On Monday and Tuesday we had a visitor from Auckland, New Zealand drop in for a class. Professor Van Do is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who is one of the coaches at Auckland MMA. She is a classic example of the art of jiujitsu, someone small in stature who has learned jiujitsu technique that works with people of any size or strength.

In this Mat Mind episode, Van shares with us the different stages of learning and understanding from consciousness, subconsciousness, competence, and incompetence. We also talk a little about applying the ideas of learning jiujitsu to other areas of learning and the idea of learning and teaching rote pattern drills, concepts, and allowing the student to explore and develop their own understanding of the art.

Van also shares with us some important things to keep in mind when training as a woman. She talks about different body types, training styes, and having an open mind to learning the art rather than just developing a skill that is highly specialized.

For more information on Van and her academy, visit their website: http://aucklandmma.co.nz/

I sure hope to be able to visit one day!