Different is good. The brain organizes and recognizes patterns through differences, not repetition.
Learning is not linear and over-thinking leads to degraded performance. Good movement occurs beyond conscious control. If you then try to think and replicate the action, you will find that it is gone, or even worse. Thinking too much about “how” to move has been proven through numerous studies to create confusion and less than ideal outcomes.
Your goal should be to execute your task without excess focus on step-by-step processes, to self-organize. There are no “right” or “wrong” ways — no ideal movements or methods. There is no perfect technique. There are many ways to be effective. Don’t limit what is possible for you. You’ll be surprised by what can happen if you let it.
“It’s not about how much you do, but about how much love you put into what you do that counts.”
The idea behind what we do is that there is no repetition of drills, no correction and you are encouraged not to think about what has gone wrong if you have made a mistake. Through play and constraints, you create and make up interesting configurations that develop an adaptive, elastic style. You become skilled.
“You have to present new activities that players are not used to doing. If you repeat exercises too much the brain thinks it knows the answers,” coach Michel Bruyninckx says of this approach to training.“By constantly challenging the brain and making use of its plasticity you discover a world that you thought was never available. Once the brain picks up the challenge you create new connections and it gives remarkable results.”
Jiu Jitsu is a long-term pursuit. Skill takes time. Trying to rush and force your way to faster progress usually backfires. The old adage — most people overestimate what they do in one year and underestimate what they can do in five years — is especially true in Jiu Jitsu.
Have fun. Enjoy where you are. This way you will stick with Jiu Jitsu for the long term.
“Work that is devoid of play is either boring or a grind…Having a fierce dedication to grinding out the work is often not enough. Without some sense of fun or play, people usually can’t make themselves stick to any discipline long enough to master it,” writes Stuart Brown in Play: How It Shapes The Brain, Opens The Imagination and Invigorates The Soul.
Read More On The Psychology Of How We Train: Playing For Fun — And Blood — At Our Jiu Jitsu Gym