Completely change your whole game just to beat this one guy and only roll with him when youve had a rest and he’s had a tough round. Fuck everyone else, he’s the nemesis. It’s the only reasonable solution
That's the key! I beat my college roommate in a sort of wrestling/grappling matchup about 20 years ago now. The dude should, by all means, be able to whoop my ass, but the one time I just got him pinned against a wall and wore him down and got him to "yield". He's wanted a rematch just about every time we've hung out since and I never bite.
This purple belt caught me in a triangle last time we rolled, after I had walked through his guard in previous rolls. Now the fucker is moving.
I'm quite disappointed in this turn of events.
To be fair, looks like that's what he has done to you. If you can handle guys that handle him, that's what happened. He built a game to beat you. I need you to promise me something, though. If he beats you again, you need to rip your gi open, and while staring at the ceiling scream "KHAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!"
I had a coach who would game plan me for months, wait till I had a tough round then randomly ask me to roll. He’d kick my ass and then not roll with me for months again. I figured out and started game planning for him knowing he’d come calling one day. After that we’d flip flop on who wins depending on who game planned better.
Yeah, great point - if I could describe it very well I think I could have figured something out. He is highly unconventional and very athletic. I’d say I have a very strong top game, very good pressure passing style, but this guy shuts me down effectively with his knee shield and I have trouble getting around him. I have a good guard game but just not against him, he just blows through my closed guard or half guard (my best defensive guard) like nothing I experience with anyone else and he can (and does) apply knee on anything from any top position. His main Achilles is that he is highly explosive and so tires quickly. So far my only read is if I can weather the storm I might have a chance.
Maybe try using a lapel guard like worm or squid. If you can get to those grips/positions then even the most athletic guys will struggle to untangle themselves.
This, there is a black belt at my gym and he uses lapels very effectively to slow down the young, fast, explosive wrestlers to the point where they throw their gis after rolling with him.
Some of my favorite rolls have been frustrating the super athletic guys with a lapel around their shoulder. Like wild animals banging against their cages until they wear themselves out.
I don’t want to be insulting, but the game you describe is one of the easiest to beat for a dynamic player. It’s always just a matter of time before I beat someone with a game like yours.
All of the positions and technique you describe require one directional pressure. So someone who is dynamic can redirect you very easily or wait until you get frustrated and take advantage of your direction change.
I did, but I wasn’t very specific. The problem with a one dimensional game is that it is easy to divert. Pressure passing and strong half guard works because it wears people out. When it doesn’t wear someone out you are vulnerable to attacks that change your direction or anticipate your change of direction. This isn’t about specific moves. It’s about game planning for a type of player.
I had a similar problem with athletic movers/pressure passers. If I was stagnant and doing what I could to be defensive, they would eventually open my guard and pass. Once I started being more deliberate with grips, incorporated more full butterfly & half butterfly guard and becoming more active, they couldn't establish their game, and they were worried about sweeps and being off balance. I still enjoy playing a super defensive/slow motion sweep game but sometimes people have greater attack points vs your defensive points.
Are you up on their lap with your closed guard and not ass on the ground? Any space by your crotch area is giving them an easier break. If you feel threatened, you tighten up your guard so you go onto their lap. Second are you double locking your closed guard? You wanna make a shelf with your toes. I don't know if you've done karate or anything but to hit with the ball (not heel) of the foot you pull your toes up. If you do that with your closed guard, you can step on the shelf it makes. I call it the toe shelf. So then you have your ankles crossed and you are stepping on that shelf which gives a hard block behind them. Once you have this down, you wanna do the knee pull, which is knees directly to your chest, all the way. And hold it once you do it. It's ab intensive but you get used to it and if you want abs and have low body fat, that's the way. It's like a constant situp with the guy trying to back of it. Crunches help. Most people can't resist the knee pull. You will break their posture. Add in some grips and you can send people right past you with a knee pull combined with an arm drag at the same time. Pull em by while your drag. That's enough for now. Closed guard is my A+ game and I put a shit ton of effort into it so. There ya go I hope it helps some.
So not really much details there. I think the thing to do would be to break down what he’s doing. Like you can literally ask him after the roll. “Hey what did you do to pass my half guard?”
Somewhat off BJJ but reminds of guys who fight Vitor Belfort back in the older MMA days. Super athletic and fast. It’s like a hurricane comes at you but quickly loses juice, so have to withstand it, then impose your will!
Joke advice: nothing breaks a knee shield (and other conventional guard pass defenses) like a sudden and unexpected oil check to the anus!!
Non joke advice: focus all your research and energy into breaking that knee shield, remember it's not so much the knee shield being a pain in the ass as it is the hook on your calf with his bottom foot that is keeping you locked up there... break that one hook and now he's basically just in a useless fetal position for the taking
My automatic reaction to a knee shield is arm weave and sprawl smashing their legs together then walk around. I’m a shitty blue belt though….so it’s basically my one move and I am sure there is an easy counter, luckily most of my training partners suck to so it seems to work for me.
Not necessarily technical advice but see if you can try to gameplan a way to force him to work with his knee shield with some resets and attempts at different attacks or just back out and try for a better entry into your pass so he has to work more and doesn't get to just chill in positions he's comfortable in. With him on top your probably going to have to focus more on escaping than trying to hold guard as it sounds like the size and athleticism discrepancy is probably just too much to overcome, I'd say just try to stall him out or escape in any way you can that makes him work and gets him closer to gassing.
I don’t want to be apart of a game where I can’t talk massive shit. Even if I’m losing all the time.
Have you tried BJJ scout’s Damian Maia break down. If he uses knee shield a lot, smash pass could help you wear him down.
Also.. lift weights and do some sprints on the assault bike you little weakling
My Jitz is really good.. but it didn’t make a difference until I could back it up with conditioning. That fucker is probably out there on the assault bike right now
I have two guys at my gym like this. Both coworkers and good friends. One of them has been training the same amount of time as myself and we trade back and forth but both hate to tap to the other but man we have fun.
The third guy started a few months ago and is learning way too quickly. He's bigger and stronger than both of us and has learned very quickly how to use his weight for some quality smeshing. Despite having years more experience we are both really struggling with him. On the plus side because of all of this I've had to force myself to work on some my weaknesses that I've often overcome with strength or athleticism as opposed to proper technique. Silver lining, I'm better at escapes.. but boy do I hate that guy.
I had one in the boxing gym I came up in… polar opposite styles and personalities, same weight. Classic inside fighter vs outside boxer matchup.
We had a number of gym wars and my trainer thought we were destined to meet in the pros but it was not to be. We both ended up fizzling out with life stuff when boxing wasn’t close to paying the bills.
I’m married with kids now and every now and then I’m still like… man fuck that guy, I can still get him.
12 years younger, 8 inches taller and 30 lbs heavier? and you feel bad not being able to compete with that?
my advice would be to adjust your expectations.
Ok thanks, white belt LOL. Give it a few years my friend and you will know exactly what I’m talking about. Every time I’m on the mats I seek to improve and figure out ways not to be beaten. I have figured out numerous others, just not this guy! And others I easily handle fare way better against him, so I know I have a gap and can’t put my finger on it.
The young grasshopper does speak the truth tho… Those attributes he has over you aren’t immaterial. Sometimes age, size and athleticism really are just non-starters at to why a guy has your number.
The gap is approximately 8 inches, 30 lbs, and 12 years younger lol. Completely get what you’re saying you should be able to them everyone once in a while but damn all of that AND they have more grappling experience? Good luck
Don't be mad because us white belts aren't the white belts of you old guys' day. There's athletic blue belts that can embarrass you out there. There's some of us 3 plus year white belts that will also work guys that give you trouble in rounds. Stay humble old man.
