Preventing Bad Training Habits

Oftentimes, we think of Jiujitsu as techniques... however, it isn't about techniques, contrary to popular belief. What's it about then? Concepts. It's about understanding the movements - the purpose behind each foot placement, each grip, each push and pull. Essentially, a student of Jujitsu needs to understand the mechanics behind each movement before having the ability to successfully pull it off. What's the point of learning the Scissor Sweep if you don't know what each step is for? You can drill it hundreds of times, you can become proficient at copying the steps and do it over and over again. Once resistance from your opponent comes into play, it's difficult to complete the sweep if you don't understand the mechanics behind the sweep. For example, when you pull the person over you, just before sweeping, the weight of your opponent is forward on their knees- it isn't distributed equally amongst the four points he/she had on the ground (both feet, and both knees). Thus, when you sweep, they have nothing to base out with (you're already eliminating their arm with their same side grip, right?). If you don't know this concept, you will most likely not be able to execute the move neither in specifics nor sparring. If you learn the concept, the technique clicks easily rather than painfully trying to learn by copying. Instead of building bad habits, you start out with good ones from the get-go...no relearning necessary.

For me, not understanding concepts caused bad jiujitsu habits. Personally, I trained for three years before I started learning actual concepts. Wait...what was I doing for three years then? Honestly, I have no clue. Well, actually, what I was doing was learning bad habits by copying instead of understanding. I didn't even know what the purpose of a hip escape was - I was told to copy a movement, and for six months, I didn't even know why I was trying to escape my hips at the beginning of every class. I eventually put two and two together, but until recently, I still felt like it equaled five. 2 and 2 equaled 4 when I started training with Jei at WSFF a few months ago. It wasn't even through private training that hip escapes made perfect sense - it was actually watching him teach the basics to white belts. This is why I still see myself as a white belt. The mechanics of a triangle choke is a good example to use when thinking of concepts. Most white belts, even some blue belts, complete the move based on copying other teammates. It is a choke that is very difficult to complete if you don't get the "why" of it. Ultimately, you are cutting off blood circulation to the carotid artery in your opponent's neck. This is done with the shoulder of your opponent (which is why you need to push their arm across your body) and your leg (which is why you need to get the perpendicular angle of your body to theirs). A lot of the students at WSFF didn't quite understand it until it was broken down step by step in our fundamentals class - each movement was isolated and explained. Pretty quickly for them, 2 and 2 easily equaled 4. It was much quicker for them because they started learning the movement properly. Even though the triangle is my go-to submission from guard, it wasn't until a few months ago (when I started learning concepts) that I could finish it.

This is why learning by copying rather than understanding is a waste of time because you're setting yourself back. Think about what you're doing, why you're doing it, and understand the movement before drilling. Break down the mechanics of your technique, and check yourself by asking "what's the purpose of this [insert move here]?" Basics + Concepts = Jujitsu.

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Back to the Basics

I know that I am a white belt. Although I wear a blue belt around my waist, I am not one. I thought I knew jujitsu, but in reality, I don't. There are basic principles in BJJ, fundamental elements really, that everyone needs to learn. As a white belt, you struggle to learn these principles, but eventually you do, typically resulting in promotion to blue. If you don't know them, or suck at them, you're stuck. Your jujitsu doesn't improve, your game doesn't evolve.

How am I a white belt? I don't know anything, to put it bluntly. I've learned techniques, and I can drill really well, but I never really learned concepts until a few months ago. I was constantly getting destroyed on the mats because I didn't really know basics. Oops?

Definitely oops. Sometimes, I wish I still had my white belt, but the thing is, I have accepted that I am a blue belt relearning the basics; rather, a blue belt finally learning the basics. It doesn't matter if a white belt sweeps me or if I get caught in an armbar because now that I know why I was never good, I'm finally learning...even if it takes getting submitted by someone new. It's not about ego anymore; it's about opportunity. Take every negative thought formulated from training and somehow turn it into positive energy to help your jujitsu.

To put it a different way, I used to feel exposed. Not naked, duh. I mean that I was embarrassed to get my ass kicked by people "lower" than me. The thing is, it's just ego. Once I embraced it, and thought of every ass-kicking as an opportunity, I started to improve. Not just small improvements, but game-changing ones. (Enough to surprise me and my teammates).

Positive thinking folks... it goes a long way.