Drill to Win: the quickest path to success

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Walk into a typical Jiu Jitsu class and tell me what you see. Students warming up with exercises
that may or may not be related to the techniques that day, practicing some techniques that may or
may not be related to each other. Finally, everyones favorite part of class live sparring or
rolling. Often, the higher the belt rank, the more of a class a practitioner feels he or she can skip.
The clich is the purple belts that skip warm-ups. And by the time some students reach brown
belt, theyre skipping techniques all together.
Unless an academy has a glut of upper-belts, its difficult to reach the threshold where having an
advanced class can be sustained, forcing experienced practitioners to get their technical
repetitions through sparring alone. If this sounds familiar to you, you probably need to
incorporating more drilling in your training. Many schools are moving away from the move of
the day model described above, and have a more structured curriculum with defined bench
marks to gauge student progress. Additionally, a renewed emphasis on drilling has reached
the mainstream of Jiu Jitsu practice.
Drilling is vital for the development of a Jiu Jitsu athlete. Particularly for the advanced belts,
where the difference in the success or failure of a technique is often a minute detail or a fraction of
a second in timing. Of course, sparring, technical development, strength training and
conditioning all play major roles in an athletes success, but drilling is one of the often-overlooked
elements of training that anyone can do more of to improve..
The recent surge of interest in drilling likely arose with the success of the Atos team, among
others. While drilling has been a key component of many teams tournament preparation few
have been as vocal regarding its importance. The Mendes brothers frequently mention how
drilling brought them to the heights of the Jiu Jitsu world. Andre Galvao has stated that 80% of
his classes are drills, while only 20% is rolling. So its no surprise that Galvao has written the best
(only?) Jiu Jitsu book dedicated to drilling, entitled, Drill to Win. And footage of the Mendes
brothers training brings to light the central role that drilling plays in their development.
Since we started to train BJJ we have been drilling positions at every training session. The
biggest mistake we can see in the schools is that the students are drilling lazily. Always do your
best. If you drill wrong, then you are training to do wrong. If you are training to do wrong then
during the fight you will also do the position poorly. Mendes brothers