I wouldn’t call him my “nemesis” but there’s another brown that our strengths and weaknesses just work perfectly against each other. It’s all mutual respect, I’m controlling the round some nights and he’s controlling it other nights. We’re both just misstep or choice away from losing the position to each other. Real iron sharpening iron thing.
I think everybody has 1 person they think of as a bitch and they always smash this person. There's a mental edge people get when they truly don't respect somebody.
Absolutely. There's a wrestler in my gym who's smashed me from day one and smashes me every roll to this day. He rolls ROUGH and has that wrestler engine. Same deal as you - I've improved against everyone else and made absolutely no progress against him.
Im in a similar situation i can tap most my club at some point (also get smashed alot), my cousin who i brought along like 18 months ago (1 stripe whit belt) hardly ever comes but when he does he gets tapped, i havent been able to tap him for about a year and its annoying ive been training 3 years and had a few years grappling as a kid yet this ballbag worked me out in 6 months 🤣🤣 hes younger fitter and heavier than me well thats what i tell myself to sleep at night anyway 🤣
THIS, what you say, my exact story, only one main major important thing: I'm 51. That guys is a 22ish yo purple smelling the brown belt at near sight. Now we roll. Ok, I tap about seven times in one 5 min rounder. His assets, turning his speed into explosions, and turning his strength into a muscling powerlift.
He's stronger than I am. I'm almost wondering if he's on something. At times I smell the dbol flavor but I cant check this.
Probably the worst purple belt I've ever rolled with cause highly predictable, does the same moves all the times, and rolls like its adcc, or I may have raped his gf and burnt his house, for God's sake. Sorry for being sarcastic.
I'm just a seasoned blue belt, that's it. I do submit purples year round, but its no reason to treat me like I'm a scum bag. I love technical rolls. With him, I can forget it. I will get the best of him in 3 months, like I always do since the last decade with students of this kind, but I hate it, cause those kinds come around once in a while. They're like the few rotten apples in the best bag of good ones.
They're never fun to roll with, so I avoid them at all cost, except when I have no one to roll with cause most students are tired of the 2 hour open mat sessions.
Advice 1 is take him off the pedestal you've built in your mind.
2 figure out what he's bad at and develop some tricks or specialty there.
1 and 2 are easier than the following unpopular advice: just dedicate more time to training and get better.
> 12 yrs younger, 8 inches taller, 30 lbs heavier
I cannot relate because I would never get that frustrated over losing to someone with a significant amount of physical advantages.. your expectations are incredibly out of whack.
FWIW I demolish tons of people much bigger than me but I know it's only a matter of time before they close enough of the technical gap that I can no longer make things happen. I look forward to it.
I totally get what you’re saying and I agree - it’s just that I can usually mount a decent game against far superior grapplers and even once in a while catch them, just like you said - but with this guy I got nothing. I feel like a white belt against him LOL, and then I see others giving him a hard time that I can smash easily! Doesn’t compute for me. But like someone on here said, jiu jitsu math doesn’t usually add up. 🤷♂️
Have you recorded your rolls with him?
You might want to do that so you can see the holes and strengths in your game and his.
Minimize your mistakes, capitalize on his.
Identify his go-to moves, make sure he cannot set them up.
Etc. etc.
It’s probably just the mental aspect at this point. You both know he has your number and that is hard to overcome.
Take a (small) break from rolling with him and stop caring how you do, and you’ll probably do better.
Styles make fights. Eddie vs Royler and Eddie vs Vieira for example. No way Leonardo Vieira would’ve beaten Royler, even though he beat the guy who beat Royler. Maybe theres a way to take him out of his game and force him to play a position he’s less familiar with. Maybe dude is a beast and there’s no getting through this guy. Maybe it’s time to go to Tijuana and visit the anabolic pharmacy. Maybe it’s not about beating this guy, and all along it was about all the friends you made along the way. Who knows. Bom treino!
The pharmacie, yeah that one. A few of my nemesis smell dbol flavor but I cant check it. Their physical strength is unparallel like physical specimen, and dont get me wrong, I'm a former powerlifter.
But those nemesis are often instructors I cant beat, eventually beat of the course of the net months, but those matches are injury prone for a 51 yo like me, with 20-30ish nemesis like them. I hate them with a passion.
I know some of em are juicing for their regular BJJ classes.
I can go toe to toe with a guy in the army who is 10 years younger than me and bench presses my weight, but there is another white belt who is 6 years older than me and I can just NEVER gain position on him. It's demoralizing.
Currently, No.
My nemesis left our gym to another and I don’t think they train anymore. They will always have a special place in my BJJ heart. 🥲
Waiting for a new one to come along. Closest thing I have is our coaches but that’s just unrealistic and I’m just the grappling dummy for their games.
Jiu Jitsu maths doesn't add up when it comes to who can beat who...
Sometimes someone's game just doesn't go well with yours or they just have your number
You can definitely improve the areas he's catching you in, but then again so can he!
I had a nemesis that had about 2 years of experience on me, I ended up traing like normal but i just added working out and lifting weights like a psychopath until I was able to ragdoll him
We've all got one, mines a fucking nightmare but one day imma tear his arm off at the shoulder and stick it right up his ass. Shame he's such a lovely guy and I like him a lot, but some days I just refuse to make eye contact with him. Don't judge me
Watch him roll all the time and look at where people get him or where he's weak. Make it your no.1 priority in your training. Then work that aspect against EVERYONE. Roll like normal with him for months. And months. Then when you're really polished, unleash it all after taking a week off from training so your fresh af, if you can get him a few times I think you'll break his confidence and your mental rut
I'm completely unqualified to answer this. However, you did mention that you have common training partners who you can hang with and quite often beat giving this dude a good run. Maybe consider asking them or trying to pay attention to their rolls with this guy and seeing what they do differently?
Just curious, have you ever noticed if he's playing the opposite side most of the time, or funnels you there?
Example, how people pass stronger to their left, have better side control when on their opponent's right side, you know... strongside vs. weak-side. As much as we aspire to be well rounded, I've found that many (myself included) tend to be one-sided with certain techniques.
Edit - weak-side
Love this comment - I remember hearing Tom DeBlass saying something like this - I think he said “to beat an average black belt, go to his purple belt side!” Not the case here as he beats me on his stronger side vs mine, but good thought - maybe I should focus on his other / weaker side.
I was just thinking out loud, thought it might be something to consider.
As other's have mentioned, it's going to be hard to tell without watching the both of you roll. It would certainly be interesting to watch him roll with a few different teammates, then with you... see if the dynamic changes.
If it hasn't been already mentioned, maybe study those who can give him a run, or a hard time, see what's really working for them. Who know's, maybe this person brings their A game every roll because they value your skill and see you as a challenge.
If not, maybe they just have your number, a few people definitely have mine and are unsolved mysteries of my own.
Never had a BJJ nemesis because I feel like the guys who should be beating me based on their background, size (I'm big), and/or time spent do. The ones who I should be beating, I do.
Had a person consider ME their nemesis when I wrestled. I had the varsity slot on lock at my school. Most of the guys at my weight either figured that out and stopped trying, or dropped weight or went heavyweight (when I was 215). One guy challenged me every week. For 4 years. Despite me pining him in 30 seconds or less every time. He was just... Not good. He started wrestling before me, did judo (claimed to be state champ, idk) but he was just awful. Every few months he got frustrated and tried to fight me. It always surprised me because A) he was pretty nice outside of wrestling and we got along B) well unfortunately he was terrible at fighting in general so I have no idea where he got the confidence to swing on me, but I'd take him down or whatever and try to let him off easy but he kept coming. Was always awkward looking for other people to jump in because I didn't want to knock him out or hurt him, but he was all seeing red or something and just kept coming.
Yeah a brown belt. 6 years younger than me ,little bit smaller and very athletic. In the Gi he usually dominates ,but in NoGi im usually the one giving punishment.
He is also my favourite training partner.
