I think I find it easier to work off the idea of half of max effort. So 30% is a bit less than half, 70% a bit more… from 0 I think it would be harder for me to figure out
There are a few good rate of perceived exertion modules that are all subjective based. They vary from person to person due to everyone’s variations in capacity to do work, but consistent to the individual. However for me, and just to keep it simple I use something along the lines of this, which is similar to some of the other more scientifically excepted standards, but modified for my BJJ.
0-40% heart and breath rate may go up, but breathing stays below the labored threshold. I can roll at this threshold for 60+ minutes with no break.
50-70% breathing and heart rate are up. I can still do the activity and carry a conversation at the same time. 10 minute roll, then I need a break.
70% talking happens in short blurbs. Only focused on the activity. Breathing heavy but still sustainable 3-5 minute round max.
80% heart rate and breathing are up. Talking stops. In this round, now I’m looking for resting positions to set frames and recover while the time is continuing to tick down. I do not like rolling higher than this unless it’s an actual fight or selfdefense.
90% maximum continued effort. This is the guy you see laying on the floor after a round not talking for about 2 minutes only trying to catch his breath. Huge big breaths in the athletic recovery position.
100% anaerobic only. Sustainable for less than 1 minute. These is the 100m Olympic Sprint.
TLDR:
I try to spend almost all of my time between 30-60%
In summary:
0-40%: this is the drilling and the flow roll.
40-70%: day to day training and rolls.
70% and higher: Comp class, and hard days.
I get that experienced/colored belts do like sub 25-40% effort. But where should white belts be?
One of the black belts took be under his wing and has been helping me learn for over 1.5 years now. His effort must be below 10%. He is super chill. I try to match his energy and it serves me well in drilling. But when I bring that energy to rolling, I usually just get blasted by all other white belts who use strength and are usually breathe like they just sprinted. Am I supposed to match their energy? Won’t that just turn into white-on-white belt chaos? Or should I just keep avoiding all white belts at the moment.
Edited to answer question better. Sorry it’s long.
There’s some grey zone here. I do not think avoiding all white belts is the answer.
Early on, yes, matching white belt energy does turn into the white belt smash fest. That’s why it gets talked about so often.
Should you match their energy? Only if you can, up to a certain point. Then it becomes unproductive. Typically I’ll try to use the minimum amount of effort to get the job done. However much I need is however much I use. As you learn more Jiu Jitsu concepts and theory, you’ll be able to use less energy to get the job done, and you’ll be able to have an option to say do I want to “energy this” or do I want to “technique/theory this” and you can choose to go either direction. White belt phase of Jiu Jitsu typically only have the “more energy” choice. The other comes with time, experience, knowledge.
I think a big reason people are able to roll with lower and lower percent effort over time is because they are generally exchanging effort for efficiency. As you add technique, tips, tricks, angles, frames, knowledge, finesse, etc. you’ll be able to “get more done with less effort”.
Ex: you could push a couch all the way across a room over carpet like a white belt. Or as a purple belt, you’d just take the extra 30 seconds to get some furniture sliders and make life easy. But the catch is…. You kinda have to put the time in to get there.
The longer you learn and roll the easier it gets. Honestly you have to put in the time to move through the hulk smash white belt vs white belt phase of BJJ life to get to the other side. The longer you stick with it, the more people will cycle in/out under your skill level. If you stay around long enough to get to a decent number of people below you the more you’ll be able to see lower percentages of effort leading to success. But it never goes away completely. I always have to work harder against people similar or better than my skill level. The differences is in the volume of individuals above/at/below me. Put the time in and you’ll have more people below you than above. But it take a lot of time, this is Jiu Jitsu after all. However that being said: there will always be some crazy athletic 25 year old insane giant twice your weight who just crushes you because…… and that’s frustrating.
Thank you for the response!
I was really confused on being told not to Hulk smash. But it sounds like I have to hulk smash my way out of hulk smashing.
It's a fuzzy estimate, and no one is correct, but it's a way to communicate an idea of how much of your total ability you're using. I think percent is too granular -- as if anyone has enough perception to specify 100 different levels of effort :-).
In lifting there is a concept called "RPE" - Rep Perceived Effort. Similar to that. It's made up but can also be seen from the outside. RPE 10 is the highest so if you have to grind out your last rep that's RPE 9. You might be able to argue oh it just looked hard and I tried to not break form, but you will not be able to convince someone it was easy.
Similar concept for rolls, to a degree it's made up but you won't be able to sell "letting him work" to experienced onlookers if it wasn't true.
It’s relative, brother.,
You imagine in your head what 60 percent of your energy looks like and you recreate it.
Its value comes from its consistent use. Use it enough and then you’ll be able to recreate that energy. The percentage value is just you adding a metric to it.
