The mind is learning faster than the body can keep up. This is a fairly common thing for white belts and beginners. How to deal with this and how you can solve this problem? Nick Albin aka Chewjitsu posted a video and talk about this common problem in BJJ.
The mind absorbs and understands all the techniques, but when it comes to using them there is a problem. The body can’t keep up. We can often come across this in Jiu-Jitsu. First, you have to know that this is absolutely normal occurrence. How many times happen that you know how some technique works? You understand the movement but you can’t do it during the rolling.
When you watch all the black belt matches at the highest level, you probably think that these high-level grapplers are just constantly thinking? This is not the reality. The reality is that they think a little bit but most of what’s happening are on let’s say autopilot. All the differences, all the movements that we can see are happening so fast because it’s all automatic to them. When you look at all the great athletes they’re not thinking about every little detail, so much of this stuff is just automatic. They maybe make small adjustments but a lot of it’s happening too fast for them to constantly think about it.
How to overcome and solve the problem?
How to get better? One of the solutions is a “technical diet“.Choose a position or one-two techniques. Try to use those as much as possible over and over again during rolling. Try to use it as much if you get a chance to drill.
As you use it over and over you unconsciously get better at the position. You’re not thinking about getting better, it’s just happening because you’re there more often and then you start to find that your body isn’t ahead of your mind.
It’s important to understand that even if you don’t think you’re getting better when you’re using these techniques you are, it’s just happening probably on an unconscious level.
As with all other things, it takes time and work. You’ll get better over time, that’s for sure.
