[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"sanity-MjxKeY2iDpsAFSTxtx20fMigL9reEn-JQFLq3NKCntQ":3,"sanity-kpUSJIo845MmNkdIEQi31CxpzwlhSDCzmulrWjhY7G8":29},{"data":4,"sourceMap":-1},{"calendlyBjjUrl":5,"calendlyKizUrl":6,"coachName":7,"coachPhoto":8,"defaultOgImage":6,"email":6,"location":6,"phone":6,"siteTitle":23,"socialLinks":24},"https:\u002F\u002Fcalendly.com\u002Fdtownjiujitsu\u002Fprivatelesson",null,"Doug",{"_type":9,"asset":10,"crop":13,"hotspot":17},"image",{"_ref":11,"_type":12},"image-f357cb4e014ae6d87af0716c9eb586f889d08d37-1620x2160-jpg","reference",{"_type":14,"bottom":15,"left":16,"right":16,"top":16},"sanity.imageCrop",0.009051220647817354,0,{"_type":18,"height":19,"width":20,"x":21,"y":22},"sanity.imageHotspot",0.8030378011457698,1,0.5,0.4015189005728849,"Tropical Movement Space",[25],{"_key":26,"platform":27,"url":28},"27cc50f7ecf8","Instagram","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.instagram.com\u002Fdougie_mt\u002F",{"data":30,"sourceMap":-1},{"_id":31,"body":32,"category":855,"excerpt":859,"featuredImage":860,"publishDate":863,"relatedPosts":864,"seo":6,"slug":865,"title":866},"a52adcab-eed4-449c-8bee-08547f767068",[33,44,52,60,67,75,84,92,100,108,116,123,131,138,146,153,161,168,176,183,191,200,217,224,240,248,256,273,281,289,334,365,372,402,407,415,423,430,438,445,453,461,477,512,520,528,536,541,549,556,564,572,588,596,604,612,620,627,643,650,658,665,677,685,693,700,708,716,724,732,740,748,760,772,784,792,800,808,816,824,832,840,848],{"_key":34,"_type":35,"children":36,"markDefs":42,"style":43},"84b1f85fef60","block",[37],{"_key":38,"_type":39,"marks":40,"text":41},"491406680e63","span",[],"There’s a moment in every experienced practitioner’s journey where the thing that was working stops working.",[],"normal",{"_key":45,"_type":35,"children":46,"markDefs":51,"style":43},"11679ee812d0",[47],{"_key":48,"_type":39,"marks":49,"text":50},"12f603b65aa2",[],"",[],{"_key":53,"_type":35,"children":54,"markDefs":59,"style":43},"373133692eac",[55],{"_key":56,"_type":39,"marks":57,"text":58},"d53aaa21ac71",[],"I’ve seen this happen with many students, myself included, and the narrative is usually similar. They train consistently for about a year or two, showing signs of growth like picking up new techniques and positions. Eventually, often without warning, the gains seemingly stop.",[],{"_key":61,"_type":35,"children":62,"markDefs":66,"style":43},"c9c96dd8604f",[63],{"_key":64,"_type":39,"marks":65,"text":50},"c50751792026",[],[],{"_key":68,"_type":35,"children":69,"markDefs":74,"style":43},"44ea35067b65",[70],{"_key":71,"_type":39,"marks":72,"text":73},"f4128a8aa92b",[],"Grapplers have a name for this. We often call it the Blue Belt Blues. It’s often characterized by:",[],{"_key":76,"_type":35,"children":77,"level":20,"listItem":82,"markDefs":83,"style":43},"0d52f41f3344",[78],{"_key":79,"_type":39,"marks":80,"text":81},"2841c9f6ec56",[],"a drop in motivation,","bullet",[],{"_key":85,"_type":35,"children":86,"level":20,"listItem":82,"markDefs":91,"style":43},"482e46b091f9",[87],{"_key":88,"_type":39,"marks":89,"text":90},"1d6d62003984",[],"increased self-doubt, and\u002For",[],{"_key":93,"_type":35,"children":94,"level":20,"listItem":82,"markDefs":99,"style":43},"30085e8cbff1",[95],{"_key":96,"_type":39,"marks":97,"text":98},"b834cdd68e77",[],"a feeling of stagnation.",[],{"_key":101,"_type":35,"children":102,"markDefs":107,"style":43},"46996596ac29",[103],{"_key":104,"_type":39,"marks":105,"text":106},"25e636cba111",[],"It’s not like the students are forgetting what they've learned, and they may even be training twice as much if not just as much as they were before.",[],{"_key":109,"_type":35,"children":110,"markDefs":115,"style":43},"7e5c2e136e84",[111],{"_key":112,"_type":39,"marks":113,"text":114},"cefbb8dd01d0",[],"If a coach pulls them aside and asks them to execute a given technique or sequence, they can do it no problem, but in live scenarios things don’t go as smoothly. Maybe you excel in the gym, but in competitions your strategy never translates to a win.",[],{"_key":117,"_type":35,"children":118,"markDefs":122,"style":43},"78840f7b7cbd",[119],{"_key":120,"_type":39,"marks":121,"text":50},"242a761fb634",[],[],{"_key":124,"_type":35,"children":125,"markDefs":130,"style":43},"e47290f4d838",[126],{"_key":127,"_type":39,"marks":128,"text":129},"bff8baccdc85",[],"I’m unsure if dancers have a name for this, but nonetheless we’ve experienced it in