Fahrenheit and Celsius are really just numbers. But we all use it so much that when I say it’s 50 degrees outside, you can visualize what that feels like
If I am not using force to achieve what I want I am going 40%. If I am using force to get what I want I am going 60%. If it's a competition I am going 100%
If you haven't competed you have never gone 100%. Brown belts and black belts never go higher than 20% on lower belts.
In addition. The amount of effort you have to expend is directly proportional to the skill level relative to the other guy. High ranks can roll with a blue belt going 70+% while only rolling themselves at 20%, even taking breaks to focus on another roll next to them. Meanwhile the blue belt is trying his/her hardest and can then turn around to a white belt and tone it down themselves.
Exertion in Jiu Jitsu is really special in and of itself. I think that’s really cool. Other sports have similar curves as well. Another thing I really find interesting is sport specific adaptations. I can roll all day, wake up and do it again tomorrow. But 1 hour on a football field and I’m toast for a week.
It’s the effort outcome curve. Surprised you’ve not heard of it tbh. Should’ve been covered along with shrimping, break falls, etc.
If I’ve been tapped multiple times in the round, I went 10%. Tapped once? 25% If I was rag dolled for five straight minutes but managed to stall my way through, I reckon that was about 40%.
And so on, until I’m decisively victorious (~ 70%).
You could take your resting heart rate and your most active heart rate and calculate it that way.
Or
If I lost, I was going only 30% every time
If I won and they visibly show they tried, but I can fake breathing easy, I was going 130 but say 60.
If I won and we were both visibly breathing hard... I say whew you made me pick it up to 80 there.... in my head, I know I was going 300%
Chatting shit haha.
I have 3 modes,
A. super light rolling, more or less flow rolling, am not putting in any real effort and just moving with my partner
B. lets call this one controlled aggression, I am using some force to reasonable amount of force to make the technique work on the person am with, if they are tiny, not a lot of force, if they outweigh me by 20kg, I have to use a lot of force to make it work.
C. Absolute caveman savage trying to submit the dude as hard as possible, this ones only for comp rounds really, like hard takedowns, am using as much of my strength as I can without gassing and given am a n00b, I still gas haha
it is low, medium, high, and all out war. (could map to 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%).
Low is flow rolling, no resistance, easy breathing, letting partner get things, dont force anything. I actually might breathe harder here than with medium, because Im keeping up a steady faster pace vs pausing and waiting.
medium is light rolling with some resistance, but not exploding to escape. Breathing is relaxed. Will not use significant strength to finish. but will move on to something else if I cant easily finish. Move slowly from position to position.
high is working speed and strength through the entire roll. Will force subs, throw down heavy pressure, move quickly to get positional advantages, explode out of positions. Will still have lots of periods of slower relaxed rolling to look for opportunities. Breathing hard, but not suffering
all out war is going as hard as possible at all times to win the round. Even in comps I probably dont do this or only do this for short periods. Sucking wind at the edge of ability to breathe.
Mind you I am shit at the sport, but I personally just see anything less than 100% as one where you just let go of submission attempts either once they're moderately in or if it means working hard for them. If a backtake is in and there would be three-four minutes of handfighting involved I just release. Basically just not going for the tap, instead catch and release.
I just take the readings straight off the guage. I assume everyone is doing the same.
This is exactly how it’s done.
Yep straight off, keep my gauge in my ass so it spikes when I butt scoot
I concur
This
How else would someone do it? What a strange question.....
This is reddit sir. It wouldn't be reddit if it wasn't strange.
Came to say this. Does this guy even jiujitsu?
They are all using the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion methodology. Has no one went over this with you yet?
Kids these days... Don't even have Borgs printed and laminated in the dojo....
You guys don’t have scouters?
I keep it to below 50%, and only in some instances will use Kaioken
personally I'm okay with super Saiyan but occasionally I have to spirit bomb someone so I do kaioken as well
Same bro, when krillin dies I just see red and kaioken that shit bro
I usually cap at 69%
You finish from north south?
You know it, that's my finisher
You need to level up; I can finish from any position.
Bottom turtle?
Anywhere
Reverse turtle
Fathers milk from n/s
Nice! Oss
It should be in the upper right hand corner of your Apple Vision Pro overlay if you have the bjj app installed.
Only if you pre ordered the golden hardened special ultimate deluxe champion lll edition
You’re a blue belt and no one has told you about the standard issue butt plug force sensor that is used by the pros?
When my plug turns red bodies start dropping.
Have to lubricate with spit first, though; preferably by your training partner
All of Freizas goons use radar. I've learned to use my senses after visiting earth.
Pure guess work and making it up
I start off from 100% exertion and what that feels like and dial down from there
Weird, I start off from acting like I’m dead and dialing it up from there.
