According to Dima Murovanni, many Jiu-Jitsu athletes are holding themselves back by focusing too much on techniques and not enough on the concepts behind them:
This is why you’re not getting better – you’re thinking in techniques and not in concepts.
Like many others, Murovanni began his journey watching instructionals from top athletes such as John Danaher, Gordon Ryan, and Craig Jones.
But over time, he’s come to believe there’s a more effective way to truly improve.
Murovanni warns that copying techniques exactly can be misleading:
It’s not impossible, but if you want to mimic it like he does, you need to mimic his whole body, his mind, and whatever.
Instead, Murovanni outlines a simple hierarchy for learning:
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Understand the concept
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Understand why it works
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Adapt it to your own body and style
Copying techniques, he warns, often leads to frustration and limited growth.
If you just copy their moves, you will not be as successful as if you understand the concept behind it.
He praises instructors like Cisneros and Craig Jones for focusing on the “why” rather than just the “how” – helping students internalize principles that can be adapted across all positions.
And for those eager to fast-track their improvement, Murovanni offers this final piece of advice:
If you see a cool move from your favorite athlete the next time, try to understand why it works and then experiment how you could implement the why.
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