The Fastest Way to Improve

The Fastest Way to Improve

The secret to improving quickly in the martial arts is muscle memory.  Muscle memory is when a movement is automatic and requires no thought.  Muscle memory is about teaching your body to make certain movements reflexive.   For example, when you watch a World Championship boxing match or a UFC fight, all the moves done by the professionals are automatic.  They are not thinking about what move to throw or to avoid.  They don't have time to think.  The years of experience and training enables their bodies to move automatically.  The key to gaining muscle memory is repetition and repetition.  The more times that you repeat a certain action, the more it becomes engrained and automatic.  The more times you do it, the more easily you will be able to execute a move with speed.

Unfortunately, muscle memory can be both good and bad.  If you have bad habits and/or are learning from an inferior instructor, then your bad habits will become muscle memory over time.  It is very difficult to undo muscle memory.  This is why you can see many martial artists with 10 years of experience with terrible technique.  The years of martial arts experience does not matter if you have muscle memory on poor technique.  The quality of your learning is very important.

Your foundation is everything.  If you start martial arts with clean and proper technique, then your repetitions will result in phenomenal technique, power, speed, and balance.  As a result, the quality of instruction is critical, especially at the very start of your martial arts learning.  Before you begin on the path of muscle memory, be sure to have your favorite instructor review all the steps for correct technique.  Use a mirror as much as you can.  Have your instructor do the technique for you and then try to capture it into your memory.  Visualize yourself doing the move with all the details that your instructor gave you.  Find a friend at Evolve who has superior technique to yourself and ask them to do drills with you.  There are many drills in BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, Boxing, Wrestling, and Submission Grappling.  Please ask your favorite instructor for these drills in order to help your muscle memory.  Above all, do your best to come to class at least 2-3 times a week on a regular basis. 


Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® is Asia's premier brand of MMA academies.  Evolve ranks among the best academies in the world for Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and MMA.