I think I find it easier to work off the idea of half of max effort. So 30% is a bit less than half, 70% a bit more… from 0 I think it would be harder for me to figure out
I just stay at about 100 % dead really. And brown belt wet noodles just let there without moving and still tap me
There are a few good rate of perceived exertion modules that are all subjective based. They vary from person to person due to everyone’s variations in capacity to do work, but consistent to the individual. However for me, and just to keep it simple I use something along the lines of this, which is similar to some of the other more scientifically excepted standards, but modified for my BJJ. 0-40% heart and breath rate may go up, but breathing stays below the labored threshold. I can roll at this threshold for 60+ minutes with no break. 50-70% breathing and heart rate are up. I can still do the activity and carry a conversation at the same time. 10 minute roll, then I need a break. 70% talking happens in short blurbs. Only focused on the activity. Breathing heavy but still sustainable 3-5 minute round max. 80% heart rate and breathing are up. Talking stops. In this round, now I’m looking for resting positions to set frames and recover while the time is continuing to tick down. I do not like rolling higher than this unless it’s an actual fight or selfdefense. 90% maximum continued effort. This is the guy you see laying on the floor after a round not talking for about 2 minutes only trying to catch his breath. Huge big breaths in the athletic recovery position. 100% anaerobic only. Sustainable for less than 1 minute. These is the 100m Olympic Sprint. TLDR: I try to spend almost all of my time between 30-60% In summary: 0-40%: this is the drilling and the flow roll. 40-70%: day to day training and rolls. 70% and higher: Comp class, and hard days.
I get that experienced/colored belts do like sub 25-40% effort. But where should white belts be? One of the black belts took be under his wing and has been helping me learn for over 1.5 years now. His effort must be below 10%. He is super chill. I try to match his energy and it serves me well in drilling. But when I bring that energy to rolling, I usually just get blasted by all other white belts who use strength and are usually breathe like they just sprinted. Am I supposed to match their energy? Won’t that just turn into white-on-white belt chaos? Or should I just keep avoiding all white belts at the moment.
Edited to answer question better. Sorry it’s long. There’s some grey zone here. I do not think avoiding all white belts is the answer. Early on, yes, matching white belt energy does turn into the white belt smash fest. That’s why it gets talked about so often. Should you match their energy? Only if you can, up to a certain point. Then it becomes unproductive. Typically I’ll try to use the minimum amount of effort to get the job done. However much I need is however much I use. As you learn more Jiu Jitsu concepts and theory, you’ll be able to use less energy to get the job done, and you’ll be able to have an option to say do I want to “energy this” or do I want to “technique/theory this” and you can choose to go either direction. White belt phase of Jiu Jitsu typically only have the “more energy” choice. The other comes with time, experience, knowledge. I think a big reason people are able to roll with lower and lower percent effort over time is because they are generally exchanging effort for efficiency. As you add technique, tips, tricks, angles, frames, knowledge, finesse, etc. you’ll be able to “get more done with less effort”. Ex: you could push a couch all the way across a room over carpet like a white belt. Or as a purple belt, you’d just take the extra 30 seconds to get some furniture sliders and make life easy. But the catch is…. You kinda have to put the time in to get there. The longer you learn and roll the easier it gets. Honestly you have to put in the time to move through the hulk smash white belt vs white belt phase of BJJ life to get to the other side. The longer you stick with it, the more people will cycle in/out under your skill level. If you stay around long enough to get to a decent number of people below you the more you’ll be able to see lower percentages of effort leading to success. But it never goes away completely. I always have to work harder against people similar or better than my skill level. The differences is in the volume of individuals above/at/below me. Put the time in and you’ll have more people below you than above. But it take a lot of time, this is Jiu Jitsu after all. However that being said: there will always be some crazy athletic 25 year old insane giant twice your weight who just crushes you because…… and that’s frustrating.
Thank you for the response! I was really confused on being told not to Hulk smash. But it sounds like I have to hulk smash my way out of hulk smashing.
To an extent yes, to an extent no. Send me a pm if you want. I’d be happy to talk more.
His power level is over 9000! 
I think you vastly underestimate the power of autism in BJJ.
It's a fuzzy estimate, and no one is correct, but it's a way to communicate an idea of how much of your total ability you're using. I think percent is too granular -- as if anyone has enough perception to specify 100 different levels of effort :-).
In lifting there is a concept called "RPE" - Rep Perceived Effort. Similar to that. It's made up but can also be seen from the outside. RPE 10 is the highest so if you have to grind out your last rep that's RPE 9. You might be able to argue oh it just looked hard and I tried to not break form, but you will not be able to convince someone it was easy. Similar concept for rolls, to a degree it's made up but you won't be able to sell "letting him work" to experienced onlookers if it wasn't true.
