Visualization/mental practice- a.k.a. how I keep my muscle memory sharp while forced off the mat

Research indicates that as long as you hone your nervous system in the right way, physical reps are indistinguishable from mental reps (and it also keeps the grappling addiction in check).




I kid you not, I rep moves in my head when I am...

• using the bathroom
• waiting for public transit
• cooking food in the kitchen
• waiting on a red light
• walking to the groceries
• sitting around chillen
• etc.

The possibilities are endless here, so ditch the Candy Crush and start drilling moves in your head if you have some downtime, yeah?

This does require that you visualize the body positions and movements correctly, though. If your kinesthetic intelligence is not up to par, or if you have the "wrong" image drilled into your head, it will bite you once you do step on the mat.

Heck, one of the oft-given pro-tips when you are entering a competition is to "visualize" how you will be beating the opponent; I just generalized it to EVERY situation in life, that's all.

This is not just for BJJ, either.

• Glenn Gould, one of the most accomplished pianists in modern history, did not spend many hours "at the keyboard" per se. On the other hand, he did spend a lot of time mentally mapping out fingerings and hand positions.
• Racers of various disciplines (luge, skeleton, bobsleigh, motorsports, you name it) use visualization practice for repeatedly drilling the "optimal" path. In particular, you really cannot "start" from the middle of the course, and actual track time tends to be limited, so if you are struggling with a specific section, you mentally "rehearse" the plan, and then test it on whatever track day you can get.  
• Sword fighters, whether their focus is on modern sport fencing or historical fencing, use visualization practice. In particular, modern sport fencers make extensive use of this because the swords are simply too light and too fast.
• This is the point of shadow boxing and shadow wrestling.
• Academics is very much a mental affair.