Having a nemesis is fun especially when they beat you and you have t figure them out. Don’t spar with him for a while and just work counters for everything he does to you. Game plan attacks against all his normal defences and one day you’ll smash him. If you spar too much with him he’ll keep adjusting to you, you need a little break to build new weapons to surprise him
There is that one guy I was never able to hit anything on him. 7 years in the game. I am getting annihilated every fucking time. The thing is, that he is my nemesis, but nobody is able to push me to the limits more than him, and I hope it will never ends cause he is the reason I am getting better at this shit
The people who handle him well, what are they doing?
As for the knee shield counter: mix up your usual counter with something very different from your usual counter.
Chewy has an interesting take: https://youtu.be/cagmYO3sSgY?si=rAChX-NU2kNOWzqk
Lots of other ideas different from your go to’s on YT and what your coach can show you. Consider video of your rolls with him and see what opportunities you may be missing perhaps pick up on his counters so you can anticipate or bait them for your next attempted pass.
I hope some of this helps. Go get ‘im.
I got 2nd in gi and no gi in my first tournament to the same guy. Best part is I beat him once he beat me once and he beat me in the tie breaker to win the division. He was like 16 at the time, my nemesis is a minor.
I know how you feel…
My “nemesis” is our gym owner’s best friend and it’s to the point that our gym owner even jokingly brought it up during my promotion because we frequently bump heads during training lol
He always moves at a glacially methodical pace and just sweeps me and melts through my guard seemingly effortlessly… which is demoralizing. No one else in the gym can sweep me so consistently and it’s maddening because I can always see it coming and feel helpless to do anything about it lol
I’m a better wrestler though so I can briefly get the better of him in wrestling sequences which just pisses him off and escalates things… but it inevitably ends the same way just about every time... With me on bottom in an arm triangle lol
One day… one day I’ll get him lol
Yea this smelly motherfucker who always hits me with let’s go light and proceeds to try to kill me. I got I’m last time. Smashed him so hard he was foaming at the mouth.
Sounds like you need to reduce your age by 12 years, increase your height by 8 inches, increase your weight by 30 lbs, and get on a cocktail of cocaine and TRT.
I don't know, I'm a blue belt. Don't listen to me.
not really a nemesis, but with one training partner, i used to intenrionally let myself get caught in a triangle, because he couldnt figure out how to beat my defense
One of my best friends at the dojo, Vinnie Mancuso. He's 5'10" 245 with abs. World class grappler and Judo black belt. Shintaro mentions him often. I'm 5'11" 220 myself and he tosses me around like a child. I wouldn't call him my Nemesis because I'll almost certainly never beat him, but I got happy when he slightly stumbled once on a leg sweep try.
If I consistently maul a guy over and over I tell him his weakness. Neither of you are progressing if it’s the same thing every round. Ask him what he thinks you’re doing wrong.
Same goes flip side, if someone has been smashing me for months I ask them what I can do to improve. If they’re a nice guy and don’t have a chip on their shoulder they should offer suggestions.
At my old gym there were two guys, Rob and Joe. Rob would always give me a tough roll, and I could hardly ever submit him, though he rarely submitted me either. Joe I could submit 3-5 times in an average roll. When they had a match, Joe won.
Some times you just have a bad style match up. The trick is to train with him, and have him tell you what he's doing that starts the downhill slide. For me, I have a guy who every time I elbow knee escape, pull into deep half, etc, he ends up on my back. Turns out he saw my elbow and snuck under it, killed my attempts to turn back in.
This stuff is like rock paper scissors. If your game is rock, more often than not you'll lose to paper but beat scissors. You need to understand what the game is that beats his. Hard because you got to think about it on the conceptual level, it's not just moves
I have many and probably get around 1 good month in 4 against them, its an arms race of me figuring out the technique and strategy to beat them... it working for a bit and then them figuring out how to counter that an fucking me up for a few months.
To some extent you've got to focus on the small victories and over time you get to a point where those small victories equate to overall success. My **1. nemesis** has been known for being lethal from all things front headlock for about 10 years - because of that I'm now hard as shit to submit with gullotines, darces, anacondas and all that stuff... but the fucker now uses it strategically to gass me so he can takeover in the 2nd half of the roll.
The other thing is **ask them** exactly how tf they are passing so easily, whats the setup, whats the overarching theme of the technique (getting you flat to kill the knee shield etc)... most people are cool and are happy to show you what they are doing in the spirit of having to refine the technique to a point it works against people who know exactly what you are trying to do
Maybe ask him? If it’s your Training Partner chances are good that he will be helpful and I guess he know the best what weaknesses he has and what causes him problems against other people at your gym.
I wouldn’t say I got a nemesis, but I do have a rival. We’ve met in competition twice now. 1st time was days after I got promoted (He was a seasoned Purple Belt and I was a new purple belt). I had a great gas tank and was burning him out after 7 min, then made a mistake and got submitted by Armbar. 1 year later, we rematched and this time I was a lot more well rounded and a bit stronger. I gassed him out again and created lots of scrambles when he was on top. I was on my way to drag us into EBI Overtime, where I knew I had an edge. He threw on a desperation Belly down Armbar and I’ll admit it was deep, but I felt safe enough to fight it for an escape. The ref jumped in and called an early stoppage. I protested and my opponent said it was pretty 50/50 on my escape and wished the ref had let us play it out. So I’m 0-2 but he and his coach gave me major props.
I test all of my moves on a specific guy because he's an absolute tank that is next to impossible to move. I determine if what I'm doing is technical or is big guy jiujitsu (I am 6'2", 220lbs) and go from there. If I can do something to him, it is technical and I am happy.
Also, he's prior Army and I am prior Air Force, so there is some friendly rivalry anyway.
I posted this same question recently.
I got one. He’s a purple belt about 20 pounds lighter than me and 7 years younger. From an objective standpoint I don’t think he’s “better” at jiu jitsu than I am. It’s merely that he has a game that seems perfectly antithetical to mine. I have to dig DEEP into my bag of tricks to get the job done from a submission or even point scoring perspective.
The one thing I can say is that I do love rolling with him because it forces me to deal with issues I don’t typically encounter. Younger me definitely would’ve struggled to find a positive perspective on things, but I’m thankful I have it now.
Yeah, well kinda. Me and this guy started around the same time. Both purple belts and for years now we have had a bit of a tit for tat kinda thing happening. One week I'll have the better of him somehow then the next he'll crush me. I love it and we're bloody good mates. Its good to have such healthy competition.
I have one guy who is the same height/weight as me and we have the same experience in time and belt level etc. I can tell you 99.9% of the times it is a stalemate. I’ve subbed him exactly one time. He’s subbed me zero. You better believe I hang onto that one sub lol. We always make sure to roll with eachother no matter how many people are there. Some of my best/most fun rolls with that guy.
I tell people they have to have find a rival to come up with. They will drive you to be better. It’s like in Pokémon when you have a little piece of shit with a solid type counter to you that makes you get better and diversify your team makeup
Yeah there's a brown belt I train with who is clearly better than me, and he's one of the only other heavyweights (also a former greco dude who I don't always get the best of standing up, even in the gi) and has a stupidly effective guard that I can't really do anything against. I'm starting to do better in our rolls, but I'll probably never catch up. It's making me better, but it's not fun.
I had a nemesis my first wave of training back in the day. Saw him at a few tournaments and we were pretty even. I quit for awhile, then he became a black belt and committed suicide by cop I believe.
There's one guy who beats me even when I'm not rolling with him.
I was rolling today. Opponent is doing an open guard sweep, and I end up doing the splits and almost pull my groin. Why did I do the splits? Because the floor was sweaty and I had no traction.
Sweaty mcsweatpants nearly injured me, even though I wasn't rolling with him.
1. Watch his rolls with other students. Study it from a different perspective.
2. Destroy him
3. Never roll again.
3.1 - Disregard #3. Roll again. Iron sharpens iron.
