Nicky Ryan is known for his technique and tactical depth – but his latest revelation offers a deeper look into how he evolves his game.
In a recent interview, Ryan explained that rather than exclusively studying jiu-jitsu, he looks to wrestling matches as his primary source of technical inspiration and innovation:
Whether it be on, you know, a clip from Instagram or I’ll go on YouTube, watch a full match, I’ll go watch and I’ll see things that, you know, both worked and didn’t work and then I try and break it down and analyze it.
This is the starting point in what Ryan describes as a meticulous system of study and implementation.
He’s not copying what he sees, he’s critically analyzing the outcome:
I see, okay, why did this not work?
Okay… What could he have done differently?
Once something catches his eye, Ryan doesn’t waste time:
Once I see a move that I like and I think could be applied very well to jiu-jitsu, what I end up doing is I end up taking that move.
The next day I’ll come into training (I try it out).
Additionally, his drilling method emphasizes precision, not speed – at least at first:
I’ll start out drilling it, you know, fairly slow at first, trying to get all the details down.
And then, obviously as I get more comfortable with it, I’m going to continue to pick up the pace… Until eventually it becomes like a live drill where I’ll have my opponent doing, you know, giving a little bit of resistance.
So, Ryan’s training structure is clear: observation, analysis, drilling, resistance, and finally – live application.
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