that space too. It’s the point where you’ve taken every foundations class and you can execute all the patterns you’ve learned.",[],{"_key":132,"_type":35,"children":133,"markDefs":137,"style":43},"700a7e551435",[134],{"_key":135,"_type":39,"marks":136,"text":50},"1a03a518e973",[],[],{"_key":139,"_type":35,"children":140,"markDefs":145,"style":43},"ab4aa592d788",[141],{"_key":142,"_type":39,"marks":143,"text":144},"feafda7b1782",[],"In class you feel like you can breeze through them, but when you go out dancing, suddenly the success rate drops. Those seemingly easy patterns suddenly have a lower success rate. You may even find yourself reverting to and repeating your old moves. Your dances begin to feel flat, repetitive, and the connection with your partner, assuming it was there in the first place, starts to diminish.",[],{"_key":147,"_type":35,"children":148,"markDefs":152,"style":43},"76ed920ab35b",[149],{"_key":150,"_type":39,"marks":151,"text":50},"02281c115dfa",[],[],{"_key":154,"_type":35,"children":155,"markDefs":160,"style":43},"57aac13e57a4",[156],{"_key":157,"_type":39,"marks":158,"text":159},"019261f465df",[],"When we’ve found ourselves in these places, I’m sure we’ve all received some advice along the lines of “just keep training.” You’re told to just keep putting in the hours and eventually all your problems will just go away and you’ll get good. Maybe you will get a little better, slowly. Or maybe your growth moments will occur but randomly and unpredictably. Maybe you’ll get shown a new detail that improves things momentarily, only for you to hit the next wall shortly after. Maybe you won’t grow at all. Worse yet, you might lose passion and walk away, or come to believe that you are the problem…",[],{"_key":162,"_type":35,"children":163,"markDefs":167,"style":43},"d4f5add56891",[164],{"_key":165,"_type":39,"marks":166,"text":50},"19358edf5b69",[],[],{"_key":169,"_type":35,"children":170,"markDefs":175,"style":43},"2b97c7937c48",[171],{"_key":172,"_type":39,"marks":173,"text":174},"c6e6a439537d",[],"You aren’t, and this plateau problem isn’t as mysterious as it seems. It can be seen as a predictable consequence of how many practices are structured, meeting the limits of what that structure can actually deliver in terms of growth. The good news is that this starts to make sense when you look at it through the right lens. The less good news is that this lens isn't commonly taught. This perspective simply isn't part of the curriculum at your average BJJ or dance school.",[],{"_key":177,"_type":35,"children":178,"markDefs":182,"style":43},"db9123395aad",[179],{"_key":180,"_type":39,"marks":181,"text":50},"b84a36a988d4",[],[],{"_key":184,"_type":35,"children":185,"markDefs":190,"style":43},"1b61cce2702b",[186],{"_key":187,"_type":39,"marks":188,"text":189},"8d0fb36098f6",[],"This article, and this blog as a whole is about that lens. It’s called Perceptual Control Theory, and when you use it to look at the world of learning skills, our path to growth starts to become more clear.",[],{"_key":192,"_type":35,"children":193,"markDefs":198,"style":199},"3546c3fce97f",[194],{"_key":195,"_type":39,"marks":196,"text":197},"9934ccefbb12",[],"Why You Got This Far",[],"h2",{"_key":201,"_type":35,"children":202,"markDefs":216,"style":43},"e3ded573d5aa",[203,207,212],{"_key":204,"_type":39,"marks":205,"text":206},"f50caf6da82d",[],"Before we dig in, I would like to take a moment to give credit where credit is due. Beginners do tend to improve under what I call the ",{"_key":208,"_type":39,"marks":209,"text":211},"a7360178a7eb",[210],"strong","standard model",{"_key":213,"_type":39,"marks":214,"text":215},"341dad4e4c39",[],". The standard model, one that I’m going to gently push against, is the move-of-the-day approach that most schools run. The instructor shows up, picks a technique or sequence, demonstrates it, has students drill it, runs some rounds, goes home. Next class, different technique, no particular connection to last class. In dance it's the same pattern with different vocabulary: here's the saida, here's a turn pattern, here's a musicality exercise, see you next week.",[],{"_key":218,"_type":35,"children":219,"markDefs":223,"style":43},"ad596038ed0a",[220],{"_key":221,"_type":39,"marks":222,"text":50},"4a75a859381c",[],[],{"_key":225,"_type":35,"children":226,"markDefs":239,"style":43},"b54b2e63f9b8",[227,231,235],{"_key":228,"_type":39,"marks":229,"text":230},"a339004e2163",[],"This