The Everyday Jiu Jitsu Podcast Ep 31: The Episode That Got Me Cancelled feat. Kit Dale
Nov 8, 2023
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Australian black belt Kit Dale discusses topics such as gym politics, teaching philosophy, filmmaking career, and political correctness. They also explore the importance of task-based learning in jiu jitsu, the debate on different training approaches, and the usefulness of instructional videos in the sport.
Coaches should embrace and support their students' rapid progression rather than holding them back.
Kit Dale pursued a career in filmmaking to create stories free from political correctness.
Excessive focus on protecting feelings hinders personal growth and resilience.
Avoid excessive group identification to allow for questioning those in power.
Creating emotionally-arousing training environments enhances learning and retention.
Deep dives
Kit Dale's Background in Jiu-Jitsu
Kit Dale started training in Jiu-Jitsu in 2008 after feeling intimidated by aggressive players in Australian rules football. He quickly excelled in Jiu-Jitsu, eventually earning his black belt in just four years, making him the fastest person in the world to achieve this without prior grappling experience. Despite his success in competition, Kit Dale's focus has always been on personal progression and learning rather than pursuing competition accolades.
The Challenges of Being a Coach
Kit Dale discusses the challenges that coaches can face, particularly in the grappling world. He highlights how some coaches can become insecure and try to hold back students who are progressing quickly. Kit emphasizes the importance of wanting one's students to surpass them and the joy he finds in teaching and helping others improve.
Transitioning into Filmmaking
After sustaining an injury and taking a break from Jiu-Jitsu, Kit Dale decided to pursue his interest in acting. This eventually led him to move to America and start a career in filmmaking. He discovered a talent for storytelling and began honing his skills in writing, directing, and producing. Kit's goal is to create his own movies, free from political correctness and agendas, focusing on delivering engaging stories with strong characters.
Criticism of Current Trends in Hollywood
Kit Dale expresses his dissatisfaction with the current state of Hollywood, where political correctness and diversity quotas often influence casting and storytelling decisions. He believes that merit should be the determining factor for success and that talented individuals should have the freedom to create without these constraints. Kit also notes that many people in the industry are hungry for original, well-crafted stories, and he aims to fill that demand with his own work.
Bullying and Vulnerability in Society
The speaker discusses how society's focus on protecting feelings and censoring certain topics is making people more vulnerable and sensitive. They argue that instead of shielding individuals from discomfort, we should focus on building resilience and strength.
The Importance of Stress and Pressure
The speaker emphasizes the need for a certain amount of stress and pressure to build resilience and personal growth. They highlight the importance of facing challenges and learning from them, whether it's in problem-solving, physical fitness, or mental toughness.
The Impact of Group Identity and Division
The speaker points out the dangers of excessive group identification and division in society. They argue that emphasizing group affiliation over individuality can lead to divisiveness and prevent us from questioning those in power. They advocate for a more level-headed approach that encourages inclusivity without forcing it unnaturally.
The importance of creating constraints in training
Creating constraint-led games in training is beneficial because when there are consequences for making mistakes, the brain remembers the failed attempts and learns from them. This emotional arousal during live training helps to store information more deeply in the brain, leading to better retention and learning. Emotional arousal incentivizes the brain to treat the training situation as a life or death scenario, increasing focus and memory. The more emotionally aroused an individual is during training, the more they retain and learn. Therefore, it is crucial to create an environment that emotionally arouses trainees to enhance learning and performance.
The discovery-based approach to training
Kit Dale advocates for a discovery-based approach to training, where students are encouraged to figure out solutions to problems themselves. He emphasizes the enjoyment and personal satisfaction that comes from solving those problems independently. Dale believes that individuals should prioritize becoming good problem solvers rather than relying on explicit instruction and copying techniques. By creating games or tasks that challenge students to find solutions and learn from their mistakes, they develop a deeper understanding of the techniques and positions. Dale's approach focuses on trial and error, embracing mistakes, and the need for continual exploration and adaptation in Jiu-Jitsu training.
This week I chat with Kit Dale. Kit is an Australian black belt, actor, writer, and filmmaker. He is known as a colourful personality in BJJ, and for getting his black belt in an incredibly short amount of time. He is one of the first people in BJJ who advocated the use of task-focussed games in training to accelerate skill development. We discuss gym politics, his philosophy on teaching BJJ, his filmmaking career, and politically correctness. I hope you enjoy my last podcast episode because I am definitely getting cancelled after this.
Kit’s Instagram: @kitdaleofficial
Check out Kit’s online content: http://www.kitdaletraining.com/p/task-based-games
