One of the common questions higher belts confront after rolling with lower belts is "what did I do wrong?"

While sometimes there will be obvious errors to point out often the answer is simply 'you were just a little behind the game'!

Why is it that a blackbelt and a blue belt can demonstrate a technique almost identically yet only the blackbelt can make it work in practice?

It's all in the application

Beginners to BJJ often describe it as like seeing magic for the first time. In practice, good Jiu Jitsu is a game of making your opponent think one thing whilst doing another.

Improvement is directly linked to your ability to process information quickly and react accordingly.

Information Processing

How we learn (or more precisely how we are coached!) has a great impact on the speed and effectiveness of our information processing.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to appreciate it's easier to remember 3 or 4 fundamental concepts or principles that can be applied for each situation than to recall dozens of techniques every time a position changes.

How we train

How should our training be structured to maximise learning and improvement?

Training that focuses on graded exposure to resistance offers our brains (and bodies) a chance to develop processing power.

Isolating specific positions and situations helps develop conceptual understanding within limited frameworks and lays the foundations for progressive improvements across your entire game.

In short, think faster.......roll better!

Happy training

Ben Power
Director/ Head Coach, SBG Australia
Practice Principal, Leichhardt Sports Physiotherapy