Question about Brazilian Jiujitsu for people with striking art backgrounds....?

You sound exactly like me. I'm studying basically BJJ with some additional emphasis on Judo throws. We do Gi and No Gi classes, and I'm a Boxer/Kickboxer/TKD/JKD guy, so striking is my primary emphasis.

It's been a few months and I've just now started to feel the moves becoming more natural, but initially I was constantly falling into a throw, or turning the wrong way, switching my feet, etc. There is a lot of the same counter-intuitive movement (for me) in the ground game as well. Pushing the guy's head one way helps him, while the other way blocks, or pushing one leg down in order to pass with the other leg just baffled me at first. It seemed like more of this stuff should make sense more quickly.

I finally decided to embrace the white belt and be the best one in the school. I'm studying on my own, watching fights, reading forums, making notes for myself, and I even took down my heavy bag to do ground position "flow drills" on it. I'm asking questions of my instructors and partners, and doing lots of slow rolling. Just like slow shadow boxing, slow rolling emphasizes technique, and it's the technical skills that seem a bit awkward.

Comfort with such a different art comes in time - I have watched hundreds of videos on youtube, got some books, and found a couple of good partners to roll with after class. Experimentation, and taking my ego out of the picture have helped me a lot - I'm used to being the top guy, not the white belt noob. That's a strange position given that I was competing before some of these guys started training. Plus I have given myself a goal - I plan on competing in my first out of school grappling tourney this fall. That helps enormously, giving me some specific things to focus on.

I'll be attending -as a spectator - the NAGA tourney this weekend to see what kind of skill levels I'll be up against, and that should be some motivation too.

So for me, setting goals, leaving my "top dog" ego outside the door, changing my home workout sessions and studying outside class have all done me a lot of good. I'm still a beginner, but my mind is really starting to wrap around the concepts. I'm making brand new mistakes instead of the same ones over and over.

Honestly, no, I have not experienced this. I am not completely sure I know what you mean either.

Do you mean that you want to throw some one to the left corner but end up throwing them to the right instead. If this is the case then you may not be dropping your hips deep enough.

The counter intuitive thing could be from your years of training for throws and such for different reasons. Did you train your throws and sweeps as a way to put your attacker down but you to stay standing. If this is the case then they would feel different because in grappling your objective is more to go down to the ground with them and land on top, not kick them while they try to get back up. So the landing would be different.

Kind of sucks that judomofo has not answered in a while. He could probably tell you the what, why and how to fix it. My lack of experience isn't quite there yet

I have not taken BJJ. We have had some grappling classes with a expert grappler. We are still trying to work through the same awkward feeling that you describe. My background is Taekwando and Wing Chung Kung Fu. As you know Taekwando is very different than Wing Chung Kung Fu and experienced the same awkward feelings going from Taekwando to Wing Chung. Trust in practiced patience and continued commitment.These will see you through as always.

I can't understand exactly what you mean but maybe you teacher has pre disposed setups that make your opponent feeling you are going one way when you go another way. Thats the basis of Bjj once you learn the basic techniques. Its certainly not a counter intuitive sport....what throw for example?

GIVE AN EXAMPLE BRO, NAME A TAKEDOWN AND EXPLAIN SO SOMEONE CAN PICTURE IT.

I know that alot of intuition can be wrong in bjj, for example if you grab someones arm they want to pull away put that just sets up an armlock so you would want to go into it. rookies just naturally pull away at first

Wow...that's quite a choice. For me it would come down to either wing chun with Hawkins Cheung or Silat with Dan Inosanto. I'd probably choose the latter. Wing chun and Silat are known for their awesome hand techniques and no nosense approach to fighting. But I think all of the arts you listed would compliment what you've already learned.

My experience has always been keep training and it will come to fit you. Find another guy who has trained in mma and he can help you adjust to make each move work with your own style.