The most unusual thing about Jiu Jitsu is that a case for drilling needs to be made at all. Almost
every top athlete uses drilling in their preparation regardless of their sport. Our closest combat-
sport brethren in wrestling and Judo understand drilling an integral aspect of skill development.
In Judo drilling only the entry to tachi-waza, or throwing technique, is known as uchikomi.
repeating the integral transition into a throw develops speed, timing, precision, and aids the Judo
athletes development to a greater extent than completing the entire throw, with less impact on
the uke as well. Because wrestling and Judo are non-commercial martial arts relative to Jiu Jitsu,
there isnt as much of a need to cater to the comfort and attention spans of the students. Also,
since Jiu Jitsu was refined in Brazil, the sometimes-lax training environment there can lead to
students who focus on rolling more than any other training tool.
What is drilling, then? And how can we apply it to our own development? Drilling can apply to
any repetition of technique, although in practice the best drills tend to focus less on the minute
technical details and more on repetition, speed and proper movement. I find the most effective
drills will not necessarily involve a completed technique, but a truncated pathway to allow one
person to achieve as many repetitions of a key segment of the technique is a defined time frame.
Additionally, drilling two techniques together, such as a sweep and a guard pass, or a back-take
and a submission, is a great way to reduce the pauses between your techniques that can give your
opponent an opportunity to catch their breath or escape.
Repeating a movement or technique will create motor memory or muscle memory in colloquial
terms. Motor memory is thought to involve the creation and consolidation of pathways that
encode techniques in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that coordinates smoothness, timing
and accuracy to movements. Sounds like the ideal thing for learning Jiu Jitsu. When a technique
is frequently performed the control of the series of movements involved becomes increasingly
non-conscious. This last point is critical for Jiu Jitsu development. If a technique is performed
sub-optimally sloppy, slow or infrequently two things can happen.
First, the technique will require conscious effort to carry out, wasting precious microseconds as
you decide how to grip, how to position your weight, etc. Your opponent that has drilled more
than you doesnt need to use their mental resources focusing on the details of the technique, and
is able to free up their attention to planing and implementing their next attack. Weve all had the
sensation of grappling an opponent above our own skill level, where it just doesnt feel like we can
keep up to the adjustments they are making. We cannot see and make decisions fast enough and
we are quickly overwhelmed. Drilling can be the difference between getting lost in these scenarios
and holding ones own.
Second, and more insidious, is that repetitions that are not perfect can lean to the consolidation of
bad motor memory. This happens a lot when people only practice during sparing, and dont work
to do the technique in the most correct fashion, but settle for the one that they can force
to achieve their goal. Once this technique is consolidated in motor memory it takes even more
effort to re-learn the correct way. Whoever first said, Slow is smooth, smooth is fast knew their
stuff. Originally a military term referring to shooting drills, the idea that in Jiu Jitsu it is ideal to
master the gross movements of a technique through deliberate technical practice, then to fully
integrate the technique into motor memory through fast, non-conscious drilling.
In addition to building motor memory, drilling can also have benefits for cardiovascular and
mental attributes. Five minutes doesnt seem like a long time, but when your legs and lungs are
burning and youre only half-way through a set of guard pass drills, it becomes clear how high-
intensity drilling can be the difference-maker in your tournament preparation.
What duration or number of repetitions is optimal for motor learning? Theres no way to know for
sure, due to the lack of research on the subject. I would suggest, as much as possible without
ignoring other important aspects of your development as a reasonable guide. Some within the
Jiu Jitsu community have latched onto ideas expressed by the popular New
Yorker columnist Malcolm Gladwell that indicate ten-thousand hours of mindful practice is
necessary for success. This value has also been discussed in Jiu Jitsu circles as ten-
thousand repetitions. While an admirable goal, there is little actual research to support this claim.
In fact, some of the researchers with whose research Gladwell supported his claims have
published angry rebuttals. More repetitions can actually be harmful if, as stated above, they are
performed sub-optimally. Its better to quit while the movements are performed with speed and
precision than slog through a few dozen extra faulty reps because of a misunderstanding.
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Drilling has two main uses. For the beginner Jiu Jitsu student, an instructor can design a drilling
program to familiarize his or her students with the fundamental movements of the art. Advanced
practitioners can use this time to drill techniques specific to their game, that wouldnt be as useful
to a student thats just starting out. Many instructors are incorporating drills into their Jiu Jitsu
programs already, but one of the biggest benefits of drilling is their use in self-directed
development. To apply drills in a self-directed program, students may take advantage of their
schools open mat or find some time in their gyms schedule when the mats are not in use and
gather some like-minded teammates to work with. Make sure to speak with your instructor first,
both to get critical direction as well as prevent any tension that could arise.
If youre still not sure of how to proceed in your own development, it will be of value to watch
Lloyd Irvin describe Lloyd Irvins Micro-Transitional Drilling System. Basically, after Irvin had
the foresight to bring the Mendes brothers to his academy to teach, the Atos competitors
described their drilling strategy. This evolved into the idea of drilling submission entries during
common positional transitions. Irvin gives the example of setting up the clock-choke early in the
transition between the double-under guard pass and the opponents turtle position. It is easy to
apply this idea to the common positions and submissions that we use every day.
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Another great resource for drilling is the plethora of online instruction that is currently clogging
up the web tubes. Two of the better options for online instruction include MGinAction.com by
Josh Waitzkin and Marcelo Garcia, and MB Online by the Mendes brothers. For free
video instruction, it is difficult, both in quantity and quality, to top the drills described by Jason
Scully on his youtube channel and on his website. Additionally, Lex Fridman has an excellent
series of articles on drilling. And of course, Galvaos Drill to Win is the gold standard for drilling
resources.
Over the last two months my friend Cedric and I have instituted an informal daily drilling session
at our academy. It has allowed us to drill techniques that apply to our specific games. Cedric has
an amazing open guard. When he leads the group, we focus on techniques that may not be
appropriate for beginner students, like the dozens of berimbolo variations that exist. When I lead
the group I tend to focus on a mix of guard passing drills and transitions. Our instructor has been
very supportive of our efforts, and they have been paying off in terms of linking together our
techniques and improving our timing.
For example, although Ive been playing spider guard since white belt, Im presently investing
time in improving my technique, speed and combinations through drilling this position. The
omoplata is a solid option from spider guard when your opponent circles under your hook in an
attempt to pass the guard. To drill this technique, my partner grabs the pants allowing me to pull
their arm into an omoplata. I first learned this technique from watching Rubens Cobrinha
Charles compete and have been working it into my game with some success. This is just one of the
many drills that Ive been incorporating into my self-directed Jiu Jitsu training.

