So what is drilling?
When we look at a drill and what purpose it serves, we see that it is a tool or piece of machinery that, by way of repetitious movement, digs deep into something (whether it is a hole in the ground or a wall) until it reaches its intended target. In our little jiu-jitsu world, drilling would be the act of studying a move, digging deep to the roots, until you reach the target (which is proficiency).
Now that we got that out of the way, let me simply tell you in a couple of sentences why drilling is so important. Going to class is cool because over time, about 7-10yrs, you eventually accumulate enough knowledge to say that you actually know a little sum'n sum'n. This is perfect for the guy who doesn't have time to sit down and develop his game. For the casual trainer, the holes in your game will eventually be roads that you just don't travel down, but your game will still be decent. If you have a hard time getting triangles, you would just simply avoid doing them. For the driller...all roads, paths, trails, and routes are open, and it takes half the time...just 100x more effort.
Now the nitty gritty! This is by no means the be all and end all method of drilling, and some of you may have another way (please share), but this is just a helpful guide to those of you that are lost like I was a few months ago. One thing I realized after asking questions and watching video, was that the process of drilling is very difficult and complex.This is the number one reason why nobody drills. It is also the number one reason why it takes your game to a whole new level, because it gets the mind thinking and creating. Sure we could be mindless robots and just drill what our instructor shows, but where is the fun in that? So I took all of these complex ideas and simplified them into 5 phases, which I appropriately named the 5 phases of drilling, here they go:
Phase One: Discovery
Isn't it amazing when you're rolling in class and your body does something cool and you end up on your opponents back? It may not be a new concept to the BJJ world, but it is too you. This is the discovery part and it can apply to just about anytime you learn something new, whether it be from your instructor, the Marcelo Garcia blue belt visiting your town, or a seminar. It is important during this time you go over the move, write it down, or even videotape it to make sure you don't lose it. You will see why later.
Phase Two: Brainstorm
This is the phase where you study the move and just think! During this time you may want to research by watching videos of competitions or instructionals to get a better grasp of the position and everyrthing that is available. You also may want to take a private with your instructor or pull him/her aside after class and discuss this move with them in grave detail to see what he/she has to say. The goal of the brainstorming process is getting the details (this means figuring out possible counters, escapes, grips, submissions, etc). You need to make sure all your ducks are lined up, or it could be detrimental to your drilling later on.
Phase Three: Trial
Phase three is important because this is the point in your drilling when you can figure out if the position works, whether or not you have to go back to phase two, or if the move doesn't fit you and needs to be dropped altogether. Sometimes you figure a few of these out while brainstorming, but I'm stubborn and need to try everything out myself. Often times we get paired with people smaller than us or a much lower level, this is the perfect opportunity to try out your position to insure every detail is correct and that it is ready to be drilled. You will probably be going back and forth between phase two and three.
Phase Four: Slow/Fast Repetition
“Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops
into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex.”-Norman
Vincent Peale
This is the phase where all of your studying comes together and you can now break your move down into several different sections and begin to drill each and every section slowly until you get the flow. Once you think you have it, maybe after 1000x you can move on to drilling it at a faster pace, usually until you are exhausted. I personally like to do 2-5 minute rounds of back and forth drilling. If you can find someone who will be a dummy for an hour or two, JACKPOT! This helps to build the one thing that we all hear about in jiu-jitsu, and that is muscle memory. Without it, you will only hit your move on new guys and even then you will probably be surprised. Minimal talking during this phase.
Phase Five: Positional Sparring
This is actually where you will spend a lot of time perfecting your move and building muscle memory. It would definitely be a bad thing to go from phase three or four right into a competition...you need to drill with a resisting partner so that you build your timing and can polish up some of those minor details. With a willing partner this is where you call the shots and can direct them to posture this way, defend that way, move over here,etc etc. Make sure also that they are going somewhere around 50-70% intensity...then eventually once you get it down, raise it up. One thing my professor said to do was during live training/sparring get extra reps in by repeating a position over and over. If you know you can pass someone's guard like butter, then try out your new guard pass for however many minutes the rounds are. This is an excellent way to kill two birds with one stone.Here are some little tips to help you along the way:
1. Play music while drilling. Classical and Jazz are best.
2. Bring a timer.
3. Find someone close to your size to drill with.
4. Don't worry about number of reps, take your time.
5. Try to pick one position per session. It is ok to couple things that flow into each other.
6. Don't talk, do.
7. Always refer back to your instructor if you have issues.
8. Utilize white belts. They are always eager to see what the cool higher belt is developing.
9. Drilling takes time, but if you only have 15 minutes a day...its better than nothing!
10. Work on your cardio. Huffing and puffing while drilling is so 1998.
11. Important! Advanced moves will take you longer to become proficient at, spend your time drilling basics. Basics eventually become advanced.
12. Drilling is about effort and hard work. Don't sit around drinking tea with your pinky out, talking about being the first to create the reverse berimbolo octopus guard. Get in the gym and drill!!!
