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How to Shorten Your Learning Curve in Any Craft
I’ve started from scratch in countless pursuits. There are proven ways to get past the awkward beginner stage and shorten the learning curve.
“Oof.” I let out an involuntary noise as my opponent, a nameless guy at least fifty pounds heavier than me, slams my legs down, baseball slides his hips to the opposite side, and pins me to the mat. The last of the air in my chest releases as he does so.
Since starting jiu-jitsu five months ago, I get caught in this position — called being smashed in side control in jiu-jitsu terminology — nearly every time I train. The learning curve in jiu-jitsu is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered.
With most other sports or pursuits, you can get better by working harder. In jiu-jitsu, it’s often the opposite. Rely too much on strength and not enough on technique (like I still regularly do), and you’ll get smashed or swept into a non-advantageous position. Jason, the head of Meraki Jiu Jitsu, the jiu-jitsu academy I train at in Los Angeles, California, reminds me of this almost daily.
And yet, despite my day-to-day struggles, I’m confident in my long-term trajectory in the sport. Even as I struggle with learning jiu-jitsu technique, I know how to learn. I’ve started…