Tips for a good drilling session:

1. Find the right partner. Someone that is equally committed to working hard. Many students
want to drill a technique two or three times then stop to chat or hypothesize about alternative
techniques.

2. Cant find a partner? There are a number of single-person drills to improve your movement for
Jiu Jitsu. I love using these as a sport-specific warm-up.

3. Have a plan. To get the most out of your drilling time make sure to have two or three drills in
mind before you start. Link together the drills you do each day so they coalesce into a well-
rounded Jiu Jitsu game.

4. Use a notebook. Keep track of the drills youve completed and notes about what drills you
would like to do. This will help you remember what youve already done and streamline the
planning stage.

5. Do your research. A great thing about living in the internet age is the access to the training
regimes of the best Jiu Jitsu practitioners in the world. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, it helps
to see how the top athletes drill and incorporate their routines.

6. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. It bears repeating drilling isnt the time for learning a
technique for the first time. Traditional technical repetitions (often with partners taking turns) is
a great way to understand the technique and make it smooth. To dial in the technique, that
smooth practice can be translated to effective action through rapid drilling.

7. Fundamental techniques over fancy ones. During self-directed training the urge is strong to try
that one cool flying submission you saw on the last UFC or the trendy inverted sweep everyone is
doing these days. Be realistic about your drilling time. Refer to the Pareto principle (aka 80/20
rule) if youre having trouble deciding on which techniques to focus.

8. What makes a good drill? Something that doesnt require a lot of re-
positioning between repetitions. Guard passing entries make naturally good drills, as do guard
attacks that can be applied to each side.

9. Set a timer. The best drilling environment is one where you can perform the movement over
and over. If you have to stop to switch partners its easy to loose the feeling of the technique.
Instead set a timer for three minutes and work up to five minutes per drill.

10. For more tips on getting the most out of your self-directed Jiu Jitsu study, check out the
article, Turn Your Open Mat into a BJJ Laboratory by Aesopian.
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Article can be found at: http://thejiujitsulab.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/built-to-drill-the-
fastest-way-to-success-in-jiu-jitsu-and-in-our-new-contest/




















