Horsetooth Hybrid Grappling Club

Let’s start with a claim that seems provocative, but one which is invariant–

THERE IS NO TIME FOR THINKING, FOCUSING, OR CONCENTRATING IN COMBAT SPORTS.

Which then lends itself to a critical follow-up question (and which is equally provocative)–

IS HOW YOU LEARN GRAPPLING SKILL MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT YOU LEARN???

Turns out, the study of blacksmiths’ hammering technique opened a portal to our understanding of skill acquisition, and it may shed some light on this question. Skilled blacksmiths have been shown consistently and predictably to strike their target, and yet slow-motion video reveals that their form can vary greatly with each swing. For apprentice blacksmiths it’s the inverse—repeatable swinging motions with lesser precision in their striking hot metal!

We know those adjustments must occur subconsciously. Need a visual analog of how these adjustments occur in grappling? Check out this awesome sweep from Giancarlo Bodoni during this year’s ADCC. Do you think he cognitively planned this out???

(We also know these adjustments are subconscious because the amount of time it takes for a neurologic impulse to travel from the brain, through the spinal cord, out to the muscles, and back up to the brain can be measured…)

So how do we help grapplers reach this level of intuition while applying their skill set? That is, how do we ‘forge’ athletes who can express skill like the aforementioned blacksmiths, who can adjust their movements immediately as the situation demands?

First, stop TWIT coaching our athletes! TWIT is an acronym … TELL them what to do. WATCH them do it. INFORM them of everything they’ve done wrong. Then, TELL them how to do it better.

I’ll fess up, I was a TWIT coach for a long time. Now, we’re embracing implicit learning at Horsetooth. Instead of chasing “ideal”, we set up training experiences that encourage grapplers’ skill development through ‘repetition without repetition’. Much like the blacksmith, we’re zeroed in on an endpoint that may not encompass perfect technique. Function, not form…

Admittedly, it’s challenging to facilitate classes this way, but it’s also more fun for everyone, including me. Essentially, we’re always trying to change at least one of three variables–the environment, the opponent, and/or the task—while we try to reach an objective, whether that be a takedown, escape, submission, etc.