Motor Learning: Block vs Random Practice

[@Manuel-ox7mt]

I was preaching this for years at combat sports training: Yes,repetition is the mother of skill. But variation is its father. So,when i teach for example a basic boxing combination, like a jab-cross, i have my students do it first,as block practice, just to get familiar, but then, onto the variation. Different hights (head or body), one high one low, doing it while moving forward, backwards or sideways, do it when punched back,and so on... It sort off doesn't really help with confidence in the first few sessions, but it really REALLY helps with skill acquisition and long term retention.

[@darlinglionheart4195]

Awesome! So glad to see all of the people trying to apply this to martial arts; that was my first thought. I've seen this in action but never knew it, and it fits perfectly with my "practice is boring" mindset! (because all I knew was block practice)

[@AngelReyesMuniz]

This is great. I have been doing some Random Training for years now. I never thought there was a name for it. I do start off with block training and when the athletes gain an understanding of the fundamental I then switch to Random Training.

[@ArtechokeMedia]

We love your stuff, Trevor. Please keep posting and sharing! A handful of us in the jiu-jitsu community are exploring motor learning concepts in our teaching because of you.

[@TrevorRagan]

Awesome! Thanks for the note. If you need anything just let me know!

[@ArtechokeMedia]

Trevor Ragan We shot an email to Train Ugly a few weeks back. We design and build instructionals for grapplers (in addition to a other more traditional book projects). We'd love to talk to you about a collaboration.

[@ethanf1610]

How are you applying this to your grappling classes? I coach wrestling and would love to try applying these concepts to our athletes but am scratching my head as to how I would get randomized training in during instruction. Isn't randori or "live" wrestling kinda like the random training concept discussed here? Any input would be appreciated everyone.

[@ArtechokeMedia]

Ethan Fuqua The short answer is trigger drills. We pick 3 or 4 triggers that we want a student to read in order to pick the best technique for a scenario. There are a lot of little adjustments we make to static drills as well. For example, if a student is doing an armbar, the partner doesn't put the arm in the same exact place over and over. They still put their arm in position for an armbar, but the student still has to read the situation to properly set up the technique as the movement will be slightly different each time. We also rotate training partners more frequently so that there are more bodytype variations. One of our owners (me) wrote an article about this for Jiu-Jitsu Magazine: jiujitsumag.com/your-drills-should-be-uglier/

[@ethanf1610]

Artechoke Media​, thanks for the information. This is definitely something I'll take back to our coaching staff and brainstorm about. Stay well, brother!

[@NorCalSCChico]

FANTASTIC material. Noodling on how this could be applied to BJJ and MMA.

[@Kunstdesfechtens]

Excellent video. I’ll be applying this more when teaching HEMA. It’s hard finding the balance in our amateur context though. Much blade work, even the barebones basics, is extremely technical, so getting to the point where a student can do a technique at all can be a struggle. Adding random elements to that can take a while. What’s a good ratio of block vs. random drilling for beginners?

[@The_King_Slayer]

Really enjoyed the video, I've read a lot of stuff related to this and while I felt like I had a decent understanding of most of this, it really drove home the points so well about the difference between random and block practice. Helps so much truly understanding that random practice isn't necessarily going to be pretty, but that's not a bad thing. Thanks for the post!

[@TrevorRagan]

@peredur jenkins Those type of sports involved more "closed skills" where there is little to no randomness involved. In this case I would imagine that there would be some advantages to block practice. I haven't really looked into the research there because the sports that I deal with are 100% random and involve "open skills", in which case we need to train according to the science. Hope this helps!

[@thematrix303]

Trevor Ragan My question is similar to an earlier post. Don't know if you answered. What about when learning a technique for the first time?

[@gabrielgiron4273]

@@sienjong2762 fuck off

[@EduardoBriceno0]

Wonderful video essay and explanation of motor learning, thanks Trevor!

[@wordpower2710]

This is an awesome video and the concept can be demontrated in martial arts, specially Jiu-Jitsu. I am improving a lot using the reading, planning, doing approach. Thanks.