A Framework for Drilling
Introduction
Drilling is important. Your success in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu directly relates to the time
you spend performing quality drills. The learning curve in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is steep
and many new students quit before they develop a basic understanding of the how to
learn the art. The adage of learning how to learn is critical to your success. New
students get hooked on the adrenaline of the free roll. Eventually, the adrenaline is
replaced with the frustration of being tapped repeatedly, and the student quits or
sets off on the never ending journey of finding the latest and greatest technique
promised to turn the tide of frustration.
They key to unlocking the mystery of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is drilling.
In this article, we present a framework for drilling to help the student survive the
learning curve and develop an understanding of the techniques and skills required to
learn how to learn.
The Nature of Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu may be the hardest thing youll ever do in life. There are no
overnight successes. It takes years of dedication to fully grasp and appreciate the
depth, complexity, and organization of the art. To simplify the complexity of learning
the art, there are three key characteristics that must be explicitly understood.
1) Open Environment The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu environment is an open
environment. An open environment is one in which the participant cannot predict
with a high level of certainty the external forces acting upon him. A simple example
of an open environment is driving on the freeway. You have no control over vehicles
entering and exiting the freeway or driving in your vicinity. You can only act and
react based on the observed movement and perceived intent of the vehicle drivers.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu environment is much the same in that your opponent is free to
act in any fashion within the rules and you must act react accordingly. The ability to
predict opposing movements does not come by magical osmosis but through the
intimacy gained by drilling the technique. Just as you predict a drivers intent to
change lanes by reading their signals, you can predict the movement patterns of
your opponent by reading his signals. The best way to develop the ability to predict
these movements is through drilling.
2) Externally Paced Jiu-Jitsu is externally paced. An externally paced
environment is one in which the timing of the performance is not completely
controlled by the performer. Building on the driving example, you have no control
over the speed of vehicles on the freeway. The speed of other vehicles dictates the
speed of your vehicle such as when in a traffic jam. Your vehicle speed also
influences the speed of other vehicles as well. In Jiu-Jitsu, neither opponent has
complete control over the pacing of the techniques performed. Each opponent must
work to influence the pace or react to the pace appropriately.
3) Interactive Jiu-Jitsu is highly interactive. Both participants act and react to
each other for the entire length of the match. Its important to note that the
interaction occurs at the physical and mental levels with each participant attempting
to assert and maintain physical and mental control over one another. Interactivity is
often referred to as resistance in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The takeaway is that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu occurs in an unpredictable environment at
varied speeds with full resistance.
The Drilling Framework
The Drilling Framework addresses the preceding three characteristics in a manner
that allows you to focus on the technique at hand outside of the highly dynamic
nature of the live Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu environment. By controlling the variables, you
can focus on the important aspects of the technique without the distraction of the
environment.
The Drilling Framework is intended to provide the practitioner with a self-sufficient
and scientific approach to learning new skills. The framework does not focus on
specific techniques. An understandable, repeatable, and executable framework is
more valuable than any one particular technique. As you progress, your body
changes. Age and injury change your ability to perform techniques. The sporting
rules regarding legal techniques change as well. Except basic modifications, the
Drilling Framework should remain the same. It is a conceptual guide that provides
the user with a structure for achieving an explicit goal and producing a tangible skill
in a self sufficient manner.
The Drilling Framework is designed to minimize the variables in the learning
environment with the intent of producing successful results in a consistent manner.
If youre not seeing consistent results, resist the urge to cast the technique aside in
search of a better one. Instead, check your variables. Adjust one variable and try
again. Continue to troubleshoot the technique in this manner until youre satisfied
with the results. This approach allows you to better measure your success, adjust
your drilling environment accordingly, and add consistency and familiarity to your
learning environment.
Framework Variables
The Drilling Framework is built on the following variables. Keep the variables
constant when starting. The design is for each drill to start in a tightly controlled
environment. Once you develop mastery of the technique in the controlled
environment, the variables can be adjusted with the goal of executing the technique
during live full resistance training.
(Drilling Party = person performing the drill) (Drilling Partner = person opposing
the drill)
1) Closed Environment The initial learning environment should be closed. The
Drilling Partner should react in a predictable pattern every time with minimal
variations. This allows the Drilling Party to focus on the essential movements of the
technique without having to predict the movements of the Drilling Partner. This
environment can slowly open up over time and become less predictable as the
Drilling Party becomes proficient with the skill.
2) Low Reactivity The Drilling Partner should offer low reactivity. This means
the Drilling Partner should offer only the necessary resistance required for the
Drilling Party to execute the technique. The resistance level should start and remain
very low until the Drilling Party masters the essential aspects of the skill. Only then
should the Drilling Partner add resistance.
3) Internal Pacing The Drilling Party should control the movement speed of the
