't get your best version.

[@jimreily7538]

That Goldeneye story is awesome. I had the same experience. One dude I knew, used to bite the N64 controller, when he lost. So we had bite marks in our controller.

[@Bignumberz]

I have seen a no stripe white belt, who is a physical freak of nature, go hard with a black belt who was the same size, and after about 20 mins of rolling it was a stalemate. This was no gi, and obviously the gi would provide a large advantage to the black belt, but the fact remains that some guys are just too physically dominant to be caught by basically anyone, and certainly not by someone significantly smaller. It also seems like the common thread is always that the strong guy isn't just strong, they're also much bigger than the other person. The way I think of it when I am getting ragdolled is "what would happen if we switched bodies? Oh, right...".

[@Jbzero999]

People need to own their crap. When I was a brown belt and my oldest was a newborn I was getting about 2 hours of sleep per night, I was eating like crap, and I hadn't trained for several weeks. I still went in a couple of days and rolled. I was rusty as hell, and tired.. but I owned that. If I got caught in something, and my temper bubbled, I'd tell my training partners "hey, give me 30 seconds to get my head right. I'm tired AF and it's making me frustrated." People are cool if you're honest, but you can't be honest with others if you're not honest with yourself.

[@thisismyname8627]

My favourite "You only beat me because..." is "You only beat me because you're better than me". Throws them through a loop

[@DsqaureD0495]

Any tips on your skin care routine? That shit is looking flawless.

[@sch2412]

ah golden eye. remember the instant kill mode and the anxiety when walking through the level :D

[@Chewjitsu]

😂

[@psyience3213]

The golden gun

[@Hector-bj3ls]

This is 100% true. I'm a brand new white belt. I've only done 5 lessons. I managed to submit a 4 stripe white belt because I was stronger. If I hadn't had the strength advantage they'd have beaten me instantly. The higher level belts still beat me on skill, but that's to be expected. I'm not some sort of monster. I'm just slightly stronger than average for my size.

[@davidvincent3959]

Great advice Oss

[@rage_tv4493]

I get angry sometimes but I don’t ever make excuses or point the blame at others for why I lose rolls. I always look at myself try and see where I went wrong and do better next time. I’m always the first one to say I’m ready to roll. I don’t care who it is bcz any experience is something to learn from so I roll with everyone. If i get angry I get angry at myself for not being good enough.

[@TheOfficialArthurMorgan]

Rule 1 of splitscreen: always screenpeak Rule 2: when confronted, deny said screenpeak ;)

[@mouthguardcomic]

If a lot of people are saying it, some self-reflection does need to take place. A new guy will think that he is not using a lot of strength and not muscling out of positions and subs, but people know it when you are. When you get tossed to the other side of the room from holding side control or feel like you are in a prison rape scene when they are on top of you, that person is using too much strength. And often it is not a equal proposition. At 6 ft, 195, I tone it down when wrestling with smaller guys and opt for technique. At times, I know that my strength gets me out, but I use just enough to get out and pair it with technique. I don't overdo it. I think that is where the issue is. If I push a guy off of me from side control, I will do so just enough to get my knee in a wedge and regain guard. I won't throw the person across the room. I won't go hog wild on a submission attempt when I out weigh a person by 30l bs or more. I don't do it at all. Sure technique can be improved, but when there is a 30 to 50 pound weight difference and the person is mega strong, they can power out of mounts, side control, etc. Some big guys know this and wrestle accordingly, and still improve. They know when to turn it up and when to dial it down as there are plenty of people, big and small, who love to roll hard. People love rolling with guys who know the difference. I came to the realization that I have to increase my strength (along with technique) as I have seen guys who lift (and train at the same ratio as me) become tough to deal with quickly. Also, during positional drills I have been manhandled by bigger and stronger guys who have just learned techniques just because I could not resist the power (even though in rolls they can't get the better of me). Ultimately, I know that I have to improve all aspects of my game in order to grow and keep up.

[@fluffyfeetbmf]

I’m 6”5 280, and I had the same thing for about a minute, but fast foreleg to now, and I go to class 3/5 times a week, and when I put you in an x guard there is no strength involved with that or when I pull you into full guard or into a sweep. There’s no strength in that. Thanks for another great video.

[@quasar4601]

That is some massive size

[@discofoot6443]

I personally love when I roll with a really strong person. It helps me remember that having strength does make a difference and that I should try to build strength as well.

