How to Set Goals for 2014 in BJJ

I am not a big fan of New Years' resolutions.  For a long time, my resolutions were always "lose X pounds," which started to feel superficial and unattainable and boring.  Last year was the first year in my adult life I decided to not put "lose weight" on the resolution list.  Instead, I resolved to run a 5k and get my blue belt.  That's it.  Two goals.

I ran my very first 5k in February and got my blue belt in June.  Maybe I should have had a third goal?

This year I am not making resolutions.  I wasn't really looking forward to the resolution-making process this year, anyway.  Then, on New Year's Day, my Facebook feed was filled with New Year's resolutions that depressed the hell out of me.  Reading them, it seemed like no one liked themselves -- at all.  Sure, we all have things we want to work on, things we'd like to improve or do differently, but what about just being happy where you are?  This year, I'm going to be happy where I am and who I am right now.  If changes need to be made, I'll make them.  But I'm not going to try to be anything other than me.

BJJ, like life, is a place that will always have room for improvement no matter how content I am.  However, in BJJ, especially since I got slapped with my blue belt, I find it extremely difficult to set reasonable goals.

When I first started training, the goal was to not die.  Then, the goal was to spar every round.  But even then, the word "goal" is not the right word, because these "goals" were all subconscious intentions I realized after the fact.

Once I got comfortable being uncomfortable, I felt my way forward; coming to class regularly, drilling well, taking notes, and trying to execute techniques in sparring.  Every now and then I set a goal regarding the ability to pull off a certain technique in sparring, but that's as far as I have gotten in terms of setting progressive benchmarks for myself.

Where is this babbling going?

My blue belt terrifies the ever loving shit out of me.  All of a sudden I am having a crisis of confidence and it is like being a white belt over again.  This time around, since I am conscious of my incompetence, it seems a lot more scary.  I think it is a perfect time to use my fear and uncertainty and consciousness about my incompetence to put together a set of tangible, objective goals for myself going forward.

Coach Tim's Advice

January is the time for resolutions and February is hopefully the time for follow-through.  Coach Tim prefers to place the most emphasis on setting goals regarding process and logistics rather than simply results and goal posts.

Everyone knows about goal setting with regards to our result - use a specific, measurable metric that is both time-constrained as well as reasonable possible given your starting point.  That's all great information on how to set a goal, but if the goal is to get across the ocean this week and spend some time in Africa - it is pretty important for to figure out if you are taking a boat or a plane to get there!

With that in mind - what are some effective processes we can incorporate into our training? 

For most of us, the first process-related goal is our training breakdown - How often should I train? How hard should each training session be? How much time should be spent drilling and how much spent sparring? These are all important questions and obviously each answer is tailored to each student but since there are only so many hours in a day, simply increasing frequency (going from 3 days / week, to 4 days a week to 5 days / week to 2x a day) is a progression that will quickly reach an upper-limit.  Instead, set a goal to tweak and refine your training schedule and goals on a weekly or monthly basis.

For example, one week, focus on playing guard - sweeping and submitting as much as possible, practicing guard retention and movements on your "bad" side.  When you are successful from your guard, slyly allow your training partner some room, making them work a bit to escape and recover so that they continue to fight back very hard.  When you are unsuccessful, make notes about the 1 or 2 top issues that arose during this exercise, and ask for a solution, and drill the solution in your off time.  The goal in this period is to resist the temptation to smash your opponent after getting the sweep and/or mount, or to refrain from resorting to take downs because of a trouble spot with guard.  The ability to resist what comes easiest is the test of whether or not the goal has been reached.

Take this example and zoom in or out; zoom in and the focus is on specific guards, guard retention movements, specific sweeps/submissions, or, as Coach Tim is working on, spending more time playing guard on his "bad" side.  Zoom out and the focus is on broader concepts and perspectives, such as:  "No matter who I'm sparring, I'm going to fight to prevent my guard from being passed with every bit of technique and physicality that I can. No one passes my guard for free!"  Having a specific goal with different gradations within that goal allows you to customize the goal for varying skill levels among your training partners. 

Go train!