approach, whatever its limitations, delivers one thing reliably: ",{"_key":232,"_type":39,"marks":233,"text":234},"f33d26dbffd8",[210],"vocabulary",{"_key":236,"_type":39,"marks":237,"text":238},"cd3940054efc",[],". A student who's never seen an armbar benefits from seeing one. A dancer who doesn't know closed position, open break, etc benefits from being exposed to all of them. Every new move is a new word in a language they're learning to speak. For a while, wide exposure is exactly what the learner needs.",[],{"_key":241,"_type":35,"children":242,"markDefs":247,"style":43},"41073fcae8e2",[243],{"_key":244,"_type":39,"marks":245,"text":246},"371563bd6852",[],"This is why instructors believe their approach works. They've watched beginners improve under it for years. They aren't wrong about what they saw, but maybe there’s more to look at in why it worked. It worked because at the beginner level, almost any exposure produces growth. The learner's system is so under-developed that nearly any input moves them forward. The instructor method didn't build the skill. The sheer fact of practicing anything at all did.",[],{"_key":249,"_type":35,"children":250,"markDefs":255,"style":43},"33af49ea5183",[251],{"_key":252,"_type":39,"marks":253,"text":254},"8d61d1c0bf2f",[],"This is also why the plateau, when it hits, is so disorienting. The same approach that was producing growth last month has suddenly stopped. The student thinks they're doing something wrong. The instructor thinks the student needs to train harder. Neither suspects the real problem: that vocabulary has stopped being the bottleneck, and the practice model has no mechanism for addressing what comes next.",[],{"_key":257,"_type":35,"children":258,"markDefs":272,"style":43},"f695c9079b54",[259,263,268],{"_key":260,"_type":39,"marks":261,"text":262},"e08408491934",[],"To explain what ",{"_key":264,"_type":39,"marks":265,"text":267},"41be4657d8fd",[266],"em","does",{"_key":269,"_type":39,"marks":270,"text":271},"b3c72b8b6f91",[]," come next, we need to back up and look at what practice is actually operating on.",[],{"_key":274,"_type":35,"children":275,"markDefs":280,"style":199},"02703f0ef2fe",[276],{"_key":277,"_type":39,"marks":278,"text":279},"8ea6c36ec901",[210],"Behavior Is The Control of Perception",[],{"_key":282,"_type":35,"children":283,"markDefs":288,"style":43},"6949e2af9f03",[284],{"_key":285,"_type":39,"marks":286,"text":287},"efc5aefe42eb",[],"Perceptual Control Theory was developed by an engineer named William Powers, who proposed that the common-sense view of behavior has a basic thing backwards.",[],{"_key":290,"_type":35,"children":291,"markDefs":333,"style":43},"51f08afa8e99",[292,296,300,304,307,311,315,319,322,325,329],{"_key":293,"_type":39,"marks":294,"text":295},"815f4163754f",[],"The common-sense view goes like this: you have ",{"_key":297,"_type":39,"marks":298,"text":299},"d9d0b1e83cf1",[210],"intentions",{"_key":301,"_type":39,"marks":302,"text":303},"5e125265287e",[],", those ",{"_key":305,"_type":39,"marks":306,"text":299},"7c73b8e9d1e7",[210],{"_key":308,"_type":39,"marks":309,"text":310},"41d7129f1a8f",[]," produce ",{"_key":312,"_type":39,"marks":313,"text":314},"d27b6d4700e3",[210],"actions",{"_key":316,"_type":39,"marks":317,"text":318},"a85373e411e9",[],", the ",{"_key":320,"_type":39,"marks":321,"text":314},"20e1fa7d8e6b",[210],{"_key":323,"_type":39,"marks":324,"text":310},"23a7f6e22ef6",[],{"_key":326,"_type":39,"marks":327,"text":328},"e04b937654f2",[210],"results",{"_key":330,"_type":39,"marks":331,"text":332},"02f318378430",[],". Behavior is the execution of plans. It's how most of us talk about what we're doing most of the time.",[],{"_key":335,"_type":35,"children":336,"markDefs":364,"style":43},"f05f5e9212ae",[337,341,345,349,352,356,360],{"_key":338,"_type":39,"marks":339,"text":340},"0a63400f1c1e",[],"What PCT suggests is that what is actually happening is that, at every moment, we are ",{"_key":342,"_type":39,"marks":343,"text":344},"e44f444b31f9",[210],"controlling perceptions.",{"_key":346,"_type":39,"marks":347,"text":348},"08034b5b8fbb",[]," We have a ",{"_key":350,"_type":39,"marks":351,"text":12},"523e4fe28201",[210],{"_key":353,"_type":39,"marks":354,"text":355},"f97a2bf9156f",[],": what we would like to perceive, and behavior is simply a result of our nervous system looking to align what we are ",{"_key":357,"_type":39,"marks":358,"text":359},"d21527073bbd",[210],"actually