TFS#9: Practice Doesn't Always Make Perfect

The gym I train at has added plenty of new members in the past two months.

This is a telling sign of a good gym culture.

With head instructors that nurture both a competitive team and a developmental program, all levels are drawn to the gym.

The increased diversity of skills helps everyone grow at an astonishing rate.

Now, let's start rolling...

Practice doesn't always make perfect

"Practice makes perfect"...isn't necessarily true.

Let me make a small tweak: Perfect practice makes perfect.

And how you practice is how you'll perform during rolling or competition.

Let's take a closer look at how we can accomplish perfect practice.

"Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast."

The US Navy Seals use this expression in order to avoid critical thinking and to encourage quick decision making.

With anything new, you'll want to start slow so the material can digest.

In Jiu-Jitsu, instructions are often demonstrated to us through oral-visual directions and it's up to you to translate that into kinesthetic directions for yourself.

Go slow, and figure out footwork and hand placement.

As you continue to drill, you'll pick up critical details that make the technique effective or efficient.

*Note: Some instructors don't like to get into the details of movement. Find someone in the gym to go over details with you.

And with enough repetition, you'll establish muscle memory.

Be fast, but not in a hurry

Drilling gives you a chance to figure out balance, strength, angles, timing, priorities, amongst other factors.

Familiarity is what allows you to move fast.

Fast comes naturally once you are comfortable with the movement.

You must drill at the pace in which you roll.

During this time, put on the blinders and imagine yourself in sparring.

And you'll see the window to execute open right up.

By engaging your mindset, you're doing two things here.

One, you're training yourself to recognize the window opening up and two, you're training yourself to execute the technique.

And for comfort, you know during drilling you're in a safe place so you'll should have more confidence to attempt the move.

You don't have any anything to prove to anyone, except...

One thing...and to yourself...

All you have to prove to yourself is that you are capable of applying what you learned.

Think you can do it?

Here's how:

1. Start slow and ramp up the speed as you get more comfortable.

2. Drill at pace of actual sparring.

3. Put your head in a sparring mindset as you execute the drilling.

Your training requires personal effort and style...

Designed by champions, fit for everyone.

Developing your game requires you to develop your unique style.

And your style can set the tone of your presence. So why not suave yourself up?

Domestically sourced and made.

Technique For The Week

As we "come out of covid times," our simple Jiu-Jitsu drills are still important.

Check these 15 drills you can still do while you work from home: 15 BJJ Drills you should do EVERYDAY.

Okay, not everyone gets to work from home.

But in the event I have down time and can't make class, I still stick to these basic drills as a way to do body-weight exercises.

I've been doing these for years!

As for upper belts (looking at you purples!) they can be boring.

If you find this video boring, share these drills with a white belt at your gym.

Word On The Tweet

It's a new month! And I wanted to see the progress we're making as a community by asking them directly.

I personally enjoy some friendly smack talking, but I only do it with other people who can get into it.

Some of the responses were quite funny while others were more honest approaches. Either way, it showed a uniquely human side to everyone who responded.

Nice to know that the people we roll with are humans after all!

Because Jiu-Jitsu isn't just a sport or an exercise we do, it's a social interaction with another human.

So here's a friendly reminder to stay hungry...

Closing Thoughts

I've trained at a few prestigious school with excellent instructionals.

But...they all were prone to multiple strings of drama, even amongst the instructors.

Now I'm not saying prestigious schools breed drama, but I'm saying prestigious schools aren't immune to drama--no school is immune to immaturity.

Especially gyms with young, talented athletes.

As schools expand and get larger, cliques will naturally form like in all social gatherings. It's inevitable.

So make sure you get to know everyone at the gym to your best abilities.