Last week I injured my shoulder grappling and practicing takedowns – nothing serious, but it forced me to sit out for a while.

Because of my enthusiasm for the sport, I wanted to think about what I could to for minimal impact on my Jiu Jitsu. So  I began to think about some ways to continue to “improve” when you can’t train.

The quotes above are intentional: the best way to get better is to spend time on the mat – but when I can’t train I do the following to keep my mind in the game.

Watching Class

I believe watching class is the absolute best way to learn when you can’t train. I’ve done this a few times now and almost always something new will “sink in.”

I enjoy walking around the mat, making observations and asking questions, but I’m always conscious not to disrupt the lesson plan or pace of the class.

When I watch class I learn at about 1/8th to 1/12th the pace of actually participating. A slower pace of learning – sure – but at least it’s something. And it it may do the trick for you when you are anxious to learn but can’t train.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougsparks/856169816/

Watching Video

The next best thing to do is to watch instructional Jiu Jitsu videos.

I think everyone interested in Jiu Jitsu has tried watching video clips of the sport on the Internet at some point. Online videos have their place and may help in learning or reviewing different submissions, escapes and passes, but I’ve found that I do much better watching professionally produced DVDs. I find DVDs provide greater context – and, as a consequence, better educational effect – than most lone clips on the Internet. They are also viewable at a higher resolution.

I probably learn around 1/80th the pace watching a video than I do participating in class. While it may seem almost useless, I’d rather watch video about something I’m interested in rather a then a random show on TV.