perceiving",{"_key":361,"_type":39,"marks":362,"text":363},"b4854105e53d",[]," in the real world with our internal reference.",[],{"_key":366,"_type":35,"children":367,"markDefs":371,"style":43},"2768b40549da",[368],{"_key":369,"_type":39,"marks":370,"text":50},"97478a65cc7f",[],[],{"_key":373,"_type":35,"children":374,"markDefs":401,"style":43},"a419f1025117",[375,379,383,387,390,394,397],{"_key":376,"_type":39,"marks":377,"text":378},"4a4b3bd97c6b",[],"What PCT suggests is that what is actually happening is that, at every moment, we are engaged in a process of control. This process is called a ",{"_key":380,"_type":39,"marks":381,"text":382},"bece86f202b8",[210],"control loop",{"_key":384,"_type":39,"marks":385,"text":386},"3b57e9980adb",[],". At the core of the loop is a continuous comparison between two things: a ",{"_key":388,"_type":39,"marks":389,"text":12},"1f1543023850",[210],{"_key":391,"_type":39,"marks":392,"text":393},"7e6e08de38c3",[]," (what we would like to perceive) and what we are ",{"_key":395,"_type":39,"marks":396,"text":359},"693f4f45c7c3",[210],{"_key":398,"_type":39,"marks":399,"text":400},"a5ba6d7b8e36",[]," in the real world. Behavior is simply the output of our nervous system acting to align the actual perception with this internal reference. Action isn't the execution of a pre-determined motor plan; it’s simply the output of this continuous comparison between where you are and where you want to be. The system’s ultimate goal is always to maintain a specific perception at a higher-level reference, not to execute an ideal motor plan.",[],{"_key":403,"_type":9,"alt":404,"asset":405},"5afa72980ce0","diagram explaining control loops",{"_ref":406,"_type":12},"image-ef403844f267abc44b5223223c0df7dd55de09e6-1024x1024-png",{"_key":408,"_type":35,"children":409,"markDefs":414,"style":43},"2835bfe04aa1",[410],{"_key":411,"_type":39,"marks":412,"text":413},"b4bde7feeb6a",[],"Ok, so that sounds pretty abstract, but it starts to make sense when we look at it through the concept of practice. Let’s look at some common scenarios in the realms of BJJ and dance.",[],{"_key":416,"_type":35,"children":417,"markDefs":422,"style":43},"bc9f875c2a1f",[418],{"_key":419,"_type":39,"marks":420,"text":421},"6764855dabf4",[],"In BJJ, when we maintain the mounted position, we are executing maintain_mount.exe. We are perceiving where our partner’s hips are, where our own weight is, whether we feel balanced, and we are continuously adjusting whatever needs adjustment in order to keep those perceptions matching what we’d like them to be. If our opponent bridges, we may widen our legs for more base. We didn’t run a program, but because the bridge disturbed our perception of balance, we restored it by widening our legs.",[],{"_key":424,"_type":35,"children":425,"markDefs":429,"style":43},"9af58b500044",[426],{"_key":427,"_type":39,"marks":428,"text":50},"bcd073c2122e",[],[],{"_key":431,"_type":35,"children":432,"markDefs":437,"style":43},"21de452fdec4",[433],{"_key":434,"_type":39,"marks":435,"text":436},"1b4099857783",[],"Dancers can feel the same structure in their own practice. When a follow is dancing, they aren't executing follow-steps. They're controlling for a connection with their partner, a specific perception of contact, pressure, weight-sharing, and their steps, frame, and timing are all whatever their body does to keep that perception matching their reference. When the leader changes direction, their reference-perception gap opens, and they move to close it. The steps aren't the skill. The perceptual control is the skill. The steps are just what their body happened to do to maintain it.",[],{"_key":439,"_type":35,"children":440,"markDefs":444,"style":43},"e9a7f399c5ec",[441],{"_key":442,"_type":39,"marks":443,"text":50},"527867f31b4e",[],[],{"_key":446,"_type":35,"children":447,"markDefs":452,"style":43},"be1d60e744f5",[448],{"_key":449,"_type":39,"marks":450,"text":451},"4fed058f7c09",[],"This reframe has a consequence that takes a minute to fully absorb: we aren’t looking to practice moves. We are looking to practice controlling perceptions. When we drill a technique, we aren't just memorizing a sequence of motions; we're actually training your nervous system to recognize specific sensory markers and developing the sensitivity required to maintain those references even when an opponent or partner disrupts them.",[],{"_key":454,"_type":35,"children":455,"markDefs":460,"style":199},"e2278628ce7d",[456],{"_key":457,"_type":39,"marks":458,"text":459},"24f8689cbece",[210],"The