Certainly understanding the math is very important but it is harder to get expertise on the pre-requisite math because the horizon is much bigger. I would recommend taking a case study approach and side by side learning the math stuff needed. If you are looking for an example then take a look at this,
<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.coursera.org&#x2F;learn&#x2F;ml-foundations&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.coursera.org&#x2F;learn&#x2F;ml-foundations&#x2F;</a>