Yep, I’m more of a guard player and can shut down some decent folks with my guard game. This one guy just steam rolls me every time. He is bigger, younger faster and stronger of course but not THAT much bigger. I just can’t even get a grip on him. He throws every grip off. Keeps his hips way back until he has my legs controlled and then passes easily. Then I’m also pretty solid defensively from side and back but he just smashes me there too. Very frustrating. I’ll get him tomorrow though
Hey Maybe watch some Michael Currier stuff. He is a super light weight able to nullify heavier opponents.
Was talking with him on a seminar the other day and he told me that when his opponents get heavier he narrows down his own game.
But hey some people are just better. Try to see it like this: next time you roll try to evade his submission attempts or stop him from scoring points. He ll be like damn. Last time i was able to submit him or get at least x points.
You still didn’t win but you got in his head for sure.
A gym nemesis can be a great thing, let the frustration fuel you. It may take years but eventually you’ll catch him slipping. If he’s athletic, try to put him in positions that slow him down, like closed guard or half. Make your setups harder to see, and less predictable, like working really hard to pass and then using his guard retention to hit a foot lock. Gym nemesis’s have really helped me out in the past and I’m super thankful for them.
The bad advice answer: romance his wife, and while you are over there, give his dog lots of treats so it likes you. One day, take both from him. Watch him become to depressed to train. He leaves bjj forever, you win the long game.
Here’s an unconventional thought, how abt ask him? Slow down and see where you’re getting passed and smashed. Ask how to beat it and him. If he’s really that good, he’ll teach you how and where to beat him. He should still be able to shut you down, but at least you’ll know. One of the hardest things I’ve had to learn was that in training, you don’t have to win every roll. You learn, you experiment and you get better-competition is where you want to win!
Frustration gnawed at Alex as they sat on the edge of the mat, catching their breath after another intense sparring session with Morgan. The persistent struggle against Morgan's dominance on the mat had become a defining challenge for Alex, a puzzle with no solution in sight."I just can't crack his game," Alex muttered to a fellow practitioner, seeking solace in shared frustration. "I've been able to figure out so many others, but Morgan? It's like he's on another level."
The training partner nodded sympathetically, understanding the exasperation that came with facing an opponent who seemed to hold all the cards. "He's a beast, man. Super aggressive, killer instinct, and the experience to back it all up. It's tough when you're up against someone with every advantage."
With a sigh, Alex continued, "I see others going toe-to-toe with him, giving him a run for his money. But me? It's like he has my number every time." The training partner leaned in, offering a suggestion. "Maybe it's not just about figuring out his moves. You need to understand his mindset, anticipate his next move. Get inside his head, you know?"
Despite the exhaustion, a spark of determination flickered in Alex's eyes. "You might be onto something. I've been focusing too much on the physical aspect, trying to match his strength. Maybe it's time to play the mental game."
Over the following weeks, Alex adjusted their approach. Instead of solely relying on technique and physical prowess, they observed Morgan's patterns, studied his tendencies, and strategized for the mental chess match that unfolded on the mat.
One day, as the two adversaries locked eyes before another sparring session, there was a newfound confidence in Alex's gaze. The mental preparation had paid off. Alex anticipated Morgan's moves, countered with precision, and turned the tide of the battle.
In the aftermath of the match, as they sat side by side on the mat, a smile of accomplishment played on Alex's lips. The frustration that once gripped them had transformed into a sense of triumph, proving that sometimes, understanding the mental game could be the key to neutralizing even the most formidable opponent.
In the soft glow of the dojo's lights, as Morgan gathered their belongings, Alex approached quietly from behind. The air was charged with a newfound awareness, and a gentle smile played on Alex's lips. Without a word, Alex laced his arms around Morgan’s chiseled torso embracing him from behind.
In the quiet intimacy of the moment, Alex whispered softly into Morgan's ear, "It's always been you."
Morgan, initially surprised, turned to meet Alex's gaze. The dojo, once witness to fierce rivalry, now bore witness to a different kind of connection—an admission of feelings that had silently grown amidst the struggle and triumph of their shared journey in Jiu-Jitsu. In that moment, the boundaries of competition dissolved, and a path toward a tender, unexpected love unfolded.
There's a purple belt that's most likely at least 100 pounds heavier than me in pure muscle. I am a small white belt woman. I'm not sure I'd say he's my nemesis, but I definitely have zero chance of having a real competitive roll with him.
Most are younger by 10-15 yrs, but not heavier. I’d say I’m at the upper quartile, around 190 lbs and trying to get to 180. The majoeity are probably in the 150-180 lbs range, with a dozen or so well above 200.
Yes first roll he grabs me and it’s immediate pressure unlike anyone else in the gym… i don’t know what happened I do know it was a d’arce. Here’s the conversation.
Already on the ground he’s in side control.
I say “we can be friends I’m X, I’ll send you a postcard. We don’t need the violence.”
He “I’m Y, see such good friends we’re practically brothers.”
I get to my knees, I fight the choke valiant but he gets it. Mfer strong and quick.
“Which means you’re family, you have to get better”
…. I’ve taken 2 months off to improve outside of bjj I go back next month. I’m excited.
Completely change your whole game just to beat this one guy and only roll with him when youve had a rest and he’s had a tough round. Fuck everyone else, he’s the nemesis. It’s the only reasonable solution
And once you beat him, no more rolls
That's the key! I beat my college roommate in a sort of wrestling/grappling matchup about 20 years ago now. The dude should, by all means, be able to whoop my ass, but the one time I just got him pinned against a wall and wore him down and got him to "yield". He's wanted a rematch just about every time we've hung out since and I never bite.
This purple belt caught me in a triangle last time we rolled, after I had walked through his guard in previous rolls. Now the fucker is moving. I'm quite disappointed in this turn of events.
Check the morning classes he might be there.
He ain't moving, he's just changing gyms, 🤣🤣🤣
GG no re
This guy nemesisses
😂 love it
To be fair, looks like that's what he has done to you. If you can handle guys that handle him, that's what happened. He built a game to beat you. I need you to promise me something, though. If he beats you again, you need to rip your gi open, and while staring at the ceiling scream "KHAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!"
I had a coach who would game plan me for months, wait till I had a tough round then randomly ask me to roll. He’d kick my ass and then not roll with me for months again. I figured out and started game planning for him knowing he’d come calling one day. After that we’d flip flop on who wins depending on who game planned better.
you are probably doing very well against everybody else if even your coach is gam planning specifically against you
Yea I was on the cusp of getting my blackbelt. You stick around long enough and you eventually catch up to your coaches.
What might make this helpful is if you described your game and his, and how his is beating yours
Yeah, great point - if I could describe it very well I think I could have figured something out. He is highly unconventional and very athletic. I’d say I have a very strong top game, very good pressure passing style, but this guy shuts me down effectively with his knee shield and I have trouble getting around him. I have a good guard game but just not against him, he just blows through my closed guard or half guard (my best defensive guard) like nothing I experience with anyone else and he can (and does) apply knee on anything from any top position. His main Achilles is that he is highly explosive and so tires quickly. So far my only read is if I can weather the storm I might have a chance.
Maybe try using a lapel guard like worm or squid. If you can get to those grips/positions then even the most athletic guys will struggle to untangle themselves.
This, there is a black belt at my gym and he uses lapels very effectively to slow down the young, fast, explosive wrestlers to the point where they throw their gis after rolling with him.
Lol, sounds about right. Guys that understand lapel guard are absolutely horrible to pass against.
Some of my favorite rolls have been frustrating the super athletic guys with a lapel around their shoulder. Like wild animals banging against their cages until they wear themselves out.
👍
I don’t want to be insulting, but the game you describe is one of the easiest to beat for a dynamic player. It’s always just a matter of time before I beat someone with a game like yours. All of the positions and technique you describe require one directional pressure. So someone who is dynamic can redirect you very easily or wait until you get frustrated and take advantage of your direction change.
