Can I watch instructionals to gain knowledge rather than studying them to use specific techniques?

[Ivan]

Hi guys. I was talking to a member of the elite team at my gym the other day - he has been training just a bit longer than me but is so much better that I find him untouchable when I roll with him. When I asked how he improved so fast he mentioned that he watches BJJ instructionals daily and very often. The way he spoke about his watching of instructionals caught me off guard, as I tend to find that I stick with a single instructional for months before I move on to something else. In terms of mat time, aside from injuries and some recent lack of discipline which I am tidying up, I believe I can match him. However, I do not watch or study BJJ content as much as he does, which made me think it would help me improve at a faster pace if I did.

My question is, how should I go about this? Should I just download as many as possible and watch them to try to understand concepts without necessarily wanting to apply these techniques? Should I try to focus on one at a time and master each technique/system separately? I have been doing the latter thus far, but I just haven't been watching as often as he said he did. I am not sure how I should actually "watch" instructionals.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Everyone learns differently.

 

[drop bear]

Hi guys. I was talking to a member of the elite team at my gym the other day - he has been training just a bit longer than me but is so much better that I find him untouchable when I roll with him. When I asked how he improved so fast he mentioned that he watches BJJ instructionals daily and very often. The way he spoke about his watching of instructionals caught me off guard, as I tend to find that I stick with a single instructional for months before I move on to something else. In terms of mat time, aside from injuries and some recent lack of discipline which I am tidying up, I believe I can match him. However, I do not watch or study BJJ content as much as he does, which made me think it would help me improve at a faster pace if I did.

My question is, how should I go about this? Should I just download as many as possible and watch them to try to understand concepts without necessarily wanting to apply these techniques? Should I try to focus on one at a time and master each technique/system separately? I have been doing the latter thus far, but I just haven't been watching as often as he said he did. I am not sure how I should actually "watch" instructionals.

Lachlan guiles has a well thought out online program called meta something.

If I was serious and had the money I would probably go there.

 

[JowGaWolf]

My question is, how should I go about this? Should I just download as many as possible and watch them to try to understand concepts without necessarily wanting to apply these techniques?

Ewwww...

Should I try to focus on one at a time and master each technique/system separately?

This works well for kung fu, but I'm not sure about BJJ.

In general. He's probably getting a good dose of various perspectives which is helping him to better use what he already knows. I wouldn't be surprised if he also talked alot about BJJ. You can learn quite a bit from watching videos that explain the context or if you are talking to people who are good at explaining the context of what is being done. Where most will think "You only use Technique #1 if A and B happen" the person you are talking about probably getting some perspective on "Technique can be used to set up Technique 1,2,3,4,5, which are positions that you can find yourself in when A,B,C,D,E,F,G,... happens. But I bet he's probably getting some insight as well.

There are 2 ways that I tell student to learn martial arts.
1. You can learn what I teach or
2. You can learn by trying to understand what it is that you are doing and why it works, and what factors help make the technique successful.

#1 You just have to show up to class.
#2 You gotta be really into it to the point where you are talking about it and listening to what others learn. In this case if you are doing the most talking then you aren't learning.

#1 You only learn how to bake a chocolate cake according to instructions.
#2 You understand #1 and now you can bake a lot of different chocolate desserts using cake mix. That is not part of the #1 receipe.


Most likely you are stuck on #1. You are probably a "by the book person." The guy that you are talking about is probably #2. He'll take a single technique and see how many things he can do with that one technique. The benefit of that is you really don't have to learn a new thing. You just have to learn a new perspective and use what you already know.

Hopefully that helps.

To give you an idea of how this works. I've spent more than 16 years Juicing the life out of the beginner Jow Ga form and I'm still learning new perspectives and new approaches for the techniques in it. I can't even believe I have 16+ years of Jow Ga experience. And I've spent 9 years on this site talking about those approaches. The best thing, I didn't have to learn anything new. I just learned how to use what I know in new ways.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Some people are more conceptual - once they grasp a concept, their technique improves dramatically. It sounds like this guy is like that. So am I. When I watch videos, I am certainly looking for specific technique, but my biggest gain is when I grok a concept. I'll sometimes outperform folks who've been working a technique longer or more intensely, because I'm able to switch from trying to get the pieces right, to implementing the concept (which usually gets a bunch of the pieces right). This sometimes happened for me in seminars (exposed to new ways of explaining and using concepts), and I'd end up helping other attendees. It's also why seminars in other styles had such an impact on my NGA training. On the other hand, I don't get as much from grinding a technique as others do...until I suddenly do.

Try this: watch a bunch of relatively short videos (maybe 10 or so) on one area (say, bridging from under mount for a sweep). Just listen to the explanations, and look for bits and tweaks you hadn't thought of or understood. If one of the videos really seems to be saying something that resonates with you, explore that concept the next time you're training.

This may or may not work for you. My wife is a much more literal learner. She learns initial technique much quicker than me, and doesn't get the sudden jumps in ability I do from understanding concepts. I don't think one is better than the other - just different ways our brains work. If this approach to learning doesn't give you some new insight after trying it on a few techniques, don't spend too much time on it.

 

[GreenieMeanie]

Hi guys. I was talking to a member of the elite team at my gym the other day - he has been training just a bit longer than me but is so much better that I find him untouchable when I roll with him. When I asked how he improved so fast he mentioned that he watches BJJ instructionals daily and very often. The way he spoke about his watching of instructionals caught me off guard, as I tend to find that I stick with a single instructional for months before I move on to something else. In terms of mat time, aside from injuries and some recent lack of discipline which I am tidying up, I believe I can match him. However, I do not watch or study BJJ content as much as he does, which made me think it would help me improve at a faster pace if I did.

My question is, how should I go about this? Should I just download as many as possible and watch them to try to understand concepts without necessarily wanting to apply these techniques? Should I try to focus on one at a time and master each technique/system separately? I have been doing the latter thus far, but I just haven't been watching as often as he said he did. I am not sure how I should actually "watch" instructionals.

As someone who has done it both ways—you won’t necessarily benefit from it. Depending on who you’re watching, the content is meant for someone with a given level of martial arts literacy, just like basic versus advanced textbooks. When I started, me and my training partners were experienced enough we could problem solve our way through the material. It could very well help, but unless you’ve achieved a certain level of mastery, you won’t really understand what you’re watching.

 

[GreenieMeanie]

Should I just download as many as possible and watch them to try to understand concepts without necessarily wanting to apply these techniques? Should I try to focus on one at a time and master each technique/system separately?

Watching it once for familiarization helps, so you’re not totally clueless and rewinding when you practice. I did once binge a series, and I did benefit from it—but the stuff I was watching I’d already trained in one way or another. If you’re not having “aha” moments, thinking between the training and the video, then it’s not working.

 

[rabbittoystory]

Rather than overwhelming yourself with too much content at once, maybe start by mixing it up a bit. Pick a couple of instructionals that cover different aspects of BJJ you’re keen to improve on, and rotate through them. This way, you keep the learning fresh and engaging without getting bogged down. As you watch, try to apply a new technique or concept each session to see what clicks for you on the mat.