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The secret to mastery in BJJ

In April 2015, my long time friend mentor and Brasilian Jiu Jitsu coach Robert Naumoski was in Sydney to teach a seminar at the Integrated Combat Centre.

In the seminar, Rob took the time to show techniques from one position and its variations rather than numerous position without continuity, which is what you would see in a lot of BJJ seminars and seminars in general that are run in Sydney. At the end of his Sydney seminar, he talked about the importance of repetition. And I’m glad he had mentioned it, as it reiterated what I have been telling my students that very same week.

In all styles and in all gyms, all too often you see students wanting always learn new techniques and refusing to drill the move that they ‘already’ know.  In order for true progress or mastery to be achieved in any field, repetition needs to done, as it is ‘the mother’ of all skill!

Malcolm Gladwell had written a book about the magic number of 10,000 in order to begin to be a master at any discipline.  It may be 10,000 hours or reps depending on the chosen field. In the case of BJJ, it’s reps and hours. Some may agree or disagree with this number, but the underlying principle has stood the test of time. That is, one must need to pay their dues first before reaping the rewards. As Bruce Lee used to say, “do not fear the man that has practiced ten thousand kicks, but rather the man that has practiced a kick ten thousand times”.  So next time your teacher tells you to practice the basics first, make sure you have done your 10,000 reps before you start moving onto the flashy stuff!

David Tong
Head Instructor – BJJ and MMA
Integrated Combat Centre
www.integratedcombatcentre,com.au

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