[@2005keanu]

LOVE YOUR PRESENTATION! MAHALO. FOR SHARING.

[@joshpck]

Wow this is excellent! I'm an MEd candidate and also a martial arts instructor. I'm alwayd looking for better, more efficient ways to teach.

[@sabia.capoeira5010]

Thank you! That was inspiring and I have learned a lot

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

So there is at least one serious flaw with this research: If one is to retain skills properly, retention takes more than "the next day or whatever", because proper "rewiring" of the brain pathways takes more time and practice than just one day of practice.Can't just go to a game or other type of performance measurement the day after and think you now know the skill since you have practiced it once - at least not if it's a slightly more complicated skill. It makes total sense that random practice gives better retention than blocked the day after, but where's the research saying that in the long term "only random" is better than a skillful combination of blocked and random orchestrated by a coach who understands sports psychology and how to transfer skills from blocked to random to full game? How can one claim that blocked practice is a big no-no when firstly this type of research doesn't exist, and secondly there is research done after the study this video is based upon that states that reality is more complex than this study suggests, and blocked practice is more effectve than random at certain times and conditions? :)

[@philipsimmonds1103]

Random practice with intervals........ low intensity for 40 sec accentuating the skill focusing more on technique..........High intensity for 20 sec,pretending it is the last 20 sec of a game! ......Excellent video...Btw!

[@SistemaRugbyBlogspotAr]

Thanks Trevor for the video. I have two questions: 1 ° When we face a skill that involves physical risk, we must start with an analytical method and then with a random, but in what proportion? 2 ° The random method, you have seen developed in an academic environment ?, ie in primary school? For example in subjects such as social sciences, history, mathematics,

[@alfredhitchcock45]

In physical risk, it’s more of knee jerk reaction trained by muscle memory rather than analytical Yes, it has also been tested on academic setting, mixed outperforms block

[@charliepearton6849]

this video is incredibly helpful and is really easy to understand thank you so much.

[@sanmartiniano29]

Excelente hay que cambiar los caminos neuronales constantemente para un mejor desempeño en el juego

[@SchemeSC]

But isn't it more difficult to correct a flawed technique in a random environment than in a block environment? I agree with the concepts in this video if the athlete has already developed a strong technical foundation in childhood. However, I found it impossible to correct my flawed techniques in tennis and table tennis in a random environment, as trying to do the planning and reading caused me feel "overwhelmed". Retention might be higher after a random practice, but retention is meaningless unless we succesfully make the necessary technical changes that are capping our game. I think it depends on the particular athlete's level and training history.

[@jamesagostino3695]

+SchemeSC It seems to make sense this way, I agree... However, lets say you practice a technique for 20 mins total (even at beginning stages- in a blocked environment) Sure, you might feel like you have achieved some learning by the end of practice but what will it feel like tomorrow? You can still get the 20 mins in with a random environment, IE- 5 mins spread out between other exercises. It may not feel as rewarding at the end of the session, but studies seem to show you will actually benefit it the long run. The key is that you are not letting your body get too comfortable with something (which fools you into thinking your making huge progress) but you are challenging it little by little. EVEN when doing a new technique. Again, it can be a bit confusing but studies repeatedly tend to show the random one yields better results.

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

SchemeSC This is a time when you can trust your gut instinct, the research this video is based off is outdated/incomplete and the reality of learning skills is more complex than suggested here.

[@lisadamico7767]

I've found that I can train hundreds of time and not execute the technique at game time. It's almost as if 2 sets of muscle memory kick in - 1 for practice and 1 for game time. So I'd say both should be weighted equally. People often tend to favor 1 over the other.

[@onlyaboutbasketball1102]

Great great great video! 🔥🔥🔥

[@felicsebas]

How do you view blocked practice in initial learning of young kids? Say you are introducing a layup, is there a point for mixing the two up and starting with a little blocked practice until the kids figure out the basic pattern and as soon as they have a feel for it, move on to random practice? Or would you be random from the very start, even when they seem to struggle altogether?

[@alfredhitchcock45]

“The blocked-practice students learned procedures for each type of problem through repetition. The mixed-practice students learned how to differentiate types of problems.”

