Observation: There are many catalysts to learning in Jiu Jitsu and life, one of the most important is observation. When most people watch a match or sparring session they look at the result – who won – and remember only that. The result is the least important element to look for. Much better progress will come by looking for successful application of a technique and the mechanical and tactical reasons why it succeeded. Best of all is to look for patterns OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE. If you see certain movements repeatedly giving positive or negative results you have made an important discovery – obviously one will push you towards what you want to do yourself and the other a cautionary tale in what to avoid. Only when you see REPEATED SUCCESS do you get clear evidence that something important is going on and may be worth devoting serious study to. It maybe something small, a simple set up or preambles a move – big or small, if you see repeated success then you ought to try it for yourself and see if you can share in that success and perhaps even improve upon it. Understand that simple observation, while never enough in itself, is nonetheless an important part of the learning and development process. It's easy to sit back and relax and watch sparring and competition like a movie, but it is much more productive to watch it like a puzzle to be solved – you will need to do a lot more work from there – but it's a great start that we all get many opportunities to partake in every day.