Hierarchy",[],{"_key":462,"_type":35,"children":463,"markDefs":476,"style":43},"eb82e8720d4c",[464,468,472],{"_key":465,"_type":39,"marks":466,"text":467},"e102bba3fb03",[],"The second PCT concept that we’ll take a look at is the idea that control is not just one loop. It’s a hierarchy of them stacked on top of each other, and the levels are ",{"_key":469,"_type":39,"marks":470,"text":471},"3d668b21b1a3",[210],"not interchangeable",{"_key":473,"_type":39,"marks":474,"text":475},"566bf48afb7a",[],".",[],{"_key":478,"_type":479,"rows":480},"c872876fb3d4","table",[481,488,494,500,506],{"_key":482,"_type":483,"cells":484},"6935626e-b15e-42d7-9473-8c902e5822c5","tableRow",[485,486,487],"Level","Grappling Example","Urban Kiz Example",{"_key":489,"_type":483,"cells":490},"31f81588-ed29-4241-b5a7-2b26001d9c94",[491,492,493],"Top-Level Reference","“win this round.”","\"dance this song with this partner, connected and musical.\"",{"_key":495,"_type":483,"cells":496},"1d989df9-4188-4efa-9d7a-284d5e4528c6",[497,498,499],"Level 2 (Strategy)","Pass their guard, establish top position, hunt a submission.","Musicality: Respond to this break, match the dynamic of this chorus.",{"_key":501,"_type":483,"cells":502},"4f3d89da-9bf4-403e-8a82-805912804923",[503,504,505],"Level 3 (Tactics)","Break their grip, pin their leg, angle my hips.","Phrasing: Arrive at this position on this count, shape this phrase.",{"_key":507,"_type":483,"cells":508},"d9b23f0d-fc4f-46a4-afa8-5093cb343ce7",[509,510,511],"Level 4 (Mechanics)","Specific pressures, specific muscle engagements.","Execution: Steps, weight transfers, frame adjustments.",{"_key":513,"_type":35,"children":514,"markDefs":519,"style":43},"4c3d20433ffc",[515],{"_key":516,"_type":39,"marks":517,"text":518},"120da04e0587",[],"Action is still the execution of a plan, but the nature of that \"plan\" is profoundly different from the common-sense view. The hierarchy above is what constitutes the \"plan\" in PCT: an organizing structure of control loops.",[],{"_key":521,"_type":35,"children":522,"markDefs":527,"style":43},"e9a54fc80a69",[523],{"_key":524,"_type":39,"marks":525,"text":526},"ef6429687540",[],"A Motor Plan is a Script: In the traditional model, a plan is a predetermined sequence of actions intended to produce a specific result. The structure is a step-by-step physical blueprint (e.g., step here, shift weight there, push with this much force).",[],{"_key":529,"_type":35,"children":530,"markDefs":535,"style":43},"6b53de6a7f9c",[531],{"_key":532,"_type":39,"marks":533,"text":534},"c0f1358a0600",[],"A PCT Plan is a Hierarchy of Goals: In PCT, the \"plan\" acts as the organizing structure for your control loops. At the very highest level, the plan is your overarching intention or desire (like \"win this round\" in grappling, or \"dance this song\" in Urban Kiz). This top-level intention doesn't dictate exact movements; instead, it sets the references for the lower levels. Those lower levels of the plan might dictate a strategy (like passing the guard), which then sets the references for tactical lower levels (like your relationship to the opponent or the velocity of a movement).",[],{"_key":537,"_type":9,"alt":538,"asset":539},"73ba25c5f2d1","pct model of a plan",{"_ref":540,"_type":12},"image-030ece49c923e818327506b6b365fde01c120328-1024x1024-png",{"_key":542,"_type":35,"children":543,"markDefs":548,"style":43},"364ab8f39201",[544],{"_key":545,"_type":39,"marks":546,"text":547},"75512b08eb00",[],"Because of this structure, skill isn’t just one thing; it lives at every single layer of this hierarchy. But here’s the kicker: you can’t fix a high-level coordination problem with low-level repetition. You can’t solve a high-level strategic failure by drilling more basics. Each level of the hierarchy is its own distinct animal, learned in its own specific way.",[],{"_key":550,"_type":35,"children":551,"markDefs":555,"style":43},"68535e7b1990",[552],{"_key":553,"_type":39,"marks":554,"text":50},"97a723211b9e",[],[],{"_key":557,"_type":35,"children":558,"markDefs":563,"style":43},"0518ab445c84",[559],{"_key":560,"_type":39,"marks":561,"text":562},"bee8ef5c287d",[],"Also, this isn't a strictly linear, one-way progression. You don't simply 'master' Level 4 and then graduate to Level 3 forever. Sometimes, fixing a problem doesn't mean moving to a higher level; it means reorganizing the top-level