There is a lot to be said about timing. At the highest levels timing is the most important component of an exchange. There are many skill sets involved in timing, and ways to break it down. The goal here is to give you the information you need now, to move to the next level of skill development. As a white belt, you have a core problem you need to solve:
You are thinking slow.
More specifically, you are thinking slower than the action you are engaged in. How do you consider your options and execute a game plan when the moment you realize where you are, the moment changes? This is a common problem for newer students.
“I can’t think fast enough!”
I’ve heard this many times.
Later, we will discuss more complex ideas about creating and using timing to your advantage. First, you need to put yourself into a position where the speed of your thought can keep up with the speed of the movement. There are a few strategies to deploy to make this happen.
Slow Them Down
As white belt, movement is important. You want to move as much as possible. But that doesn’t mean the movement of you or your partner needs to be fast. If your opponent is moving faster than your thoughts, you need to slow them down to the speed of your mind (later on, you will be advised to do the opposite). The more connection you have to your opponent, the more capable you are of doing this. In open guard scenarios, on top or bottom, maintain four points of contact. In pinned scenarios, fight for inside control. If you can’t slow your opponent down, you are likely not doing one of these things successfully.
Simplify Goals
There may be 5 important steps to the technique you learned yesterday, but by the time you assess your position, and realize this is your opportunity to execute said technique, you maybe have enough time to think about what step one. Understanding a technical sequence is important. Not being able to deploy technical sequences in rolls is frustrating. So you have to simply your goals.
Simplifying your goals will produce less demand on your conscious. To be clear, getting into the habit of thinking and problem solving is essential to high level Jiu Jitsu. First, you need to learn to engage though. If you have paralysis by analysis, you need to be freed from yourself until you have enough control to safely consider your options.
Situational Rounds
The best way to simplify your goals, slow down the action, and put yourself into a position to think at the speed of movement is to do situational rounds. Every roll is an opportunity to define the challenges you face. You need to take ownership over your development by creating some structure to your training. Having trouble sweeping from half? Start in half and reset if you get a sweep. You don’t have to do this 100% of your training time to progress. You need to do it enough to feel present in the moment, and not 2 steps behind it.
Developing a sense of timing requires awareness. You need let your body move while your mind is assessing the the next step. As a new student of the game, first you need to get your mind caught up to the current step. When your mind has clarity on the position you are in and what your next step is you will be ready to focus on the next required skill to develop high level timing.