Whenever we begin a new activity, we struggle. That's part of the appeal of being a complete novice. In the case of jiu jitsu, that struggle will be manifested with frequent ass-kickings. Those with more experience will submit you on a regular basis.
That's a good thing.
If we check our ego at the door, we won't frame the experience as winning or losing. We'll frame it as an opportunity to learn... and nothing teaches better than failure.
If you have no grappling experience (wrestling, judo, etc.), the very nature of rolling around will seem foreign. First, it's physically difficult. The sensation of many muscles contracting for extended periods of time is exhausting.
Second, learning balance and body positioning takes time. Grappling of any type requires a good sense of proprioception (position of your own body) in addition to the position of your opponent's body.
Third, learning the progression of positions and related terminology takes time. I'm just now getting to the point (after about six weeks of training) where I know which positions are more advantageous than others.
If you DO have grappling experience, that can be both positive and negative. I have some wrestling experience. In the neutral position where both people are standing, it's an advantage. I already know how to do a variety of takedowns. Once we hit the ground, though, the wrestling experience is usually a disadvantage. The goals of wrestling are far different than jiu jitsu. For example, I instinctively want to go to my belly, which is usually a HUGE no-no in jiu jitsu. I've had to unlearn a lot of behaviors as a result.
So about this "getting your ass kicked" thing- it's going to happen. There's a saying in jiu jitsu- "Tap early and tap often." It's a friendly way to explain the concept of embracing the learning experience. In the very beginning, anyone and everyone with experience will dominate us. We'll more or less flail around like a fish out of water. They'll choke us, catch us in an arm bar... whatever. When this happens, we should just tap as soon as we're obviously caught, consider what position we were in, and try to figure out what we did wrong.
Don't wait to tap. Most people will continue choking or hyperextending your joints until we DO tap. They rely on us to keep them from injuring us. I've been guilty of this on occasion... I've tried escaping an arm bar and ended up tweaking my elbow. Don't make that stupid mistake.
After a few weeks, we'll start to learn which positions to avoid. We'll quickly learn to stop making stupid mistakes. Our movements become more efficient. At the same time, we'll learn some basic movements like passing the guard or escaping the mount. Eventually we'll learn a few submissions. All of these skills will start to come together after a month or three and we'll actually begin to practice something that looks like jiu jitsu.
At this point, it's important to continue with the "tap early and tap often" philosophy. Work with people that have more experience than you. While it may be tempting to feed your ego by submitting the newer people in class, it probably won't help your progression. Seek adversity and continue to learn. That's how we'll continue to improve.
In the beginning, we're going to got our asses kicked. We need to embrace it as an opportunity, not a blow to our self-worth. Everyone was once in our "newbie" position. The fastest way to learn is to accept the ass-beatings and learn from the experience.
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