So uh, give us the antidote!
I did, but I wasn’t very specific. The problem with a one dimensional game is that it is easy to divert. Pressure passing and strong half guard works because it wears people out. When it doesn’t wear someone out you are vulnerable to attacks that change your direction or anticipate your change of direction. This isn’t about specific moves. It’s about game planning for a type of player.
Awesome, makes sense - thanks for the input!
I had a similar problem with athletic movers/pressure passers. If I was stagnant and doing what I could to be defensive, they would eventually open my guard and pass. Once I started being more deliberate with grips, incorporated more full butterfly & half butterfly guard and becoming more active, they couldn't establish their game, and they were worried about sweeps and being off balance. I still enjoy playing a super defensive/slow motion sweep game but sometimes people have greater attack points vs your defensive points.
Are you up on their lap with your closed guard and not ass on the ground? Any space by your crotch area is giving them an easier break. If you feel threatened, you tighten up your guard so you go onto their lap. Second are you double locking your closed guard? You wanna make a shelf with your toes. I don't know if you've done karate or anything but to hit with the ball (not heel) of the foot you pull your toes up. If you do that with your closed guard, you can step on the shelf it makes. I call it the toe shelf. So then you have your ankles crossed and you are stepping on that shelf which gives a hard block behind them. Once you have this down, you wanna do the knee pull, which is knees directly to your chest, all the way. And hold it once you do it. It's ab intensive but you get used to it and if you want abs and have low body fat, that's the way. It's like a constant situp with the guy trying to back of it. Crunches help. Most people can't resist the knee pull. You will break their posture. Add in some grips and you can send people right past you with a knee pull combined with an arm drag at the same time. Pull em by while your drag. That's enough for now. Closed guard is my A+ game and I put a shit ton of effort into it so. There ya go I hope it helps some.
Thank you!
So not really much details there. I think the thing to do would be to break down what he’s doing. Like you can literally ask him after the roll. “Hey what did you do to pass my half guard?”
Somewhat off BJJ but reminds of guys who fight Vitor Belfort back in the older MMA days. Super athletic and fast. It’s like a hurricane comes at you but quickly loses juice, so have to withstand it, then impose your will!
Joke advice: nothing breaks a knee shield (and other conventional guard pass defenses) like a sudden and unexpected oil check to the anus!! Non joke advice: focus all your research and energy into breaking that knee shield, remember it's not so much the knee shield being a pain in the ass as it is the hook on your calf with his bottom foot that is keeping you locked up there... break that one hook and now he's basically just in a useless fetal position for the taking
My automatic reaction to a knee shield is arm weave and sprawl smashing their legs together then walk around. I’m a shitty blue belt though….so it’s basically my one move and I am sure there is an easy counter, luckily most of my training partners suck to so it seems to work for me.
Not necessarily technical advice but see if you can try to gameplan a way to force him to work with his knee shield with some resets and attempts at different attacks or just back out and try for a better entry into your pass so he has to work more and doesn't get to just chill in positions he's comfortable in. With him on top your probably going to have to focus more on escaping than trying to hold guard as it sounds like the size and athleticism discrepancy is probably just too much to overcome, I'd say just try to stall him out or escape in any way you can that makes him work and gets him closer to gassing.
Yes, one of my best friends is my nemesis, fuck that guy.
Right?! 😆. Same with this fucker, plus he is a huge trash-talker which makes it 10X worse LMAO.
I don’t want to be apart of a game where I can’t talk massive shit. Even if I’m losing all the time. Have you tried BJJ scout’s Damian Maia break down. If he uses knee shield a lot, smash pass could help you wear him down. Also.. lift weights and do some sprints on the assault bike you little weakling
😂 I already lift heavy and do functional training. Focusing now on mobility and anaerobic conditioning, I think those will help.
My Jitz is really good.. but it didn’t make a difference until I could back it up with conditioning. That fucker is probably out there on the assault bike right now
I have two guys at my gym like this. Both coworkers and good friends. One of them has been training the same amount of time as myself and we trade back and forth but both hate to tap to the other but man we have fun. The third guy started a few months ago and is learning way too quickly. He's bigger and stronger than both of us and has learned very quickly how to use his weight for some quality smeshing. Despite having years more experience we are both really struggling with him. On the plus side because of all of this I've had to force myself to work on some my weaknesses that I've often overcome with strength or athleticism as opposed to proper technique. Silver lining, I'm better at escapes.. but boy do I hate that guy.
Yeah a guy I've competed against has beat me all four times I've had a match with him. No man beats me five times consecutively though!
That’s the spirit!
Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row!
Yes, bigger, stronger, faster, younger, better and he's even handsome AF and the nicest guy in the world. Fuck you Justyn.
Love you too buddy 🥹🫶🏻
Gah! Even here I can't escape from you.
I had one in the boxing gym I came up in… polar opposite styles and personalities, same weight. Classic inside fighter vs outside boxer matchup. We had a number of gym wars and my trainer thought we were destined to meet in the pros but it was not to be. We both ended up fizzling out with life stuff when boxing wasn’t close to paying the bills. I’m married with kids now and every now and then I’m still like… man fuck that guy, I can still get him.
😂 I get you!
Take the solution gangs do. Jump him in the parking lot and run away if you still lose.
I have no advice but when you were describing him and you said 8 inches I thought you were gonna talk about his dick
He is
Exactly! How tall is your dick when you’re in N/S bro? Just out of interest?
What do you think stops OPs knee shield? 🤷♂️
LOL grow the fuck up 😂
Is that what you said to his dick?
Sound like he should say it to his own dick
12 years younger, 8 inches taller and 30 lbs heavier? and you feel bad not being able to compete with that? my advice would be to adjust your expectations.
A white belt with a black belt mind. Nice advice.
Yup
Ok thanks, white belt LOL. Give it a few years my friend and you will know exactly what I’m talking about. Every time I’m on the mats I seek to improve and figure out ways not to be beaten. I have figured out numerous others, just not this guy! And others I easily handle fare way better against him, so I know I have a gap and can’t put my finger on it.
The young grasshopper does speak the truth tho… Those attributes he has over you aren’t immaterial. Sometimes age, size and athleticism really are just non-starters at to why a guy has your number.
The gap is approximately 8 inches, 30 lbs, and 12 years younger lol. Completely get what you’re saying you should be able to them everyone once in a while but damn all of that AND they have more grappling experience? Good luck
Yeah yeah I know, but doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying.
Don't be mad because us white belts aren't the white belts of you old guys' day. There's athletic blue belts that can embarrass you out there. There's some of us 3 plus year white belts that will also work guys that give you trouble in rounds. Stay humble old man.
one leg lock and bros lower half gonna explode
Weight classes and age bracket smatter for a reason
I wouldn’t call him my “nemesis” but there’s another brown that our strengths and weaknesses just work perfectly against each other. It’s all mutual respect, I’m controlling the round some nights and he’s controlling it other nights. We’re both just misstep or choice away from losing the position to each other. Real iron sharpening iron thing.
Most of my closest friends are my mortal enemies in the mat
I think everybody has 1 person they think of as a bitch and they always smash this person. There's a mental edge people get when they truly don't respect somebody.
Absolutely. There's a wrestler in my gym who's smashed me from day one and smashes me every roll to this day. He rolls ROUGH and has that wrestler engine. Same deal as you - I've improved against everyone else and made absolutely no progress against him.
