Speed. John Danaher
Speed: Speed is a wonderful attribute in most combat sports but in a predominantly ground grappling sport like jiu jitsu speed becomes a little more nuanced for the simple reason that you usually can’t really move very quickly on the floor. Rather than try to make yourself faster - take a different approach - instead of trying to make yourself faster focus on making your opponent slower. Remember - there are always TWO ways to win a race. You can make yourself faster or you can make the other guy slower. In truth, it is the second option that is generally preferable in Jiu jitsu. Speed is largely determined by genetics and decreases with age. Slowing someone down through grip and positioning is determined by skill and is the way of longevity. There are some scenarios in Jiu jitsu where speed is an important asset - many takedowns in standing position, toreando passing are good examples. However, if you have close body contact with an opponent on the floor, the ability to slow the other fellow down will typically prove more important than the ability to speed yourself up
John Danaher
Improving yourself: The path to excellence in all fields of life is skill acquisition. More than anything else it is your skill level in your chosen field that will determine how far you go. There are two paths to go about this. The first is to improve the skills you already have. The second is to acquire new skills. The first option is easier and far less time consuming. In general it’s much easier to improve what you’re already good at than to learn something totally new - so if you’re looking for fast results - this is the path to take. However, there are diminishing returns on this path. At some point the improvements become smaller and smaller as you try to wring more and more out of the move. At some point the improvements become so minor that a plateau is reached. For long term progress, you have to start incorporating new skills. It can be frustrating at first, as initial progress can be slow, but this is the only way to ensure long term growth. At any given time you should be walking both paths. Divide your short term projects around improving existing skills and your long term projects around acquiring new skills - this way you’ll always be pushing onward and upward
John Danaher
Know thyself: Knowing what you’re good at is a key to victory; knowing what you’re not good at is a key to avoiding defeat. Knowing both is the key to continual progress over time in the training room. Accurately evaluating yourself is not easy - we know ourselves mostly through the words of others rather than self analysis but remember that others are usually either indifferent or have their own agenda when evaluating you. Learn to judge yourself through results rather than words - it’s always more honest.
John Danaher
Your power is in your hips and legs: We humans are physically a rather feeble bunch compared with the other major mammals on this planet. One thing we do have going for us however, is the power of the hips. Your hips and legs are by far the strongest way to generate power and endurance that we have available - so it’s up to you to ensure that you make them the focus of your entire game. See you arms as just a means of connecting yourself to an opponent - but the engine room of the body is downstairs in the hips and legs. Let this simple truth guide all your training, whether it be jiu jitsu or your strength and endurance training.
John Danaher
