Lloyd Irvin on Goal Setting

I'm no Lloyd Irvin basher. The truth of the matter is that I've reverse engineered far too many of Lloyd Irvin's video clips, e-mails, game plans, instructionals and competition tips to think anything other than the fact that the man has produced some excellent jiu jitsu competitors in his day.

Here was Lloyd Irvin's thought for the week this week:

So here's your Sunday assignment if you
haven't already set up your weeks goals.

I want you to write this down and monitor
it all week to see how you did.

1. What is the 'focus' of your training
this week? ie. when next sunday comes
what will you want to have accomplished?

2. What is the single biggest area of
improvement do you want to make
this week?

and

3. What one single transition are you having
problems with that you can work on this
week?

For me, the big elephant in the middle of my training is still conditioning. So my biggest goal is to stick with the General Endurance Training program I started last week.

Beyond that, I really need to take advantage of this post-tournament environment to work on my most critical areas: deep half and passing the guard from standing. Both parts are at an "improving" stage. But if I can push through and really put some emphasis on both over the next few weeks, then I think I'll be in that much better shape when I start my Eight Weeks Out for the July Revolution in a little over two months.

In terms of a most important single transition, it is probably from half to deep half. I do want to work on some half to butterfly transitions, too. But there are so many good things that can flow from a quality deep half guard game that I want to focus on the deep half, even at the risk of letting the butterfly guard same sit on the shelf a little longer.

I always find Lloyd Irvin worth listening to. I see him material as a sort of tutor to the basic instruction I get from Rodrigo and Gracie Barra - or more even like a special, side seminar series or something. In no way does what he offer replace what I learn at the academy every day. But because Lloyd Irvin has such a strong competitive emphasis, I've always felt that there were things I could borrow from him that could only help improve and accelerate my own learning and understanding of jiu jitsu.

So I'm going to try and include some of the more interesting things that come my way by way of his persistent e-mail marketing. Like I said, I've never spent a dime on any of Lloyd Irvin's products or services. That isn't because I don't think that they are worthy. It's simply because he's been generous enough with the free stuff that I don't feel any need for "more" by way of paying for the rest of it.

Lloyd Irvin probably wouldn't be happy to hear that. But if it's any salve, it's a testament to the quality of the material he produces that there is so much benefit even in the material he just "gives away."