Don't Optimize

Worry Less, Do More

Some people are obsessed with optimization. I get it. I've read "The 4 Hour Work Week". I know GTD, Scrum, Atomic Habits. I'm down to life-hack, to systematize, to optimize. But with learning to fight you're just not getting that much bang for your buck.

Fighting is unfortunately quite cerebral. There are hundreds if not thousands techniques to learn, and an infinitude of details that make the difference between a technique being useless or unstoppable. This tends to nerd-snipe particularly thinky newcomers. To every move, there's a counter, and a counter-counter. It creates a trap.

I hate to break it to you but there is no secret sauce when you start out. You just show up, do what you're told, and you will learn. It's annoyingly simple and offensive to intelligent people. Thinking doesn't get in the way much, it just doesn't help either. Save your energy and focus on having fun. Push yourself to do what you're told. Try to find a flow. Breathe and relax. Don't worry if you fail at all of this and tense up and start thinking too much. Worry less and do more. Whatever happens the next step is always to try the move again.

There is almost nothing thinky you can do that will beat an extra hour on the mat. Especially in the beginning. There are thousands of Youtube videos that can teach you systems, counters, details. But days of studying them all will do less for you than going to an extra class per week. Much like lifting weights: the small optimizations in technique and programming create a rabbit hole that can cause mental fatigue. It might be annoying but your optimization don't beat increasing your weights, eating a bit more and getting enough sleep. There's no way to distill a month of progress into a week with some 80/20 technique.

The more insidious trap is asking too many questions, being too interested in the details. Your training time is extremely valuable and you want to spend as little of it listening and talking as possible. So don't use 90% of your drill time asking questions. You tried today's technique once -- why didn't it right? Don't worry, just try again. Don't expect to learn a magical secret that will fix it for you. Asking too many questions just drains time you could have spent trying.

A common conversation with a particular kind of beginner:

— I'm not getting this!
— It's okay, keep trying.
— Is this right?
— Not exactly, but just keep trying. Focus on your hips.
— Whoah that other guy just did it really well, I should ask him!
— Just focus on yourself for now.
— Hmm but it looked different when he did it!
— You'll get the hang of it too. Try a few more times.
— Ugh now the drill is over and I haven't gotten the hang of it.
— That's fine. We'll practice this more next time.

It's fine. You're doing okay. You don't need constant feedba

ck, you just need to do. The process provides feedback and when you're starting out you just need to pay attention to what's happening and try, try, try. A coach or partner will show you some detail if you're too far off base. But don't try to inundate yourself with information.