Let me tell you about a curious phenomenon.
I can look at someone drilling a technique and know whether or not they will reap the maximum benefit from the experience. It has nothing to do with the technical mechanics of their movements though and everything to do with their level of focus.
And it’s a variable that changes depending on the day. I’ve noticed it in myself as well.
Quick story time:
In the room, I’ve often seen a certain kind of guy. He’s young, athletic, and he can move. You show him a technique, and zoom, he’s speeding through it.
The problem though is this: he’s going through the motions. Mechanically, he’s figuring it out as he goes, but just as quickly, problems arise. The reason?
He went on autopilot while drilling. And small errors started to appear in the technique over and over again, but they weren’t noticed because he was powering through.
Towards that situation, there’s a saying that really stuck with me, and I have no idea where I heard it first. But even now the wisdom in that sentence can’t be denied.
Speed is the enemy of perfection.
I was reminded of that fact a few weeks ago.
In the effort to continually expand my knowledge so that I can help my students more, I visited a different gym, and we only drilled one thing.
It was a variation of the X pass against knee shield half. It was AWESOME, but it required me to change how I’ve done the pass in the past.
So I slowed everything down to snail’s pace.
In my mind, I reinforced the idea that every rep is of immense value, and I took my time. Slow. Slow. And whoa, I felt myself improve.
It was obvious.
And I was able to add that variation to my arsenal, even with the limited time I spent on it.
That’s the power of being present in your practice.
Every rep counts, if you focus.