A little saying I always heard at the beginning of a Yoga practice was, “Pick a purpose for todays practice”. That saying did not make sense to me at the time. However, as I aged and racked up my fair share of injuries, I began to understand its meaning. Applying that mantra has helped me progress more at BJJ, lifting, and striking.
You may struggle to apply the knowledge you are taught by your instructor as a beginner. Appling the train with a purpose motto helps to bridge the gap between knowledge and applied knowledge. For example, if your instructor teaches side control escapes in class, then during open mat try and put yourself in that position to practice what you were taught that day. Sometimes it will work, sometimes you’ll find yourself in a bad position, and sometimes you’ll be forced to tap. This is okay. We are not trying to win practice; we are trying to learn.
As you advance in BJJ you will see things outside of what your instructor is teaching you and want to add these new things to your game. This is where private lessons and downloads come in handy. My process is to pick something to work on. It may take six months to a year before it’s working. I start with smaller white belts and work up until the technique is working against heavy weight black belts. This may seem like a long time for beginners, but to veteran BJJ practitioners it’s just the process. This process is what keeps me learning, improving and enjoying grappling 26 years later.
I’ve also applied this motto to lifting and striking. When I was younger, I could bang out an intense total body workout then grapple that evening and do it all over again the following day. As I aged, I noticed I needed to adjust. Now I pick a muscle group and focus on just that. I ask myself, “is this the best exercise to strengthen this particular muscle”. I’ve simplified my workouts, getting the most out of my time in the gym. I can still grapple or spar that night or the next day, because I’ve only exhausted one muscle group. For sparring, I pick something that I want to work on then try to execute it, adjusting as needed.
So next time you are at open mat, sparring, lifting or any type of training, pick a purpose, execute, and adjust.