COVID Chronicles: Novel Skills & Becoming an Expert Learner

Hello Mat Rats,

As another day that ends in Y passes by many of us are looking for ways to stay busy. If you’re not deemed an essential worker and are fortunate enough to be safe and sheltered then I’m sure you’re sick of migrating around the house. As die-hard grapplers, we are likely suffering from anxiousness to get back on the mat. Unfortunately returning to practice as we knew it is just not something we’ll be doing in the near future. Even though is it important to stay in shape and mentally sharp we can only do so much. If you have the time and energy now is a good opportunity to pick up a novel practice or skill.

Personally I’ve been work on my mobility, which is something I’ve neglected and have struggled with over the years. I’ve subscribed to YogaforBJJ and have also purchased Alex Nichols’ Kinstretch video series. Mobility and Yoga have become my new passion, something not too taxing that I can study and practice safely. Having something to practice everyday is crucial. Don’t think you have to do something related to grappling. Other ideas of novel practices and tasks are baking sourdough, drawing, juggling, computer programming, and so many more.

You’ll come to realize that it’s not just about the subject matter but rather how we approach learning the subject. We may or may not become the best at what we are trying to master but we can be the best at learning. Students are often programmed to rely on teachers and guidelines to learn a subject, but in times like these we need to become active learners. Creating strategies to learn a given task that can be transferred to anything else we are trying to learn is crucial. Moral of this article, be an expert learner.

Hope all is well grappling family!