Help I’ve hit a plateau! What to Do When You Just Don’t Feel Like You’re Getting Better.
By Mik Milman
First of all I think this is something most of us have dealt with. At times no matter how hard or how much we train we just don’t seem to be getting better. Here are some strategies for dealing with the feeling that you’re not getting better.
#1.
STOP IT. You ARE getting better. Throughout my many years of training dozens of people who I know for a fact are getting better tell me they just seem stuck. Why is that? People make the common mistake of comparing themselves with other people when gauging their progress. This is a terrible way to measure how much you’re improving. Newsflash: OTHER PEOPLE ARE GETTING BETTER TOO. Maybe your guard passing has gotten a lot better but your opponents guard recovery has as well. When gauging your performance you need to stop looking at how you do against other people, and focus on how you perform. Did you give it your all? Did you feel connected to your roll? Comparing yourself to other people is very misleading way to measure your progress as it is not a static measure. Want to compare yourself to other people? Try comparing yourself to a white belt that just walked into the academy.
#2. SWITCH IT UP
I’ve been lucky. In all my years of training, I have never felt stuck. I was able to take lessons I learned from past sports to prevent that. But I clearly remember what it was like to feel like I wasn't progressing back in highschool when I was a skater. My solution? Skate switch. Switch skating is when you switch the orientation of your dominant and secondary foot. By doing so you are starting from scratch without judgement of where you should be.
Do you always pass to the right? Exclusively work on passing to the left for a while.
Always lead with your left foot? Try your right.
Do you always play guard? Try exclusively playing top game for a while.
#3 EMBRACE BAD POSITIONS
Maybe you keep ending up in bad positions. Embrace it! Put yourself in those positions purposely and work your escapes. You will improve and feel a lot more relaxed in those positions when you’re there by choice.
#4. OVERCOMPENSATE
Find something you under or over do and over compensate. Are you using way too much strength? Try rolling like a rag doll for a while. Are you moving erratically? Try moving at a methodical snail's pace. When we overcompensate in the opposite extreme we are often later able to find a more happy medium.
#5 TAKE A BREAK
I only recommend this as a last resort, but sometimes when all else fails, you just need a bit of a mental recovery.
What are your strategies for getting over stagnant progress? Comment below. Happy training everyone!
