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Daniel Coyle is a New York Times bestselling author of The Talent Code and The Little Book of Talent.  He is one of the leading authorities on developing talent.  He may not be a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but his ideas about how to practice can help you understand how you learn.  The methods he has found could help catapult your game to the next level and beyond.

We start off with these basic definitions:

Talent Hotbed– A place that has an unusual amount of extraordinary performers.  These places can be studied and we can learn about their different training techniques.

Muscle Memory– This is a not a real thing, all your muscle is controlled from your brain.  Muscle has no memory.

Myelin– When you build new skills they are insulated by a myelin sheath.  This sheath gets thicker as you practice and push yourself.  The thicker it becomes the faster and easier your connections become.

Deep Practice– This is the sweet spot when you are putting a lot of myelin between your connections.  People who continually put their selves in a deep practice learn quickly.  An example of this would be sparring with someone who is a little better than you.

We talk about:

• The class structure of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
• The difficulty of learning in a group setting
• The learning environment that is created by leaving your ego at the door
• Having the high intensity of a BJJ workout with a safe environment is a great place to grow
• The best way to give feedback is to ask questions
• Why it is important to design a training environment that forces people to ask questions
• The large benefits to all of the students of having colored belts help teach techniques
• Why you should be careful about the 10,000 hours rule
• Quality of training is far more important than quantity
• Why in some of the talent hotbeds they don’t spend all day practicing
• The Bruce Lee quote “I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times.”
• How YouTube has effected learning BJJ for good and bad
• The better you get the more important the fundamentals become
• Building fundamentals is like building a tree in your brain.  Make the trunk of the tree strong, so you can add things on to the tree.  With a strong trunk you can add things quickly and easily.
• The survival zone, and why no learning happens in this zone
• Some advice for a student who is competing for the first time
• What is going on the mind of a top competitor?  Turns out that it is not much
• The science of group success is a project he is currently working on keep your eyes open for this my friends

Quote of the week– “We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle.  This quote was presented by Ryan Hall.  If you missed Ryan’s interview with us it can be found here. Episode 30.  In an amazing coincidence this quote is in the first few pages of Daniel Coyle’s book The Little Book of Talent.

Article of the week– “Starting BJJ: What to Expect on your First Class”.  From Grapplearts.com

Sponsor– Fujisports.com If you are looking for a great first gi you cannot go wrong with the AllAround Gi.  It is a high quality gi and has a very good price.  Save 10% off your purchase at Fujisports.com with the coupon code “BJJBrick”

Links

Daniel Coyle’s website

The Talent Code

The Little Book of Talent