dynamics, which in turn forces you to revisit and adjust the reference states of the lower-level controls. A change in strategy (Level 2) can completely change what is required of your basic mechanics (Level 4).",[],{"_key":565,"_type":35,"children":566,"markDefs":571,"style":43},"3feb9e6c45f9",[567],{"_key":568,"_type":39,"marks":569,"text":570},"4c8d134a9997",[],"This is what’s happening when you hit that plateau.",[],{"_key":573,"_type":35,"children":574,"markDefs":587,"style":43},"185c01945cb2",[575,579,583],{"_key":576,"_type":39,"marks":577,"text":578},"d9cd498b208b",[],"The beginner sees rapid growth because they are building those essential low-level references, such as the basic movements, the fundamental positions, and the primary perceptions. The standard \"move-of-the-day\" model handles this phase well enough simply by exposing the student to new things. But once we reach that intermediate stage, where we know the steps but feel completely lost during a live round or on the social dance floor, the bottleneck has shifted ",{"_key":580,"_type":39,"marks":581,"text":582},"84bebcf7afbb",[266],"up the hierarchy",{"_key":584,"_type":39,"marks":585,"text":586},"e030434f8505",[],". Our low-level control is already functional. What’s missing now are the higher-level references: recognizing complex situations, coordinating multiple sub-loops under pressure, and reading the subtle cues of our partner or the music in real-time.",[],{"_key":589,"_type":35,"children":590,"markDefs":595,"style":43},"7a2d8332480f",[591],{"_key":592,"_type":39,"marks":593,"text":594},"17dae6355102",[],"The traditional training model fails here because it doesn’t even acknowledge that this hierarchy exists. It continues to feed us more low-level vocabulary when our problem is actually one of higher-level composition. It’s like trying to help a novelist finish their book by handing them a dictionary. At some point, the bottleneck isn’t the words you know; it’s the structure of the story, and no amount of new vocabulary will fix a structural collapse.",[],{"_key":597,"_type":35,"children":598,"markDefs":603,"style":43},"f4956caee3f3",[599],{"_key":600,"_type":39,"marks":601,"text":602},"7e956a6d8b9d",[],"If our coach notices the plateau at all, their default response is usually to show us another armbar variation. But the problem isn’t that we don’t know enough armbars, it’s that we don’t know how to navigate the levels above them.",[],{"_key":605,"_type":35,"children":606,"markDefs":611,"style":199},"d531f8f3d42b",[607],{"_key":608,"_type":39,"marks":609,"text":610},"59d3e5555601",[210],"Reorganization",[],{"_key":613,"_type":35,"children":614,"markDefs":619,"style":43},"94865a7e769e",[615],{"_key":616,"_type":39,"marks":617,"text":618},"d9c077a906bd",[],"The last PCT concept we’ll look at here helps us understand what learning is.",[],{"_key":621,"_type":35,"children":622,"markDefs":626,"style":43},"57d2898b898f",[623],{"_key":624,"_type":39,"marks":625,"text":50},"1300d9090359",[],[],{"_key":628,"_type":35,"children":629,"markDefs":642,"style":43},"35bc4129eae0",[630,634,638],{"_key":631,"_type":39,"marks":632,"text":633},"fea064ac8744",[],"The difference between our references and our perceptions is formally called the ",{"_key":635,"_type":39,"marks":636,"text":637},"1ba94cda7965",[210],"error signal",{"_key":639,"_type":39,"marks":640,"text":641},"8931b68860c0",[],". When our existing control structures can’t close this gap, when we keep wanting something and keep not getting it, our nervous system doesn’t keep trying the same thing. It reorganizes. It tries variations like different perceptions to track, different strategies to try, different goals to pursue. It keeps trying different variations until something works better, and the new solution sticks.",[],{"_key":644,"_type":35,"children":645,"markDefs":649,"style":43},"4f634a3a2103",[646],{"_key":647,"_type":39,"marks":648,"text":50},"1c27e76989ba",[],[],{"_key":651,"_type":35,"children":652,"markDefs":657,"style":43},"1cca6e77651c",[653],{"_key":654,"_type":39,"marks":655,"text":656},"638ac2b08341",[],"PCT implies that learning, or at least a part of learning is reorganization, and reorganization is how a system responds to a persistent error that it can’t resolve.",[],{"_key":659,"_type":35,"children":660,"markDefs":664,"style":43},"e343650e53df",[661],{"_key":662,"_type":39,"marks":663,"text":50},"ba2a0f19c4b8",[],[],{"_key":666,"_type":35,"children":667,"markDefs":676,"style":43},"e9e4a75f1215",[668,672],{"_key":669,"_type":39,"marks":670,"text":671},"39ccb5fe9b29",[],"Which