1% Better Mini Series
How much do you want to improve your Jiu-Jitsu? At a minimum, you might want to know you can defend yourself. On the other end, you may want to be a world champion. Regardless, you want to improve and that is something we all can work towards.
This week we start a new mini series understanding the common concepts of “Marginal Gains”, “1% better every day”, “Compound Effect”, “Consistency over Intensity”, “Continous Improvement”. These are similar concepts that focus on the importance of small daily actions.
Our Gracie Barra athletes are some of the most well-conditioned, technical BJJ practitioners in the world. Whether it’s ADCC or IBJJF Worlds, most podiums have at least one Gracie Barra athlete with a medal. Gracie Barra athletes are different, but we’ve got one thing in common — no one becomes podium-worthy overnight.
All BJJ athletes will tell stories of how they were submitted in the same headlock tapping every time until one day they were able to escape. With attainable goals and small daily habits, they got better as a result.
In martial arts and life, the goal is to improve in some capacity. It will look different for everyone. In Jiu-Jitsu, it could be anything from a better guard to fluid escapes.
Improvement is a constant process and easiest to achieve when starting small. Maybe you’ve heard the saying “1% better every day” or the concept of marginal gains, or “Consistency over Intensity”? These have been adopted by many individuals and sports teams like the British Cycling team and John Wooden legendary American Basketball Coach.
The aim is to focus on the small, more attainable tasks you can complete over a consistent timeframe. Jiu-Jitsu is sometimes referred to as “the game of inches” and the smallest technique can make the biggest difference in being able to sweep or submit someone.
John Wooden helped the UCLA Men’s Basketball team win 10 NCAA championships from 1964 to 1975. He understood the power of the compound effect, stating “When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur.” One of the simplest examples can be your own level of physical fitness. By continuing to practice and condition your body, your fitness level begins to increase over time.
Dave Brailsford was hired for the British Cycling team with the focus to fix their losing streak. By applying the 1% method he was able to break their streak within that first year, helping the team win 70% of the gold medals at the London Olympics.
Before getting excited about improving, know this:
Getting better at your Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t always materialize as a medal, title, or your next promotion. Sometimes, the improvements appear discreetly causing many to fail to recognize the importance of small sustainable practices and goals. Often distracted with the notion of “go big or go home.”
Make no mistake. There’s a time and place for you to go big or go home, like at a CompNet tournament. That said, thinking this way in training will leave you more exhausted, banged up, or worse, stagnated and frustrated.
BJJ training is a long-term process. Recognizing this is the first step to improvement. To get better consistently for the long-term, you need to aim — not big — but small.
Compete, learn, and further your Jiu-Jitsu development at CompNet.
Blog Written by Veronica Street - Gracie Barra Blue Belt
Resources:
https://www.dukece.com/insights/self-improvement-1-percent-time/