[@micaylapresley]

The real saying should be "the greater the skill disparity, the less strength matters." I just tapped guys who outweigh me by 50 lbs or more (I'm a female 135lbs). There's a limit to how strong I'm ever going to get, but there's no limit to how good I can get.

[@medicineandbrazilianjiujit8511]

Great advice, Professor. Thanks

[@coloradocombatzone]

Keep it up, Great Video! 👊😎

[@saintoflastresorts2272]

I love it and yell go go gadget strength before sweeps. Also theres my answer of well bjj is made for big people to beat smal people through technique.

[@jodyleahey5739]

When a rolling partner complains that you're using too much strength, just make a deal with them: If they stop using their speed and flexibility you'll stop using your strength! Sometimes a bit of humor is a good way to get a point across.

[@lokefinnutselv7848]

Aahh, golden eye... haha Great video. You have many good perspectives. Thanks

[@kivekkulat5114]

I used to be a competitive lifter and am one of the heavier guys at my gym so I guess I have a more nuanced thought on this. If your partners are complaining you’re too strong like that’s somehow a cheat I agree they are missing the point of them learning to use their technique. However I also live by the concept it doesn’t do me any good to try to overpower people and I make conscious effort to try to play down strength to balance partner and focus on technique. If your partners are complaining about your strength they’re in the wrong but don’t overlook they may just be trying to give you genuine advice to focus your development. This is my approach and I absolutely will have rolls I go all out against other big guys but it’s part of an overall strategy of targeted practice pending my training partner and focus for the session.

[@WolfgangLizana]

Imagine a basketball player in the NBA: "Your team only won because they're taller than us" "Use less height plz"

[@micaylapresley]

NBA: *Only employs players above 7' tall* Not a great argument.

[@WolfgangLizana]

@@micaylapresley Why exactly do you think the NBA has a minimum height standard?

[@kuhlbeans]

in a similar situation but rolls reversed. im a 4 stripe white belt and we got a big strong dude that used to wrestle and he gives me nothing but trouble the entire role. i roll with him a lot because i want to figure it out. can be frustrating but hes giving everyone trouble so it makes me feel better

[@robertkuzma6912]

I'm the biggest guy where I train, part of why I'm there is to lose some of my COVID weight. I tend to have more issue with people being scared to face me, even though I'll control my weight and not go for quick wins - I'm trying to work my guard games. Fortunately, quite a few people want to see what they can do against the giant. Had a few times where I've reminded my opponents that the weight brackets exist for a reason, but usually both my opponent and I can get something from it - it's all about learning and having fun, right?

[@thecevi9179]

I like to roll with heavy guys. Its where I can really test my technique, try different gameplans and use speed to my advantage. Its really good feeling if you slip out of 130 kg guy and take his back before he can do anything. Same as these little 60 kg guys can do to me, bastards!

[@mouthguardcomic]

I think big and strong guys will have more than enough game guys, of any size that ,will roll with them. I think knowing when and how to switch it off is the problem with a lot of the guys that get the strength complaints. Although, sometimes the strength comment is a compliment or a matter of fact statement and not a complaint. I have also marveled at guy's flexibility, the fact that I couldn't escape their freakishly long legs or their non stop pace.

[@evantv2547]

As a 135lb white belt I figure there are two options: get stronger or get smarter. No excuses. If you get beat you get beat. Simple as that.

[@clinicallydepressedcat3497]

Still infuriating though haha

[@smashleyscott8272]

The appropriate response is "better"

[@ScottieFindsFish]

new mythical fighter : fresh fade chewy

[@RonALampman]

Geez! Yup, some people just need to get over it. As a blue belt, I've tapped purple, brown, and black belts. Now a purple belt and have been tapped by white and blue belts. Just learn from it and get better.

[@pinpoint4644]

First! Great vid chewy!

[@rickt9569]

"You're using too much strength...you're too strong" Better hit the weights 🤷‍♂️

[@tomtrader6559]

It's not always that easy, some people are naturally super strong. Being in primary (in Poland it was 7 till 15yo) we had a boy who at the age of 13 was over 6", 90 kg and super strong to the point that he was winning various competitions withouth ever training (I remember Pawel laughing once that he goes there because that way he can skip classes:))! He had problems with hormones and that is where is strength and size came from. Unless I took some serious juice I would never got to that size at that age. I was rolling with a girl the other day, I never realized how small she was until that roll. I was literally afraid to use any strength not to hurt her, even though I am a white belt with 2 stripes and she is a blue with 1 stripe (training over 2 years) I did not have to do much to win as my size and weight was enough. Knowing that, we did a free flow round (like a purple belt did with me a week before) and now we are friends:P When I talked to her she said that girls go much harder at each other and it must be an ego thing that they unconciously want to win. Us guys have much more of that ego!!!