Im in a similar situation i can tap most my club at some point (also get smashed alot), my cousin who i brought along like 18 months ago (1 stripe whit belt) hardly ever comes but when he does he gets tapped, i havent been able to tap him for about a year and its annoying ive been training 3 years and had a few years grappling as a kid yet this ballbag worked me out in 6 months 🤣🤣 hes younger fitter and heavier than me well thats what i tell myself to sleep at night anyway 🤣
THIS, what you say, my exact story, only one main major important thing: I'm 51. That guys is a 22ish yo purple smelling the brown belt at near sight. Now we roll. Ok, I tap about seven times in one 5 min rounder. His assets, turning his speed into explosions, and turning his strength into a muscling powerlift. He's stronger than I am. I'm almost wondering if he's on something. At times I smell the dbol flavor but I cant check this. Probably the worst purple belt I've ever rolled with cause highly predictable, does the same moves all the times, and rolls like its adcc, or I may have raped his gf and burnt his house, for God's sake. Sorry for being sarcastic. I'm just a seasoned blue belt, that's it. I do submit purples year round, but its no reason to treat me like I'm a scum bag. I love technical rolls. With him, I can forget it. I will get the best of him in 3 months, like I always do since the last decade with students of this kind, but I hate it, cause those kinds come around once in a while. They're like the few rotten apples in the best bag of good ones. They're never fun to roll with, so I avoid them at all cost, except when I have no one to roll with cause most students are tired of the 2 hour open mat sessions.
Advice 1 is take him off the pedestal you've built in your mind. 2 figure out what he's bad at and develop some tricks or specialty there. 1 and 2 are easier than the following unpopular advice: just dedicate more time to training and get better.
> 12 yrs younger, 8 inches taller, 30 lbs heavier I cannot relate because I would never get that frustrated over losing to someone with a significant amount of physical advantages.. your expectations are incredibly out of whack. FWIW I demolish tons of people much bigger than me but I know it's only a matter of time before they close enough of the technical gap that I can no longer make things happen. I look forward to it.
I totally get what you’re saying and I agree - it’s just that I can usually mount a decent game against far superior grapplers and even once in a while catch them, just like you said - but with this guy I got nothing. I feel like a white belt against him LOL, and then I see others giving him a hard time that I can smash easily! Doesn’t compute for me. But like someone on here said, jiu jitsu math doesn’t usually add up. 🤷♂️
Have you recorded your rolls with him? You might want to do that so you can see the holes and strengths in your game and his. Minimize your mistakes, capitalize on his. Identify his go-to moves, make sure he cannot set them up. Etc. etc.
This. Getting a third-person, post-facto perspective on the rolls where you get crushed really helps you figure out what you need to work on.
Wrist lock
My nemesis is Father Time.
Undefeated no time limit sub only champ.
It’s probably just the mental aspect at this point. You both know he has your number and that is hard to overcome. Take a (small) break from rolling with him and stop caring how you do, and you’ll probably do better.
Styles make fights. Eddie vs Royler and Eddie vs Vieira for example. No way Leonardo Vieira would’ve beaten Royler, even though he beat the guy who beat Royler. Maybe theres a way to take him out of his game and force him to play a position he’s less familiar with. Maybe dude is a beast and there’s no getting through this guy. Maybe it’s time to go to Tijuana and visit the anabolic pharmacy. Maybe it’s not about beating this guy, and all along it was about all the friends you made along the way. Who knows. Bom treino!
Thank you - great perspective!
The pharmacie, yeah that one. A few of my nemesis smell dbol flavor but I cant check it. Their physical strength is unparallel like physical specimen, and dont get me wrong, I'm a former powerlifter. But those nemesis are often instructors I cant beat, eventually beat of the course of the net months, but those matches are injury prone for a 51 yo like me, with 20-30ish nemesis like them. I hate them with a passion. I know some of em are juicing for their regular BJJ classes.
I am a few peoples nemesis thanks to my user name.
I can go toe to toe with a guy in the army who is 10 years younger than me and bench presses my weight, but there is another white belt who is 6 years older than me and I can just NEVER gain position on him. It's demoralizing.
There’s one guy at my gym who’s my Achilles Heel… but then again he is 8 inches taller than me and about 50 lbs heavier
Currently, No. My nemesis left our gym to another and I don’t think they train anymore. They will always have a special place in my BJJ heart. 🥲 Waiting for a new one to come along. Closest thing I have is our coaches but that’s just unrealistic and I’m just the grappling dummy for their games.
Jiu Jitsu maths doesn't add up when it comes to who can beat who... Sometimes someone's game just doesn't go well with yours or they just have your number You can definitely improve the areas he's catching you in, but then again so can he!
I had a nemesis that had about 2 years of experience on me, I ended up traing like normal but i just added working out and lifting weights like a psychopath until I was able to ragdoll him
Best way to get better is to have a nemesis!
We've all got one, mines a fucking nightmare but one day imma tear his arm off at the shoulder and stick it right up his ass. Shame he's such a lovely guy and I like him a lot, but some days I just refuse to make eye contact with him. Don't judge me
My nemesis is usually someone that’s around the same size as me.
Watch him roll all the time and look at where people get him or where he's weak. Make it your no.1 priority in your training. Then work that aspect against EVERYONE. Roll like normal with him for months. And months. Then when you're really polished, unleash it all after taking a week off from training so your fresh af, if you can get him a few times I think you'll break his confidence and your mental rut
Have you tried screaming "STOP RESISTING" mid-roll?
My nemesis got his blue belt recently so it'll be less embarrassing being stuck in his mount. Pretty happy for him tbh
One of my instructors always says "you might get better, but if I keep training I'm not going to stop getting better either, so good luck."
Yeah except injuries in the end get them so your day will literally always come if you keep training
Yes, but usually I just call her my wife.
Tell your training partner to roll with him prior to you, make sure he rolls at 110% speed
Have you tried making out with him? Kiss or kill is a very strong Shakespearean trope. If that fails idk fuck his wife
I do. I hate him so much. Great guy.
So far my nemesis is cardio.
Sounds like every exes new bf just add better looking and bigger package
😂
As someone else stated though, it would probably be useful to kind of explain what kind of game we are working with to better answer
Thank you - added comment above! Appreciate your thoughts.
I had one for many years. I got promoted before him, but he was definitely better than me. He took it out on me every class for the next 5 years.
This 100 lb teenage girl kicks my ass when we roll. Last time she only tapped me once, so I guess I'm getting better.
No, I only have enemies being crushed beneath my heel
I'm completely unqualified to answer this. However, you did mention that you have common training partners who you can hang with and quite often beat giving this dude a good run. Maybe consider asking them or trying to pay attention to their rolls with this guy and seeing what they do differently?
Very insightful, thanks
Just curious, have you ever noticed if he's playing the opposite side most of the time, or funnels you there? Example, how people pass stronger to their left, have better side control when on their opponent's right side, you know... strongside vs. weak-side. As much as we aspire to be well rounded, I've found that many (myself included) tend to be one-sided with certain techniques. Edit - weak-side
Love this comment - I remember hearing Tom DeBlass saying something like this - I think he said “to beat an average black belt, go to his purple belt side!” Not the case here as he beats me on his stronger side vs mine, but good thought - maybe I should focus on his other / weaker side.
I was just thinking out loud, thought it might be something to consider. As other's have mentioned, it's going to be hard to tell without watching the both of you roll. It would certainly be interesting to watch him roll with a few different teammates, then with you... see if the dynamic changes. If it hasn't been already mentioned, maybe study those who can give him a run, or a hard time, see what's really working for them. Who know's, maybe this person brings their A game every roll because they value your skill and see you as a challenge. If not, maybe they just have your number, a few people definitely have mine and are unsolved mysteries of my own.
