Unusual (But Common) Way of Improving Your BJJ Skills

There’s an unusual but common way of improving your BJJ skills.
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Many people often realize that they can retain what they learn when they start using this method. They usually start paying more attention to details as well.
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I know some of you already do this.
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But many beginners don’t.
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The reason why they don’t do it is understandable, though.
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They are often not really in a position to use this method…
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… except no one can stop you from doing it on your own.
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“OK, Masa. What’s this secret method you’re speaking of?”
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It’s teaching BJJ.
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Well, duh.
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“That sounds too simple, and I’m not in a position to teach!”, you say?
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I’ll mention how you could still teach even if you’re a beginner shortly.
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But first…
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Let me explain why teaching BJJ can help you learn and improve your BJJ skills (if that’s not obvious).
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When you teach a technique to people who don’t know what this technique is, you need to pay attention to what’s happening when executing this technique.
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You need to break it down into actionable steps.
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And then you need to verbally explain all these pieces of information… in a clear manner.
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By going through this process, you will often find some missing parts in your understanding of that particular technique.
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Overall… you will be more likely to put yourself into a serious learning mode instead of passively watching someone else demonstrating a certain move to you.
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Now… not everyone can be in a position to teach BJJ to others, especially when you’re a beginner.
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BUT.
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You can still go through a similar experience even if you don’t have people willing to listen to you as their new BJJ coach.
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How?
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You can simply record yourself as if you’re teaching a technique to others.
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You can use a voice recorder or a video function of your phone. The point is to flesh out what’s on your mind and verbally express what you think you know.
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If you’re skeptical, just try it.
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Start with your favorite technique and see how you would teach it to someone who has some understanding of BJJ.
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The great thing about this is that you don’t have to wait until you get an opportunity to teach.
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If you keep doing this “active learning” method, I’m sure you will improve your overall understanding of BJJ much quicker.