Understanding How to Learn a Skill

by Steve Woolridge

Let’s get something straight: just “showing up” doesn’t mean you’re learning anything.

If you want to actually get better at something—whether it’s throwing a punch, mastering a hip throw, or not falling over in your own sweat puddle during drills—you need to understand how real skill acquisition works.

Step 1: Know What to Do

This is where most people screw it up right out of the gate.

You can’t “improve your form” if you don’t even know what the form is supposed to be. You need clarity. Not vibes. Not guesses. Not “I saw a guy do this once on YouTube.”

You need to:

• Understand the technique.

• Get crystal clear on the steps.

• Ask questions if you’re confused (no, that doesn’t make you weak—it makes you not dumb).

Don’t skip this. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll just be polishing bad habits until you’re a master of mediocrity.

Step 2: Understand WHY You're Doing It

Now that you know what to do, you better know why it matters.

Why does your foot need to be in that position?
Why is your hand up here and not down there like you saw in that movie?
Why is Steve yelling about hip rotation again?

If you don’t understand the why, you’ll never internalize the how.
Understanding the purpose behind each detail is what separates people who can imitate a movement from those who can actually perform it under pressure.

Step 3: Execute It Properly

Now comes the uncomfortable part. The part that doesn’t feel smooth. The part where your brain knows what to do but your body responds like it’s made of spaghetti.

This is normal.

You have to give yourself permission to suck—for a while. Execute it properly, slowly, and with intention. Don’t try to make it look cool. Don’t rush it just because you’re bored.

If you can’t do it right slow, you sure as hell won’t do it right fast.

Step 4: Iterate, Don’t Imitate

Learning isn’t copying—it’s refining.
Once you’ve got the movement down, now you iterate. You tweak. You problem-solve. You pay attention to how it feels. You ask for feedback. You get one inch better every single rep.

This is where real growth happens.
Not in perfect reps, but in corrected ones.

TL;DR:

If you want to get better, stop winging it.

• Learn what to do.

• Understand why it matters.

• Execute with focus.

• Iterate until your nervous system finally gets the memo.

That’s how you build skill. That’s how you build confidence.
And that’s how you stop being a liability in a fight—or life.

Stay dangerous,
– Steve