[@rickt9569]

@@tomtrader6559 yeah there are always going to be different circumstances but,generally the ones that whine about it just whine to whine lol.... we have plenty of women in my gym that i outweigh by100-150 pounds and i could crush (literally) but i know how to control my weight so i dont do that. And even newer/smaller guys i wont go full pressure if itll hurt them until they have better defense. But a majority of the people that complain about someone being big or strong just do it bc they need a reason they "lost"

[@tomtrader6559]

@@rickt9569 Yes but not everyone has that awarness of going easy. I added weights and I spend more time analising BJJ and working on my technique than other guys who started around the same time and I still can't fully counter their strength. Also, some people have jobs and families and train to improve their stamina and skills (self defence). They come their to train, meet people and be in a nice environment not to get smashed! I played chess at high level and I started going to the club because my best friend was always winning. It took 4 months and e stopped playing with me because of the difference of skills - he could have gone to the club and start training as well but for him playing was more about spending time together and chat while playing, not to win!

[@gandalfthedev200]

Everybody wants to be strong, but ain't no body wants to lift no heavy-ass weights

[@micaylapresley]

@@tomtrader6559 rolling harder isn't about ego, it's that we only ever roll with men so we finally get to see how we stack up against other women and we want to test ourselves and we're also not used to going easy, because we automatically have to work much harder even when you're taking it easier than normal. It conditions us to constantly grind.

[@glitzandgratitude1170]

As a 43 yr old who has trained and worked in many laborious trades - interlocking, concrete - been physical my entire life and my father trained me since I was a baby( ok exaggeration but you get it I was young lol)in Hapkido now training in bjj people say I'm strong and I'm like damn right - you know how many wheel barrels full of concrete I have ran down a plank of wood. In the end they just feel like you are too much man. Embrace your strength and masculinity- it will push them into the weight room Edit : be respectful, be a good student, and be calm.

[@colereed2370]

I know I can be a sore loser some times but getting beat during a roll just makes me wanna try new things and learn

[@hizzle1885]

I haven't started at BJJ yet and don't know if I will. But I was a basketball coach for many years, seems to me a BJJ athlete telling another BJJ athlete not to 'use their strength' would be like a basketball player telling another basketball player not to use their height. Kind of stupid. If you are shorter you need to develop skills that give you an advantage. If you can't do that you wont be good.

[@CBKDaHottest]

My favorite partners are the dawgs that roll with anybody and don’t make excuses it’s just grind time

[@pivotdudee]

I’m a basic beginner, though I definitely have a fair bit of strength and athletic ability. I try to dial back my strength to match theirs so I can learn the skills. Someone else out there will be way stronger than me so I’ll need those skills to win. Don’t get me wrong, I use more strength when it’s not going well. That being said when I’m up against blue belts all I can do atm is take longer times in sparring to lose

[@gregski2938]

Got a bigger, stronger and more experienced guy at my training place now. I can hold out usually with guys 25lbs-45lbs bigger then me because my strength is above average. Usually I can hold out first 5 minutes roll with him, but any other subsequent roll I get squashed. But I do find it quite amusing because that's how some people must also feel when rolling with me, so yeah in a nutshell it's just all a learning experience. So yeah just like in games sometimes difficulty is set on moderate but sometimes it's on very hard level 😉.

[@tommcalpine6062]

Tip: If you need to sit out after a few rounds, you're going to hard!

[@TheOfficialArthurMorgan]

I agree, however I also believe that we should really go hard once in a blue moon!

[@outlaw32526]

53 yrs old and a 3 stripe white belt. On meds that make me short of breath. Have to take a break sometimes. Heart rate only goes to a certain point. Still rolling with people bigger and stronger and half my age. Love it.

[@clinicallydepressedcat3497]

Please stop outing me like this bro

[@thedevilspajamas]

What's crazy is that I was talking about this exact thing yesterday. My technique isn't good enough, it's a me problem.

[@brodywooddell1904]

I have been actively working to not use my strength or size when rolling. I've heard time and time again from higher belts I'm strong and should relax... but I feel like I'm literally only using 40 percent most of the time. I blame my 4 years of wrestling.

