Techniques from the Standing Position:

As a beginner, much of your
practice will be isolated to one specific
area of concentration for a particular
class period. Since the focus
of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for beginners is
on groundwork and the body positioning
that occurs there, much of
your "sparring" or free practice with
resistance will occur with both participants
starting on the knees. There
are many reasons for this that you will
come to understand over time, but to
provide you with a simple understanding:
the more comfortable you are on
the ground, the more relaxed you will
be about engaging in the practice of
Jiu-jitsu with full resistance. Many
participants are also initially hesitant
due to a natural feeling of cluster
phobia that occurs while someone is
pinning you on the floor. This hesitation
is relieved by the separation of
specific positions during training and
practice. Another reason for this
separation is to "force" students to
move away from areas of natural skill
in order to develop their weaker
areas. This complete development of
Jiu-jitsu's basic techniques is important
before moving on to more
advanced techniques. Some students
who may not be very proficient
on the ground may choose to stay
standing if given the opportunity
while "sparring" starts standing. This
may occur due to a natural fear of
"losing" or elevated ego. Therefore,
instructors of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu will
usually start free sparring sessions
on the knees and standing at separate
times.