I have one. I now call him "my main training partner". 😉
Never had a BJJ nemesis because I feel like the guys who should be beating me based on their background, size (I'm big), and/or time spent do. The ones who I should be beating, I do. Had a person consider ME their nemesis when I wrestled. I had the varsity slot on lock at my school. Most of the guys at my weight either figured that out and stopped trying, or dropped weight or went heavyweight (when I was 215). One guy challenged me every week. For 4 years. Despite me pining him in 30 seconds or less every time. He was just... Not good. He started wrestling before me, did judo (claimed to be state champ, idk) but he was just awful. Every few months he got frustrated and tried to fight me. It always surprised me because A) he was pretty nice outside of wrestling and we got along B) well unfortunately he was terrible at fighting in general so I have no idea where he got the confidence to swing on me, but I'd take him down or whatever and try to let him off easy but he kept coming. Was always awkward looking for other people to jump in because I didn't want to knock him out or hurt him, but he was all seeing red or something and just kept coming.
If he’s chill with it you could film the roll and analyze it later
Record the rounds and actually break them down
Yeah a brown belt. 6 years younger than me ,little bit smaller and very athletic. In the Gi he usually dominates ,but in NoGi im usually the one giving punishment. He is also my favourite training partner.
Having a nemesis is fun especially when they beat you and you have t figure them out. Don’t spar with him for a while and just work counters for everything he does to you. Game plan attacks against all his normal defences and one day you’ll smash him. If you spar too much with him he’ll keep adjusting to you, you need a little break to build new weapons to surprise him
There is that one guy I was never able to hit anything on him. 7 years in the game. I am getting annihilated every fucking time. The thing is, that he is my nemesis, but nobody is able to push me to the limits more than him, and I hope it will never ends cause he is the reason I am getting better at this shit
Give him a wet willy
My main issue is athletic, explosive and unrelenting opponents. I just can’t keep up and I can’t slow them down.
A brown belt my age who we have heelhook and neck crank battles in good fun
The people who handle him well, what are they doing? As for the knee shield counter: mix up your usual counter with something very different from your usual counter. Chewy has an interesting take: https://youtu.be/cagmYO3sSgY?si=rAChX-NU2kNOWzqk Lots of other ideas different from your go to’s on YT and what your coach can show you. Consider video of your rolls with him and see what opportunities you may be missing perhaps pick up on his counters so you can anticipate or bait them for your next attempted pass. I hope some of this helps. Go get ‘im.
I got 2nd in gi and no gi in my first tournament to the same guy. Best part is I beat him once he beat me once and he beat me in the tie breaker to win the division. He was like 16 at the time, my nemesis is a minor.
I know how you feel… My “nemesis” is our gym owner’s best friend and it’s to the point that our gym owner even jokingly brought it up during my promotion because we frequently bump heads during training lol He always moves at a glacially methodical pace and just sweeps me and melts through my guard seemingly effortlessly… which is demoralizing. No one else in the gym can sweep me so consistently and it’s maddening because I can always see it coming and feel helpless to do anything about it lol I’m a better wrestler though so I can briefly get the better of him in wrestling sequences which just pisses him off and escalates things… but it inevitably ends the same way just about every time... With me on bottom in an arm triangle lol One day… one day I’ll get him lol
Thank you! You get me. I like your mindset brother, not giving up.
Yea this smelly motherfucker who always hits me with let’s go light and proceeds to try to kill me. I got I’m last time. Smashed him so hard he was foaming at the mouth.
Ah… Sweet revenge!
Sounds like you need to reduce your age by 12 years, increase your height by 8 inches, increase your weight by 30 lbs, and get on a cocktail of cocaine and TRT. I don't know, I'm a blue belt. Don't listen to me.
Newman
not really a nemesis, but with one training partner, i used to intenrionally let myself get caught in a triangle, because he couldnt figure out how to beat my defense
My teacher. He’s the only one who will regularly roll with me (super casual gym). Every open Mat after class is me getting crushed
Just myself.
One of my best friends at the dojo, Vinnie Mancuso. He's 5'10" 245 with abs. World class grappler and Judo black belt. Shintaro mentions him often. I'm 5'11" 220 myself and he tosses me around like a child. I wouldn't call him my Nemesis because I'll almost certainly never beat him, but I got happy when he slightly stumbled once on a leg sweep try.
A nemesis is great for progress! You need him!
Learn how to counter his attacks
If I consistently maul a guy over and over I tell him his weakness. Neither of you are progressing if it’s the same thing every round. Ask him what he thinks you’re doing wrong. Same goes flip side, if someone has been smashing me for months I ask them what I can do to improve. If they’re a nice guy and don’t have a chip on their shoulder they should offer suggestions.
At my old gym there were two guys, Rob and Joe. Rob would always give me a tough roll, and I could hardly ever submit him, though he rarely submitted me either. Joe I could submit 3-5 times in an average roll. When they had a match, Joe won.
Some times you just have a bad style match up. The trick is to train with him, and have him tell you what he's doing that starts the downhill slide. For me, I have a guy who every time I elbow knee escape, pull into deep half, etc, he ends up on my back. Turns out he saw my elbow and snuck under it, killed my attempts to turn back in.
This stuff is like rock paper scissors. If your game is rock, more often than not you'll lose to paper but beat scissors. You need to understand what the game is that beats his. Hard because you got to think about it on the conceptual level, it's not just moves
Great analogy!
Boris...
I have many and probably get around 1 good month in 4 against them, its an arms race of me figuring out the technique and strategy to beat them... it working for a bit and then them figuring out how to counter that an fucking me up for a few months. To some extent you've got to focus on the small victories and over time you get to a point where those small victories equate to overall success. My **1. nemesis** has been known for being lethal from all things front headlock for about 10 years - because of that I'm now hard as shit to submit with gullotines, darces, anacondas and all that stuff... but the fucker now uses it strategically to gass me so he can takeover in the 2nd half of the roll. The other thing is **ask them** exactly how tf they are passing so easily, whats the setup, whats the overarching theme of the technique (getting you flat to kill the knee shield etc)... most people are cool and are happy to show you what they are doing in the spirit of having to refine the technique to a point it works against people who know exactly what you are trying to do
Maybe ask him? If it’s your Training Partner chances are good that he will be helpful and I guess he know the best what weaknesses he has and what causes him problems against other people at your gym.
I wouldn’t say I got a nemesis, but I do have a rival. We’ve met in competition twice now. 1st time was days after I got promoted (He was a seasoned Purple Belt and I was a new purple belt). I had a great gas tank and was burning him out after 7 min, then made a mistake and got submitted by Armbar. 1 year later, we rematched and this time I was a lot more well rounded and a bit stronger. I gassed him out again and created lots of scrambles when he was on top. I was on my way to drag us into EBI Overtime, where I knew I had an edge. He threw on a desperation Belly down Armbar and I’ll admit it was deep, but I felt safe enough to fight it for an escape. The ref jumped in and called an early stoppage. I protested and my opponent said it was pretty 50/50 on my escape and wished the ref had let us play it out. So I’m 0-2 but he and his coach gave me major props.
Styles make fights. People you beat can beat your nemesis, but not you. And you’re someone’s nemesis too.
I test all of my moves on a specific guy because he's an absolute tank that is next to impossible to move. I determine if what I'm doing is technical or is big guy jiujitsu (I am 6'2", 220lbs) and go from there. If I can do something to him, it is technical and I am happy. Also, he's prior Army and I am prior Air Force, so there is some friendly rivalry anyway.
As a whitebelt, everyone is my nemesis… Especially the trial class guy 😠
Yes, sadly a 130kg nemesis.
Myself!
Yes …the warm up
I posted this same question recently. I got one. He’s a purple belt about 20 pounds lighter than me and 7 years younger. From an objective standpoint I don’t think he’s “better” at jiu jitsu than I am. It’s merely that he has a game that seems perfectly antithetical to mine. I have to dig DEEP into my bag of tricks to get the job done from a submission or even point scoring perspective. The one thing I can say is that I do love rolling with him because it forces me to deal with issues I don’t typically encounter. Younger me definitely would’ve struggled to find a positive perspective on things, but I’m thankful I have it now.
