Mr. Harris,
Assuming you could only train 2-3 times a week, how would you space those classes trhoughout the week for best results?
Put differently, do you think it would hinder my progress to group the 2 or 3 classes back to back at some point in the week? This seems less than ideal, but w/my class schedule, I may only be able to make it in Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Any insight or advice would be appreciated.
Brian
Brian,
It all depends on focus.
What are your priorities? What is more important in your life at this
point in time?
It is the answer to these questions that will determine what is best
for you.
Keep in mind that BJJ is a hobby. And as a hobby, it is supposed to
be fun. Make sure your training EXPERIENCE is fun. Try not to get
caught up in the selfish way of thinking that some do. In other
words, some think, "It's only fun when I am making other people
tap...so I will do everything and anything in my training to reach
this point...and until I reach that point in time, my experience in
Jiu Jitsu will not be fun."
So, if your schooling or family or job is more important right now,
consider yourself fortunate to have the time to train three times
per week. AND, make those three training sessions as fun as
possible.
Now, if BJJ is your focus right now, you should focus exclusively on
it. Three days a week is not enough. You must train everyday.
Your training should include technique, drills, sparring,
conditioning and tactics. Additionally, you should have morning
and evening training sessions.
Judging by the way you wrote your questions, life is more
important right now than BJJ. So, make sure to have fun while
training. Yes, I can understand wanting to gain some skills along
the way. However, I don't think you can focus exclusively on BJJ.
So, you might as well have fun, stay in shape, learn as much as
you can and develop a few areas that interest you.
Good training to you,
Roy Harris
Mr. Harris,
Thank you for the insightful and thorough response. As you anticipated, right now BJJ is not my focus. I'm too busy w/school, and recently married.
When I was an undergraduate I was training 4-6 days a week, twice a day during the summers, it's hard to scale it back.
One parting question, as I mentioned, I think I can only train 2-3 times a week. Given that, do you think I would make better progress if I trained, say Tuesday, Thursday and Friday v. a more dense schedule, such as Thursday, Friday, Saturday?
Brian
Brian,
When it comes to training, you must consider the following:
While you may only be able to train, physically, two to three times per
week, you should be able to train your mind every day. Thinking about,
focusing on, visualizing and rehearsing your movements in your mind
can sharpen your physical skills tremendously.
When I write the word "movements", I am not talking about techniques.
Rather, I am talking about the actual movements themselves. For
example, close your eyes right now and tell me which muscles you
contract when you enter into a straight arm lock? Which muscles do
you contract when you finish the arm locks? Do you know the answers
to these questions? Have you raised your level of awareness that high?
If not, this is one method of training your mind.
Does this makes sense?
Also, take the time to define what it is that you "THINK" you already
know. For example, when you "Grab your own wrist" while performing
the mechanics of the kimura, which one of the following is the correct
way to GRAB your wrist:
Thumb on top of the forearm.
Thumb underneath the forearm.
In addition to teh placement of the thumb, where do you place your
fingers:
Pinky above the wrist.
Pinky below the wrist.
Pinky and ring finger below the wrist.
Pinky, ring and middle finger below the wrist.
Pinky, ring, middle and index finger below the wrist.
Finally, where do the pads of your fingers go:
On top of the ulnar bone.
On the muscles between the ulna and radial.
On top of the radial.
Do you know the answers to these EASY questions? They are easy if a
person has taken the time to think them through.
Who would have thought the words, "Grab the wrist" could be so
difficult?
So get busy and train your mind everyday! It will help you in the long
run.
Roy Harris
Roy,
Thank you for the reply, you raise a great point. I have been training for some time, about 4.5 years, and couldn't answer those questions w/o really taking a moment to visualize myself performing the technique.
Thank you again for your help, I hope my schedule will allow me to train more often, but I don't think that is very likely anytime soon. Take care.
Brian