As a first-year student, a common challenge is remembering all of those awesome moves. That guard pass may have been the answer to your passing woes, but if you draw a blank while rolling, it is frustrating.
What can you do about this?
Here are a few tips.
Record the class moves.
Whether you write them down or do a video on your smart phone, recording your techniques is an excellent way of internalizing them. When you know that you have to record the specific steps later, you will watch differently when the technique is taught.
Even if you don’t review the notes, the act of writing them down helps cement them in your memory.
Have two moves for each position.
Yes, there are more than two guard sweeps or two escapes from side control. But two moves for each major ground position is a manageable number for you to remember.
It is preferable to have two solid moves that you can recall while rolling than an entire arsenal of moves that you can not recall in the situation.
What are your two best guard passes? Two best takedowns? Start with getting two solid moves per position.
Study.
True BJJ addicts will go home and watch YouTube BJJ videos after class!
Not only does this suggest that you need to get a social life, but it is also a type of homework.
If your instructor teaches the Bullfighter Pass, watching several technique videos on your favourite YouTube channel will really help consolidate that day’s learning.
After watching the videos, remind yourself that you are studying the most complicated and awesome martial art, and that is part of what makes it so valuable.
Read also on Jiu-jitsu Times: Small Successes