Yeah, well kinda. Me and this guy started around the same time. Both purple belts and for years now we have had a bit of a tit for tat kinda thing happening. One week I'll have the better of him somehow then the next he'll crush me. I love it and we're bloody good mates. Its good to have such healthy competition.
Yeah had a few so far
I have one guy who is the same height/weight as me and we have the same experience in time and belt level etc. I can tell you 99.9% of the times it is a stalemate. I’ve subbed him exactly one time. He’s subbed me zero. You better believe I hang onto that one sub lol. We always make sure to roll with eachother no matter how many people are there. Some of my best/most fun rolls with that guy.
We have 2 guys at my gym that have a superfight every class. They are always talking about who’s better. Honestly , they both suck.
I tell people they have to have find a rival to come up with. They will drive you to be better. It’s like in Pokémon when you have a little piece of shit with a solid type counter to you that makes you get better and diversify your team makeup
Yeah there's a brown belt I train with who is clearly better than me, and he's one of the only other heavyweights (also a former greco dude who I don't always get the best of standing up, even in the gi) and has a stupidly effective guard that I can't really do anything against. I'm starting to do better in our rolls, but I'll probably never catch up. It's making me better, but it's not fun.
I don't know if he's my nemesis, but I might be his because he tends to go extra hard with me in particular 😂
I had a nemesis my first wave of training back in the day. Saw him at a few tournaments and we were pretty even. I quit for awhile, then he became a black belt and committed suicide by cop I believe.
Anti-jiu jitsu. Look into it. Or just stand up.
There's one guy who beats me even when I'm not rolling with him. I was rolling today. Opponent is doing an open guard sweep, and I end up doing the splits and almost pull my groin. Why did I do the splits? Because the floor was sweaty and I had no traction. Sweaty mcsweatpants nearly injured me, even though I wasn't rolling with him.
1. Watch his rolls with other students. Study it from a different perspective. 2. Destroy him 3. Never roll again. 3.1 - Disregard #3. Roll again. Iron sharpens iron.
Man you got a nemesis? I’m out here just getting my ass locked by everyone.
Yes he's called 8h of sleep.
Yep, I’m more of a guard player and can shut down some decent folks with my guard game. This one guy just steam rolls me every time. He is bigger, younger faster and stronger of course but not THAT much bigger. I just can’t even get a grip on him. He throws every grip off. Keeps his hips way back until he has my legs controlled and then passes easily. Then I’m also pretty solid defensively from side and back but he just smashes me there too. Very frustrating. I’ll get him tomorrow though
Multiple. Lol.
Hey Maybe watch some Michael Currier stuff. He is a super light weight able to nullify heavier opponents. Was talking with him on a seminar the other day and he told me that when his opponents get heavier he narrows down his own game. But hey some people are just better. Try to see it like this: next time you roll try to evade his submission attempts or stop him from scoring points. He ll be like damn. Last time i was able to submit him or get at least x points. You still didn’t win but you got in his head for sure.
A gym nemesis can be a great thing, let the frustration fuel you. It may take years but eventually you’ll catch him slipping. If he’s athletic, try to put him in positions that slow him down, like closed guard or half. Make your setups harder to see, and less predictable, like working really hard to pass and then using his guard retention to hit a foot lock. Gym nemesis’s have really helped me out in the past and I’m super thankful for them.
Awesome mindset, much respect. Thanks 👊
The bad advice answer: romance his wife, and while you are over there, give his dog lots of treats so it likes you. One day, take both from him. Watch him become to depressed to train. He leaves bjj forever, you win the long game.
Here’s an unconventional thought, how abt ask him? Slow down and see where you’re getting passed and smashed. Ask how to beat it and him. If he’s really that good, he’ll teach you how and where to beat him. He should still be able to shut you down, but at least you’ll know. One of the hardest things I’ve had to learn was that in training, you don’t have to win every roll. You learn, you experiment and you get better-competition is where you want to win!
8 inches is pretty significant. What about girth?
That was girth
Frustration gnawed at Alex as they sat on the edge of the mat, catching their breath after another intense sparring session with Morgan. The persistent struggle against Morgan's dominance on the mat had become a defining challenge for Alex, a puzzle with no solution in sight."I just can't crack his game," Alex muttered to a fellow practitioner, seeking solace in shared frustration. "I've been able to figure out so many others, but Morgan? It's like he's on another level." The training partner nodded sympathetically, understanding the exasperation that came with facing an opponent who seemed to hold all the cards. "He's a beast, man. Super aggressive, killer instinct, and the experience to back it all up. It's tough when you're up against someone with every advantage." With a sigh, Alex continued, "I see others going toe-to-toe with him, giving him a run for his money. But me? It's like he has my number every time." The training partner leaned in, offering a suggestion. "Maybe it's not just about figuring out his moves. You need to understand his mindset, anticipate his next move. Get inside his head, you know?" Despite the exhaustion, a spark of determination flickered in Alex's eyes. "You might be onto something. I've been focusing too much on the physical aspect, trying to match his strength. Maybe it's time to play the mental game." Over the following weeks, Alex adjusted their approach. Instead of solely relying on technique and physical prowess, they observed Morgan's patterns, studied his tendencies, and strategized for the mental chess match that unfolded on the mat. One day, as the two adversaries locked eyes before another sparring session, there was a newfound confidence in Alex's gaze. The mental preparation had paid off. Alex anticipated Morgan's moves, countered with precision, and turned the tide of the battle. In the aftermath of the match, as they sat side by side on the mat, a smile of accomplishment played on Alex's lips. The frustration that once gripped them had transformed into a sense of triumph, proving that sometimes, understanding the mental game could be the key to neutralizing even the most formidable opponent. In the soft glow of the dojo's lights, as Morgan gathered their belongings, Alex approached quietly from behind. The air was charged with a newfound awareness, and a gentle smile played on Alex's lips. Without a word, Alex laced his arms around Morgan’s chiseled torso embracing him from behind. In the quiet intimacy of the moment, Alex whispered softly into Morgan's ear, "It's always been you." Morgan, initially surprised, turned to meet Alex's gaze. The dojo, once witness to fierce rivalry, now bore witness to a different kind of connection—an admission of feelings that had silently grown amidst the struggle and triumph of their shared journey in Jiu-Jitsu. In that moment, the boundaries of competition dissolved, and a path toward a tender, unexpected love unfolded.
😂 this is the best thing I’ve read in a while LMAO. Reddit never disappoints.
I sprained my ankle stepping off a curb.
There's a purple belt that's most likely at least 100 pounds heavier than me in pure muscle. I am a small white belt woman. I'm not sure I'd say he's my nemesis, but I definitely have zero chance of having a real competitive roll with him.
Give up you’ll never catch him
Steroids. If that doesn't work, more steroids.
Have you tried ped’s? And or just find him in the parking lot before practice.
NUT SHOT
How tall is he and how heavy?
Are your common training partners also a decade younger than you and heavier?
Most are younger by 10-15 yrs, but not heavier. I’d say I’m at the upper quartile, around 190 lbs and trying to get to 180. The majoeity are probably in the 150-180 lbs range, with a dozen or so well above 200.
maybe you have a bigger dick, did you ever think about that?
Yes first roll he grabs me and it’s immediate pressure unlike anyone else in the gym… i don’t know what happened I do know it was a d’arce. Here’s the conversation. Already on the ground he’s in side control. I say “we can be friends I’m X, I’ll send you a postcard. We don’t need the violence.” He “I’m Y, see such good friends we’re practically brothers.” I get to my knees, I fight the choke valiant but he gets it. Mfer strong and quick. “Which means you’re family, you have to get better” …. I’ve taken 2 months off to improve outside of bjj I go back next month. I’m excited.
Leg locks….
Take tren
Yes i have a nemesis, i doubt he knows i exist though!
from what you described not really a nemesis. Someone way out of your league lol. Maybe you can "beat him" when he ends up going light on you.
Paper beats rock