Differential Learning

We learn better when no two reps are the same.

Differential learning is a training approach used in sports. It proposes that motor skills are learned by varying how the movement is executed rather than trying to get it identical every time.

Or in simpler terms, we learn better when no two reps are the same.

Sport science comes with lots of jargon, and sometimes that makes it less accessible than I'd like. So I'll explain differential learning as simply as possible, and how jiu-jitsu students and coaches use it.

First, let's discuss examples of what differential learning tells us not to do. Think shadow boxing in boxing, shadow uchikomi in judo, or line drills in jiu-jitsu. These let you complete a high volume of reps with low variability: you're trying to do the same thing identically over and over again. That's exactly what differential learning tells us to avoid.

From a romantic standpoint, I understand the thinking behind these repetitive drilling methods: it comes from the belief that to do a technique perfectly, you must practice until you can do it identically every time. Differential learning challenges not just the idea of doing the technique identically every time, but even whether a “technique” is a thing at all.

In a live training environment, no technique is ever the same twice. There's so much variation in the environment, from your opponent's body type, to their responses, to the ruleset, to the surface you're training on, right down to the fabric you're wearing. Each of these differences compounds and adds so much variability that it's just not feasible to “do the same thing twice.” Every armbar is a unique and special snowflake!

Dr. Rob Gray, the author of How We Learn to Move, is a favorite figure within the jiu-jitsu sports science community. His advice is: don't be a TWIT! He's referring to what he calls the TWIT method of coaching:

Tell the athlete what to do,
Watch them try to do it,
Inform them what they did wrong, and
Tell them again…

This old-school method comes from the coach's desire to “get the practice perfect.” They're looking for perfect form, perfect execution, every time, based on whatever their personal standard of “perfect” is. They're trying to make all practice identical rather than variable.

I distinctly remember old black belts stopping me mid-roll to “correct my form” because they didn't like the way my body positioning was looking. This just resulted in me stopping practice to listen to their lecture, losing training time, and being flustered because of the constant unwanted feedback.

The problem with identical performance is that it's rigid. Think of someone memorizing a speech and forgetting their lines, or a computer program that crashes because the user inputs a semicolon. These are brittle, non-adaptable approaches, and we don't want our jiu-jitsu to look like that.

Intuitively, I think we all know this. The question is: how do we alter our training to take advantage of it?

If we train with high variability, our brains and bodies start to find the patterns in the chaos. The variation shakes up our routine and forces us to try new things. If you've ever felt stuck in a plateau, you understand how valuable this can be.

There are tons of ways you can shake up your jiu-jitsu practice: different body positions, reactions, and win conditions are good options. Switch from your left side to your right side. Do it standing, then kneeling. Ask for different levels of resistance from your partner. Train with different people.

There are so many ways to vary your practice that the problem is rarely coming up with good ideas. The main thing is to ensure you're doing it consistently and look for ways to add variability to your training. You don't need to wait for your coach to do this; you can do it yourself.

One last note on differential learning: we don't need to go overboard with it. Sometimes we hear these ideas and get so excited we rebuild every aspect of our training around them. Don't be so quick to tie your wagon to a shiny new idea; it's not even certain that differential learning is the best training method, and there are other competing ideas.

Be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Even the old-school methods like shadow drilling have value. They might not be optimally efficient, but they may still offer something that you're not getting anywhere else.

On the podcast:

• Ep. 206: How We Learn to Move, feat. Dr. Rob Gray

Further study:

• Ecological Dynamics
• Constraints-Led Approach
• Interleaving
• How We Learn to Move, by Dr. Rob Gray
• The Perception & Action Podcast