drill. As the skill level increases, the Drilling Partner can modify the pacing of the drill
by adding resistance and opportunity windows for the Drilling Party to execute the
technique. This helps the Drilling Party develop the timing and recognition ability
necessary to execute the technique. This becomes more important the closer the
Drilling Party gets to executing the skill in a live environment.
Other considerations specific to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Practice the drills in multiple
sessions. It will be easier to learn the new technique over several sessions than one
long session. Dont confuse the Open/Closed Environment Continuum with the
High/Low Reactivity Continuum. The Open/Closed Continuum deals with the
predicability of the environment and the High/Low reactivity addresses the resistance
level offered by the parter.
Framework Elements
1. Pick Your Goal
The first component of the drilling framework is your goal. A goal can be simple or
complex. A simple goal represents one movement. An example of a simple goal is
learn the inverted armbar. A complex goal is conceptual. An example of a complex
goal is learn how to escape side control.
A goal should address one of the following. 1. Improve a strength 2. Improve a
weakness 3. Learn a new technique, skill, or movement
Having an explicit goal will guide you in your selection of drills.
2. Choose Your Success Measurement
Determine how youll measure the success of your drilling efforts. Your success
measurement should be explicit and measurable. An example of an explicit success
measurement follows.
To be able to execute the armbar from guard against at least one opponent at the
next local tournament.
3. Pick Your Drills
This section is not intended to point out specific drills but instead focuses on how to
select appropriate drills based on your goal. The key to drill selection is
specificity. The drills you select to should be directly related to your goal. If youre
unclear of how a drill relates to your goal, the drill should not be selected.
Start with simple movements and progress to more complex movements. Select
movements that are discrete (have a distinct start and finish), simple (requires little
attention span), and a low element of organization (few moving parts). Once the
initial movements are mastered, move on to more advanced movements.
It is imperative the you execute the movements in the proper manner each time.
Poorly executed drills develop poor skills and the realization of your goal will be
deferred. In other words, dont waste your time. Perform the technique correctly
each time. Ask your instructor to show you how to execute the technique properly if
youre unsure.
If the goal is to learn a complex technique, break the technique into smaller discrete
movements and drill the movements separately. Once the individual movements are
mastered, the practitioner can put the movements together and drill the unit as a
whole.
4. Execute Your Drills
The proper starting environment for a new drill is closed (highly predictable
movements from the Drilling Partner), low reactivity (low resistance), and internally
paced (Drilling Party sets the pace).
As the Drilling Party develops the ability to execute the technique, the environment
variables can be modified. The environment should become more open (less
predictable pattern of movements from drilling opponent) with higher reactivity
(more resistance) and externally paced (drilling opponent attempts to dictate the
pace).
As discussed previously, the Jiu-Jitsu environment is highly open and externally
paced, with high levels of reactivity. The live Jiu-Jitsu environment is not conducive
to improving strengths and weaknesses or learning new techniques.
Controlling the environment variables allows you to focus on the most important
aspects of the technique at each stage.
In the beginning stage, the focus should be on learning the essential body
movements of the techniques. As you master the basic movements of the
techniques, the focus shifts to being able to execute the technique in an open
environment against higher levels of resistance.
Stage 1 Learn the Basic Movements of the Technique. Drill the technique
with predictable movements and no resistance from your partner.
Stage 2 Learn to Execute the Technique with Resistance Drill the technique
with predictable movements and slowly add resistance. Have your partner gradually
add resistance until he can no longer add resistance without becoming unpredictable
in his movements. The focus here is to understand the leverage and force necessary
to execute the technique against a resisting opponent.
Stage 3 Learn to Recognize the Windows of Predictability Drill the
technique with unpredictable movements from your partner. Your partner should not
have to offer high levels of resistance when beginning this stage. The focus is on
developing the ability recognize the windows of opportunity to execute this
technique. Your partner should offer slow pacing first and gradually increase the
speed until it is similar to a live environment. Drilling in this manner helps you
develop the ability to predict movements in slices of time 1-5 seconds in an
otherwise unpredictable environment. This is where you develop the ability to be 2-3
movements ahead of your opponent.
Stage 4 Execute the Technique in a Live Jiu-Jitsu Environment This is the
final stage where you focus on executing the technique against a fully resistant
opponent. This can be done in open mat or as part of a drilling session. Put winning
and losing out of your mind when youre working in this stage. The important thing is
to make attempts to execute the technique. Use the prior knowledge youve gained
with the technique in the previous stages to help you recognize the opportunity,
pacing, and interactivity levels necessary to execute the technique.
Modality Drills can be performed in whole or part. The nature of the drill in
question should dictate the modality. Simple movements can be executed in whole
from beginning to end. Complex movements may require you to break the
movements into smaller parts that can be executed and reassembled.
Session The type of session can be broken down into massed or distributed
sessions. Your level of conditioning and experience dictates the type of session.
Massed sessions occur without break and continue until the you master the skill.
Distributed sessions have several breaks and the skill is learned over several
sessions.
Rep Unit Typically, the drill is repeated for a number of repetitions or a set time.

Article can be found at: http://www.insidebjj.com/2011/03/08/a-framework-for-
drilling/