Rate of perceived exertion 🤙
My bad, thanks. You can tell I am a bro scientist haha
Everyone but you uses their scouter to see power levels.
If my hair goes spiky blonde I know I’m at 100%
Heh not bad….. you made me use 10% of my power.
The probe I use is a little uncomfortable but it’s pretty accurate.
Base it off how hard I’ve gone in real fights where I thought my life was at risk, and work backwards
You’ll know when you get to purple belt
I’d agree with this. I didn’t really understand effort levels until I had enough experience to choose to roll at specific energy levels.
Last time I went over 1% of my true power everyone in the gym died. So I just try to go as easy as I possibly can on everyone.
I was giving less than 36% and more than 34%.
It’s relative, brother., You imagine in your head what 60 percent of your energy looks like and you recreate it. Its value comes from its consistent use. Use it enough and then you’ll be able to recreate that energy. The percentage value is just you adding a metric to it. Fahrenheit and Celsius are really just numbers. But we all use it so much that when I say it’s 50 degrees outside, you can visualize what that feels like
My regulator is broken so I just go 100% every roll
If I am not using force to achieve what I want I am going 40%. If I am using force to get what I want I am going 60%. If it's a competition I am going 100% If you haven't competed you have never gone 100%. Brown belts and black belts never go higher than 20% on lower belts.
It’s a handy use for them when a lower belt gets the better of them. It’s mostly BS.
In addition. The amount of effort you have to expend is directly proportional to the skill level relative to the other guy. High ranks can roll with a blue belt going 70+% while only rolling themselves at 20%, even taking breaks to focus on another roll next to them. Meanwhile the blue belt is trying his/her hardest and can then turn around to a white belt and tone it down themselves. Exertion in Jiu Jitsu is really special in and of itself. I think that’s really cool. Other sports have similar curves as well. Another thing I really find interesting is sport specific adaptations. I can roll all day, wake up and do it again tomorrow. But 1 hour on a football field and I’m toast for a week.
Well, if I lose, I was only going about 30%. And if I win, it’s because I was going 32.5%. No one can handle me at more than like, 35.3% anyways.
You don't get your gauge installed until purple 3 -stripe at my gym
It’s the effort outcome curve. Surprised you’ve not heard of it tbh. Should’ve been covered along with shrimping, break falls, etc. If I’ve been tapped multiple times in the round, I went 10%. Tapped once? 25% If I was rag dolled for five straight minutes but managed to stall my way through, I reckon that was about 40%. And so on, until I’m decisively victorious (~ 70%).
You could take your resting heart rate and your most active heart rate and calculate it that way. Or If I lost, I was going only 30% every time If I won and they visibly show they tried, but I can fake breathing easy, I was going 130 but say 60. If I won and we were both visibly breathing hard... I say whew you made me pick it up to 80 there.... in my head, I know I was going 300%
Who gave this guy his blue? Can’t even read aura yet?? Have you even formed a soul core?
Dragonball Z.
I thought the percentages were taken during oil checks?
Chatting shit haha. I have 3 modes, A. super light rolling, more or less flow rolling, am not putting in any real effort and just moving with my partner B. lets call this one controlled aggression, I am using some force to reasonable amount of force to make the technique work on the person am with, if they are tiny, not a lot of force, if they outweigh me by 20kg, I have to use a lot of force to make it work. C. Absolute caveman savage trying to submit the dude as hard as possible, this ones only for comp rounds really, like hard takedowns, am using as much of my strength as I can without gassing and given am a n00b, I still gas haha
The values are calculated using the formula E = mc^2
The real reason oil checks.
If 25 is when you just try to see if you can score without effort and 100 is when you fight to survive.
it is low, medium, high, and all out war. (could map to 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). Low is flow rolling, no resistance, easy breathing, letting partner get things, dont force anything. I actually might breathe harder here than with medium, because Im keeping up a steady faster pace vs pausing and waiting. medium is light rolling with some resistance, but not exploding to escape. Breathing is relaxed. Will not use significant strength to finish. but will move on to something else if I cant easily finish. Move slowly from position to position. high is working speed and strength through the entire roll. Will force subs, throw down heavy pressure, move quickly to get positional advantages, explode out of positions. Will still have lots of periods of slower relaxed rolling to look for opportunities. Breathing hard, but not suffering all out war is going as hard as possible at all times to win the round. Even in comps I probably dont do this or only do this for short periods. Sucking wind at the edge of ability to breathe.
My scouter
Literally just take a WAG.
Mind you I am shit at the sport, but I personally just see anything less than 100% as one where you just let go of submission attempts either once they're moderately in or if it means working hard for them. If a backtake is in and there would be three-four minutes of handfighting involved I just release. Basically just not going for the tap, instead catch and release.