[@gabrielesani8667]

Awesome video, and well researched - thank you!!! I would assume that, as hinted at the end of the video, random practice is more effective also because it forces the athletes to stay alert all through the practice. Is there any study on this point? Focus is clearly important for every sport, but is there any variation we can add to a drill to either improve or lower the athlete's alertness?

[@Dancegeek7]

Great video! I agree that including reading and planning is essential. However, I think the percentage of block vs random practice needed can vary depending on age, maturity, level, experience, and sport. For a child that needs improved confidence early on, I would start with block and then ease them into random regardless of sport. A more confident child that has a lower attention span might do better with a 5 minute drill followed by much more random practice. So sometimes the psychology of the trainee can affect what is needed for them individually. An example of a sport that needs to necessarily begin with much more block training is dance (Yes, dancing can be done as a competitive sport!!!), Gymnastics, and figure skating. Dancers, especially beginning dancers, that perform routines need significant amounts of block training. For example, ballet barre exercises are the block training that usually occurs at the beginning of ballet classes or training sessions. As dancers, even those who perform routines, who become advanced, often develop the ability to improvise. But yes, all sports, even those with generally more predictable performance expectations must address and practice likely scenarios that Murphy's law may throw their way on the big competition day.

[@SistemaRugbyBlogspotAr]

Thanks Trevor, could you please activate the possibility in your translation tube, so that I can show it to my teachers?

[@TrevorRagan]

done! kzbin.info_video?ref=share&v=m_5nWKyRzKM

[@healthymindhealthybody9324]

Thank you very much for this

[@yamelove]

Great information. I am using this information for a project. Could you post the sources you used? thanks!

[@Lokeshgowda2023]

Superb 🎉🎉🎉

[@bobkitchen447]

How can I structure a random practice for my hitters in softball? Would it be simply by not pitching to the same spot consecutively while they are taking batting practice? Are their drills I can access?

[@gianlu6863]

Wait, so this means that the best solution could be splitting the practice in half: first half, block practice, so you can get the most out of your technique in that particular day, and second half random practice, so you can have the most chances of retaining that skill while having it brought to the highest level possible for you with block practice

[@theplayhouseafter-school6058]

Great video!

[@ChelseaMusicify]

Hey Trevor, awesome video! Since you're essentially saying high contextual interference leads to better retention/transfer, would it still be beneficial or useful to mix in blocked training into practice sessions? For instance, start by practicing the rudimentary task a couple times and then incorporating random training once the new task can be executed?

[@violynnkuo]

I would say yes. I personally get frustrated trying to 'randomize' or interleave my practice when I'm in the beginning stages of learning a brand new technique (I'm a professional violinist, martial artist, and hobby salsa dancer). I feel like taking advantage of a feedback loop process is important in the initial stages of learning a new skill: with each repetition, you have an opportunity to learn what adjustments you need to make to improve the subsequent trial/repetition. So block practicing is helpful in this instance. I'm not an expert in performance psychology but this would be my personal take on it. Additionally, I have found this article, which I found useful, if only brief: medium.com/age-of-awareness/the-one-quick-trick-of-learning-principles-interleaved-practice-3b319de6686b "Another misconception comes from thinking that blocked practice is never useful or helpful. That’s not right: students need some blocked practice to get familiar with a new idea or procedure. But after they’ve gained that familiarity, it’s interleaved practice that will accelerate their learning." So, yes, I would agree with your conclusion: mixing in blocked practice with random/interleaved practice would not be a bad way to approach your practice session.

[@ChelseaMusicify]

@@violynnkuo Thanks so much for your feedback. I'm in the second year of my DPT program and we're taking a motor learning class so talking about all this stuff is helpful and puts it into context. (Also, I wish I could salsa dance.) lol

[@violynnkuo]

@@ChelseaMusicify Very cool that you get to study this! I never did and am finding it fascinating as I'm currently looking into how to implement it into my practice regimen and teaching. I assume from a physical therapy standpoint, interleaving/random practice also has the advantage of helping to address and avoid repetitive strain - something which I have also dealt with in my career. So...cognitive AND physical benefits from random practice! The only thing is that despite the research pointing towards the benefits of random practice, I still do find it frustrating forcing myself to 'abandon' a specific skill within a practice session only to jump to another for the purpose of incorporating interleaving. I guess the appeal of feeling short-term 'mastery' within a practice session is indeed difficult to curb in favour of the less-comfortable process of interleaving.