means something important: ",{"_key":673,"_type":39,"marks":674,"text":675},"2efe865d28e9",[210],"learning requires error at the level where the change needs to happen.",[],{"_key":678,"_type":35,"children":679,"markDefs":684,"style":43},"fd744ee0c06e",[680],{"_key":681,"_type":39,"marks":682,"text":683},"5f7a572407ce",[],"This is why drilling doesn't fix the plateau. Drilling a move a thousand times produces error at a low level; we're refining the execution of the movement. But if our plateau is higher up the hierarchy: situation recognition, coordinating multiple sub-loops under live pressure, reading an opponent or a partner, the drill isn't producing error there, so nothing reorganizes there, and the plateau persists.",[],{"_key":686,"_type":35,"children":687,"markDefs":692,"style":43},"3ca816b2f977",[688],{"_key":689,"_type":39,"marks":690,"text":691},"a66834bf4cea",[],"In Urban Kiz, a dancer who drills a saida a hundred times isn’t producing errors at the level of musical interpretation, partnership connection, etc. Those higher-level control structures never encounter the disturbances that would require them to reorganize. The dancer goes out to the social floor and runs into the same problems as before because their practice sessions didn’t touch the level where the problem exists.",[],{"_key":694,"_type":35,"children":695,"markDefs":699,"style":43},"31558a45a555",[696],{"_key":697,"_type":39,"marks":698,"text":50},"9abf866f3ce8",[],[],{"_key":701,"_type":35,"children":702,"markDefs":707,"style":43},"969e772a8e1a",[703],{"_key":704,"_type":39,"marks":705,"text":706},"e6cf3b4537ce",[],"This brings us to the reasoning why practice should be structured, actually structured, and not just repetitive in order to grow beyond the beginning stages of skill development. The practice has to create an error at the level where reorganization needs to happen. Otherwise the system has nothing to reorganize in response to, and you log hours without improving.",[],{"_key":709,"_type":35,"children":710,"markDefs":715,"style":43},"e4f432dbc89c",[711],{"_key":712,"_type":39,"marks":713,"text":714},"f17e1132985d",[],"It's also why the same hours of practice produce growth in some students and plateaus in others. It's not grit. It's not talent. It's whether the practice is producing error at a level the student's system can actually reorganize around.",[],{"_key":717,"_type":35,"children":718,"markDefs":723,"style":199},"8b0c919b78ba",[719],{"_key":720,"_type":39,"marks":721,"text":722},"b6037b81d6c4",[210],"Deliberate Practice, Reframed",[],{"_key":725,"_type":35,"children":726,"markDefs":731,"style":43},"f378277587b0",[727],{"_key":728,"_type":39,"marks":729,"text":730},"c6e832d2e7c1",[],"Some readers will recognize the territory we're in. This is the neighborhood of deliberate practice: structured, purposeful training.",[],{"_key":733,"_type":35,"children":734,"markDefs":739,"style":43},"bc138bbc4827",[735],{"_key":736,"_type":39,"marks":737,"text":738},"30c8ead962d3",[],"Structure and purpose sound great, but I’ll admit, without an underlying framework, this idea can be pretty vague. Focus on what? Feedback from whom, about what? How do we take this idea of being deliberate about our training and put it to use.",[],{"_key":741,"_type":35,"children":742,"markDefs":747,"style":43},"88d05dd6db13",[743],{"_key":744,"_type":39,"marks":745,"text":746},"d3dc92e50b9c",[],"PCT gives us such an underlying framework. Deliberate practice can be reframed into these three concepts:",[],{"_key":749,"_type":35,"children":750,"level":20,"listItem":82,"markDefs":759,"style":43},"91aa62839403",[751,755],{"_key":752,"_type":39,"marks":753,"text":754},"4da5cc1b3a63",[210],"Focus",{"_key":756,"_type":39,"marks":757,"text":758},"acc1f380c454",[]," becomes attention to the specific perception being controlled;",[],{"_key":761,"_type":35,"children":762,"level":20,"listItem":82,"markDefs":771,"style":43},"4690223324fb",[763,767],{"_key":764,"_type":39,"marks":765,"text":766},"9da983c3e21b",[210],"Feedback",{"_key":768,"_type":39,"marks":769,"text":770},"2671c90b40cc",[]," becomes information about the gap between reference and perception; and",[],{"_key":773,"_type":35,"children":774,"level":20,"listItem":82,"markDefs":783,"style":43},"993b8c11bd8b",[775,779],{"_key":776,"_type":39,"marks":777,"text":778},"d297989c9784",[210],"Edge