I started writing a blog entry on trying too hard & how you can reach plateaus in your training, and I realised I had done one very similar previously. After reading it back I thought it would be just as useful to repost it in it's entirety...

One of the most common questions I get asked is “Why aren’t I getting any better?”

While I can probably give you some pointers to specific areas of improvement, I can’t answer the question for you. You have to do that yourself!

Maybe you are expecting too much too soon? Are you using every roll or sparring session as a chance to beat your partner & make them tap rather than using the opportunity to apply what you have learnt? (I could write pages on that on its own so I’ll do into more depth another time)

Have you reached a plateau? Every one learns in steps & plateaus. You’ll take a step up and then hit a “level”. Maybe you’d learnt a new sub and for a couple of weeks you were catching everyone in class with it and feeling good about life! What you need to realise is that if you use the same thing every week fairly soon everyone will get wise to it. They'll stop allowing you into the position you need to use it and You‘ll be asking “last month I caught everyone now I cant get it to work. I feel like I’ve reach a plateau, what’s going wrong?” or you’ll be asking your Instructor “why aren’t I getting any better?”

Understand that you’ve put yourself on that plateau, by sticking with the same thing over & over simply because it worked for you. Everyone else is thinking “great, I finally managed to defend that move” and is thinking they’ve moved on a little. So its time to refocus yourself, to find another option, concentrate on something else, work your sweeps, or your guard, or concentrate on positional dominance.

Maybe the answer to your question is a lack of effort! It’s no good turning up 1 week in every 3 and then expecting to be the next flash submission expert or the next big UFC star! It’s no good making excuses why you haven’t come, find excuses to get to training, not to stay away. You’re only making them for your own benefit anyway, I don’t care about your excuses, I’ve heard them all before! (and better ones!) I’ve got a family, I’ve got children, pets, a house & a full time day job, sometimes I feel lazy & sometimes I don’t want to be bothered, I’m no different to you, other than I’m there & I’m always working on getting better, and improving the parts I’m no good at. I can only think of a handful of sessions I’ve missed through genuine reasons. And that’s the difference…they are reasons…not excuses!

Going back to the original subject, I’ve even heard someone say they aren’t getting better because no one at the club gives them a challenge! Well look at yourself, are you really that good? Do you know everything?

Everyone challenges me because I find the weak points of my game & allow them to exploit that. Then I have to work on the defences, counters, escapes. If you can tap everyone in the club with the same move every week, what are you learning? Why spend another week doing the same thing. Don’t use the same takedown, the same pass, the same control, the same sub. Try something different. It may not work as well, but…hey…there’s your challenge. Get it to work!!! If it doesn’t…find out why & practise it again the next time you spar.

Find your own challenge; you’ll improve the most by fighting the best people & losing. They are the only ones that will help you improve.

Finally, the main thing you have to do is stop comparing yourself to other people, as everyone learns at different speeds, and are better at different things, in different areas than others. Use only yourself as a marker; look back at what you have achieved in the last month, or even since you’ve started training (if it’s not been a great length of time!). I’d bet you are measurably better! Now ask the question again…but take off the “why?”

“Aren’t I getting any better?” The answer is “Yes you are!”