[@prof.ademirlentz6560]

thanks for the examples

[@gumbarich]

Great video - any suggestions for basketball drills that incorporate this idea? I'm looking to help my team's ball handling and individual defense and I'm looking for drills that use this idea. thanks

[@TrevorRagan]

My suggestion would be to create situations that are as game like as possible. I think ball handling and defense are two great examples of skills that we need to apply this lesson to. Defense: Technique is very important (stance, vision, positioning, etc...). But just as important as the technique is the ability to read (what's your man doing, thinking, where is he going, etc...) and plan (how can you stop that). Traditional defense drills (defensive slides, full court zig-zag, etc...) just focus on the technique. Players don't need to read, react and plan when they already know where their man is going. Set up more random situations where the games are more game like and you'll get better results. Ball Handling: Same is true. Being able to dribble through cones and around chairs doesn't really transfer to a game. Here is a video of one of our favorite workouts. 60 min Basketball Workout - The Power Hour If you need anything else please let me know. Would be happy to Skype/call to share more!

[@alfredhitchcock45]

There should be another Clinical Trial: 1. Blocked 2. Mixed 3. Blocked-Mixed

[@navia810]

Which one is best for the longterm? Not just retention after a day or week

[@anthoneyq]

Well put together!

[@paulosandsten983]

Any research if you combine the two?

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Yes, as you might "feel in your gut" the subject is more complex than this video suggests and a skillful combination of the two will give you better results than only random practice. I'll be making an online class about this later this summer in case you'd be interested!

[@mentalsweetspot9927]

I LOVE this stuff! This is RIGHT on point with my message to softball coaches and players, and very well-done. Do you mind if I share your stuff with my audience? I promise to include all of your contact info and links :)

[@crzluke]

Melanie Rushing Just wondering, how were you able to apply these random training drills to your softball coaching? What did they look like etc?

[@moontidemartialarts915]

Hi, Great stuff. Isn't shooting from different spots just "varied" practice? I mean, they are just doing one skill from different spots. Wouldn't you have to add other skills like rebounding or passing etc to consider it random?

[@valenciawoo29]

I have the same question too. The examples given are more appropriate for "Constant & Variable" Practice.

[@alfredhitchcock45]

Read-Plan-Do

[@alfredhitchcock45]

How about Block 1st, Mixed 2nd?

[@DavMarmor]

Does anyone know an application that could help us to train ugly? I'm looking for an app that could speak out a custom list randomly. Like that I could write my «skills» I'm trying to learn, and the application will just speak out from the list randomly.

[@westcovinawildcatswc4660]

DavMarmor Your brain. Create your own! 🙂

[@abrahamcmunemo988]

do you have videos on how to use the ndt

[@Vincenze]

🤯🤯🤯 amazing!

[@PicturesHDx]

in music its better to improvise than repeat scales

[@timothymiceli]

Are there any studies that take this idea and apply it to the classroom?

[@TrevorRagan]

Yup! trainugly.com/random-v-block-practice-classroom/

[@alfredhitchcock45]

Bruce Lee will disagree: "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."

[@sebastianbroscheyoga]

Or the man who's studied the same kick from 10000 situations

[@karemhypers192]

chat is this real ???

[@alfredhitchcock45]

Came here because of Range by David Epstein

[@alfredhitchcock45]

I don’t think that will apply for Weightlifting

[@BEBETTERGOLF]

If your “do” is faulty then your reading and planning was a waste of time.

[@BEBETTERGOLF]

Good video. Would love to hear more on how to make technical changes using random. Thx

[@drx06]

Error detection improves with practice.

[@jakea3950]

Disagree with the start of the video, enjoy the factual stuff at then end though which is actually all doing ironically.

[@felipemarques6179]

what the sigma