Let’s Talk Drilling

How was the first 3 days of your training? Have  you gotten better and feel different? Today, let’s go to the root of learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Better yet, let’s talk about the mother of all learning, repetition. Professor Marcio Feitosa once said that repetition is the key in learning Jiu-Jitsu. Your body adapts to the repetition, as well as it develops muscle memory. Repetition + repetition = muscle memory.

To develop highly effective BJJ, you will need to repeat, and you will repeat a lot. Bruce Lee once said that he is not afraid of a man that can do 10,000 kicks. He is more afraid of a man who has practiced 1 kick, 10,000 times.

Catching my drift?

Gracie Barra training sessions include drills. Yes. I know. Drills are boring. The repetitive nature of drills just makes you want to move to the next drill; forgetting the current drill and moving on to the next. Depending on your ability to learn and to retain knowledge.

Drills are one of the things that we will be focusing on when developing better Jiu-Jitsu. But before that, assess your attitude towards drills. Are you easily irritated when doing drills. Do you get bored easily? Here are some tips on developing great drill habits for better Jiu-Jitsu.

1. Mindfulness –  Be mindful of the move. Don’t just drill it, know it. Understand how each arm lock works. How the leverage and weight of your body contributes to it.

2. Do it slowly at first – Most of the time, we pressure ourselves into getting the moves early in our training. There is no rush. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and that black belt will not come anytime soon if you don’t get it.

3. Ask feedback – ask feedback from your training partner. Ask him what he thinks about you doing the drill. Even though you may be at the same rank, chances are, there are things that he may understand differently. Variation on techniques is good.

4. Make drills a habit – it takes 21 days to change a behavior and develop a habit. Consider drills as part of your daily training. Remember that repeating moves is the best way of learning it.

See you on the mats