Watch and learn in Jiu-Jitsu

Watch and learn in Jiu-Jitsu

Watch and learn in Jiu-Jitsu! Many will watch – few will see. We are given countless opportunities to watch Jiu-Jitsu. Every time you go to the gym you can watch teachers, friends and training partners engage in sparring. Every competition you attend, you’ll see dozens of matches in a day. We all have the tendency to “zone out” and watch mindlessly until the only thing we see is the result. This is a wasted opportunity. Each time you observe a match, it’s a chance to train your mind to observe events and make sound decisions. Don’t just watch, interpret the action as it unfolds and make assessments as to what the athletes or your teammates are doing and what they could be doing better. The better you get at this skill, the better your game will become. This is great advice for when you are injured as well. You should stay on your schedule and still attend class and watch the rolls and study the movements. Good Jiu-Jitsu is largely the skill of sound decision making under stress. This is a skill like any other and thus requires practice and one of the best forms of practice is interpretive observation of matches. Make it a habit and soon your improvement will show itself in your game.