Mat Rat News: COVID Chronicles - Action Observation Hi Mat Rats,I hope that everyone is sheltered, safe, and staying positive. Essential workers, thank you for everything, if there is anything I can do for you or your loved ones let me know.
It’s week five of the quarantine and I’m sure by now everyone has developed some kind of daily routine. Personally I’ve been rewatching my own matches and matches of competitors I follow. I've also been studying a ton of instructionals, particularly Lachlan Giles, Keenan’s Lapel guard, and Garry Tonon’s “Escape the System.” As hard as it may be to watch other people doing the thing you miss most, Action Observation (AO) is a proven way to improve performance. AO has been proven by psychologists to be a possible replacement for, or an adjunct to, mental imagery. AO is basically anytime you are watching someone else do something that you are trying to understand. AO can be watching a live performance or demonstration, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in person. Now in 2020 we can access videos of matches and instructionals, and watching either form of video would be considered AO. AO and mental imagery share similar brain activations, similar to the brain activity of someone who is actually executing an action. So basically, when you are watching a video of Jiu Jitsu your brain is firing like you are doing the movement yourself, much like with mental imagery. Learning from observation is one of the most basic skills in humans and mammals. It's how we learn to move, hunt, talk, socialize... and armbar!
If you’re not sure where to start I recommend looking for a competitor that you enjoy watching, or are trying to replicate. Watch their matches and try to find some of their instructionals on youtube. Watching both matches and instructionals is crucial because Jiu Jitsu is messy and seeing techniques done in real time can give you a sense of how opponents react. It’s best to watch matches and instructional videos that you can comprehend, because scientists have found that the more familiar we are with the observed action the more brain activity will be activated. Don’t be afraid to hone in on one match and pause, replay and rewatch a single exchange. I find it's better to watch less than more in a single sitting. If you want to watch a match along with me tune into Wednesday night Zoom-Jitsu classes. It’s all AO, watching matches and breaking them down.
Also don’t forget that I am offering a free one- on-one lesson to all active Guardian Members, and this could be done remotely and we can for sure watch a match together. I hope everyone is well and is now excited to find some action to observe!
Caleb