[@bmiliten]

Tell them “Boohoooo toughen up” or Second option Play a different style Maybe some float passing, some X guard, guard retention, or even some butterfly to expand your game and keep things interesting

[@notnasaunofficial]

Im a 2 stripe white belt have been training for almost a year. I am the lightest guy at the gym at 138 and the youngest as well at 18 years old. In my opinion I do have really good technique and give a blue belt a though time who is of my weight. The thing is that the guys at my gym are heavier and stronger than me and also have more years of experience on me. They are all blue or brown belts. those guys I love rolling with they pressure me with their streanght and technique but not too much of an extent. This new white belt came who is strong and is athletic more that me. He is wild too. Even though my technique is a little better than his it is till not as good to control him. After watching this video it is me who has to get better and not the other guy using less strength.

[@guam58]

I am so tired of people saying some guys are using too much strength. It is part of reality. Technique matters if you have someone of the same strength and athleticism. If someone is stronger there are techniques such as half guard or open guard. In our gym there are a lot of mat monsters. We have several NFL players that are members of our gym. I love rolling with these guys because they put me in bad positions and I have to figure out what techniques to use to get out of them. My goal in the beginning is not to submit, but survive, defend, sweep, counter then position control. Once I am able to get to position control then I go for submissions. The submissions are mostly RNC/guillotine or North/South choke in no gi and some gi type choke in gi (baseball or loop choke or bow and arrow. The one I get most of the time is when I bait the stand up sweep. I always go for straight ankle lock or standing estima lock.

[@andrebranger7672]

Bro honestly I think you should switch gyms I had a friend who had that same problem training at a ufc gym and then he switched to mine and he has been super happy since because he can roll at the pace that he wants

[@ironuckles]

Strength obviously matters in a roll. But you want to try to use technique and positioning because if you rely on strength you will not be able to deal with someone stronger than you. I actually like rolling with the super strong low-technique guys because it really tests my skills.

[@marcusballard2550]

I’m fairly strong for my size, former power lifter and still fairly strong. I don’t ever go 100% strength simply cause I want to work technique more. And I slapped the mat a few weeks ago cause I got leg locked by a blue belt who’s better than me. I swept him from standing and didn’t move fast enough and got ankle locked. I wasn’t mad at him, but myself. I was throwing a temper tantrum but it wasn’t because I was tapped, it was because I didn’t have to be tapped and didn’t react fast enough.

[@quasar4601]

I only do the no-gi and I am 45 yrs old and a weak 6-1, 160 ibs I only started 19 months ago

[@rage_tv4493]

I never say “you only win bcz-“ I always say “I’m just not good enough yet. IM not strong enough yet. I can’t do this or that.”

[@jasonborges6701]

That has to be so annoying. I always avoid that, if they're big and strong and beating me I let them know that "you're not just strong but you're technique is awesome ". Best to get beat at the gym 🤷🏻‍♂️ For me, being a smaller guy (5'7 150lb), and I usually get the ol "Dang you're super quick and explosive" rather than I'm good. Or they're like "oh you're a wrestler" (which I take as a low-key compliment because I've never wrestled before, however I do compete in MMA) rather than just give me some damn credit

[@GeorgeOu]

I feel like BJJ should have two separate ranking systems and two colors. The base belt color signifies the BJJ technical skill level while a stripe color represents the overall capability. So if you're coming in as a shredded 230 lb NCAA wrestling champ white belt, you'll get some indication of that.

[@KAP32DW]

I am strong and bring things down. Why? Because it is not about strength it is about learning the technique both offensive and escapes/defense. This requires practice and execution times a thousand. So spare me I’m strong and they don’t like it. It’s more about hey...I used very little strength and submitted my gracious rolling partner. I think I got this move committed to memory and instinct.

[@TheGhostofTomMetzger]

The truth that most people hate to hear is that strength matters a shit load more than people like to admit.... I would even go so far as to say that strength is probably the best attribute you can have.... even over technique.

[@DesmondDoss1]

I can say that pretty much all purple belts regardless of gender can beat anyone with no experience up to 100lbs of weight difference obviously there are some freaks out there but most people are not that. Anybody who's big and strong who goes to bjj knows they're gonna get worked by any purple or up usually and most blues.

[@DesmondDoss1]

And I will not take any criticism of this seriously unless someone has actually tried to train grappling before like wrestling or sambo or bjj or mma grappling. Anyone with any experience will say smaller people will work bigger stronger people as long as the smaller person has years of extra experience

[@TheGhostofTomMetzger]

@@DesmondDoss1 and even then the smaller guys have developed the practical strength needed to work bigger guys through that experience. Strength is important af.