of ability",{"_key":780,"_type":39,"marks":781,"text":782},"5e5360f9d58a",[]," becomes error at a level the current control structures can't yet resolve, prompting reorganization there.",[],{"_key":785,"_type":35,"children":786,"markDefs":791,"style":43},"dea0d87fd0e9",[787],{"_key":788,"_type":39,"marks":789,"text":790},"39034cd6ae99",[],"PCT is the model of the learner. With it, deliberate practice becomes something you can actually design and consistently incorporate into training.",[],{"_key":793,"_type":35,"children":794,"markDefs":799,"style":43},"370b02e89eca",[795],{"_key":796,"_type":39,"marks":797,"text":798},"d654c0539c4d",[],"Regardless of the underlying model, information processing, ecological dynamics, perceptual control theory, training that is deliberate and systematic will yield gains and can get students to the highest level. But I feel that PCT offers a very elegant way of looking at and designing for growth in skill acquisition. The enemy of this article isn't any particular school of thought. It's randomness passing itself off as teaching. A coach running move-of-the-day isn't doing their students a disservice because their techniques are wrong. They're doing a disservice to their students because there's no system, at any level, looking to convey growth in a targeted way.",[],{"_key":801,"_type":35,"children":802,"markDefs":807,"style":199},"c3f11dff9153",[803],{"_key":804,"_type":39,"marks":805,"text":806},"b736ca4ce2a7",[210],"What This Blog Is About",[],{"_key":809,"_type":35,"children":810,"markDefs":815,"style":43},"c4bbb90082a6",[811],{"_key":812,"_type":39,"marks":813,"text":814},"cdb013941476",[],"The plateau isn’t a mystery; it’s a predictable byproduct of a training model that has reached its limit. When we find ourselves stuck, it’s usually because the bottleneck of our growth has shifted up the hierarchy, while our practice remains stuck at the level of basic vocabulary. We’re essentially trying to write a novel by reading a dictionary.",[],{"_key":817,"_type":35,"children":818,"markDefs":823,"style":43},"36fa061d271a",[819],{"_key":820,"_type":39,"marks":821,"text":822},"8284b991ad12",[],"The way out isn’t to train harder with the same tools, it’s to change the tools entirely. We need a way to target the specific level where reorganization needs to happen. This requires a model of the learner that accounts for more than just muscle memory, and that is what Perceptual Control Theory provides.",[],{"_key":825,"_type":35,"children":826,"markDefs":831,"style":43},"7bebc932a575",[827],{"_key":828,"_type":39,"marks":829,"text":830},"0ea683c155ad",[],"This blog is our laboratory for applying that lens to the mats and the dance floor. We’ll be exploring how to design practice loops that generate the right kind of error at the right level, transforming a \"move\" from a static sequence into a testable solution. Whether we are instructors looking to deliver consistent growth or students taking charge of our own development, we are moving toward a systematic, deliberate approach to mastery.",[],{"_key":833,"_type":35,"children":834,"markDefs":839,"style":43},"7c6fdaf0e4d9",[835],{"_key":836,"_type":39,"marks":837,"text":838},"eb58b93bda41",[],"For now, we invite you to sit with this reframe. The next time you step into the gym or the studio, ask yourself: what perception am I actually controlling for here? At what level of the hierarchy am I operating? And is this practice producing error at that level, or somewhere else entirely?",[],{"_key":841,"_type":35,"children":842,"markDefs":847,"style":43},"62f7e8fb131f",[843],{"_key":844,"_type":39,"marks":845,"text":846},"176f13759c38",[],"The plateau isn’t our fault. It's just the natural boundary of the standard model. Now that we’ve seen where those limits lie, we can begin building a path beyond them.",[],{"_key":849,"_type":35,"children":850,"markDefs":854,"style":43},"b25bf80463b7",[851],{"_key":852,"_type":39,"marks":853,"text":50},"0cd099c285fa",[],[],{"_id":856,"discipline":857,"slug":6,"title":858},"72fc6dd0-5f17-4831-9414-b4aec5272f79","general","General","The plateau isn’t a mystery; it’s a predictable byproduct of a training model that has reached its limit. ",{"_type":9,"asset":861},{"_ref":862,"_type":12},"image-6d535c07a60f77cc7e4d1864d7b2b827a2ed08a5-1376x768-jpg","2026-05-04T14:18:00.000Z",[],"why-you-re-stuck-a-theory-of-practice","Why You’re Stuck: A Theory of Practice"]