Why is this?
Most of us train quite a bit during the week, and in any given training session we may learn 3-4 techniques. Included with those techniques are minute concepts and details, that if not perfected result in sloppy execution, as mentioned earlier.You see it all the time, as if we think the technique will eventually present itself once we hit the higher belts. Unfortunately, it won't. Which is why we must remain diligent on perfecting our technique.
But how do we remember it all though, Jei?
Good question! After constantly being frustrated day in and day out, I had to find a solution. I'm a very silly guy, so I started to imagine a little bird on my shoulder constantly whispering in my ear. If the image of a little bird sitting on your shoulder while rolling, doesn't at least make you smirk...you need a hug. I keep this little imaginary birdie on my shoulder at all times. His only job is to tell me to do whatever goal I set for myself that day/week.
This prevents me from going to the gym in zombie mode, and making the same mistakes day in and day out. One thing that I think most newer practitioners don't realize is, that if you are not drilling, your muscle memory is going to come from how you roll. If you roll like a spaz, not paying attention to the placement of your grips, hips, etc...you will find yourself in a world of hurt later on.
It is important to have at least one concept of the day or week every time we make it to the gym. If you are a little more advanced, maybe you can have multiple, but my birdie can only handle one thing now. For instance, this week I am going to try to work on breaking grips, last week it was remaining calm when people are overly aggressive and just moving on to another position (I realized in competition I was holding on to people like my life depended on it and I was wearing myself out). Trust me it has helped.
Sometimes you may find that your goal is the same every week for a month, it doesn't matter, as long as you are making the adjustments and improving your game. If you don't like the bird idea, wear a rubber band. If you have a good memory, maybe you don't need anything. Just find that one detail, and stick with it. Eventually it will become second nature, and then on to the next! Thanks for reading!
