Coaches, do you train your teaching?

@@kineticsbjj I didn't really read much... I read Successful Coaching and some other random things. Most was from random googling if I wanted to get another perspective but the biggest success I have had was by reading the room and paying attention to my students. Then making adjustments on a regular basis to improve.

I have fairly extensive experience and training in teaching other disciplines (CPR, First Aid, Security practices, workplace violence, verbal deescalation, etc.). I have also coached other sports (track and field, wrestling). I think that experience helps, but in not necessary to become a good Jiu Jitsu instructor.

What helped me most in learning to teach Jiu Jitsu was actually to watch other instructors teach. When I first started coaching, I watched a ton of instructionals, not so much to learn technique as to watch how it was taught. I found it a valuable exercise.

@@ptbeast is quite correct. I would also add that the absolute best coaches are the ones that are continuing training their teaching abilities and equally as important had to overcome some technical bio-mechanical constraints of their own. Those that are the most gifted athletes sometime do not understand limits of regular players. I've seen some world caliber athletes teach, but it only applicable to world caliber athletes. Teaching awkward adults, teenagers and kids is an eye opener if your watching carefully. You have some great instruction here on this site.....

This is a fun topic! I am a Physical Education Teacher and the course work for that covered all the basic stuff (ie. class management, safety, pedagogy), BUT what I learned most from that experience was HOW to learn.
After I landed my teaching job i quickly became a football (American) coach and I used the skills that I had seen from my coaches over the years. That only got me so far.
I really made huge gains in the the coaching field when I branched out of my area and started studying again. I was amazed at the amount of growth and the evolution that has been made in the science of sport. I am now a firm believer that online platforms and membership clubs (ie. GG) are the BEST way to improve your coaching ability. We can literally go from a small group of coaches trying to problem solve to 10,000 coaches problem solving. And everyone's contribution is just sitting there waiting to be re-read over and over. Someday I hope to be a better contributor, as right now Im still catching up with the progress that has already been made.
Shout out to X&O Labs (AMerican Football) and Jason Skully (GG). Jason, my teammates think Im a genius when I quietly say...."Here's a cool little trap I've learned..."

I recently earned my purple belt and decided I wanted to put an emphasis on learning how to coach. One thing that has helped me was asking my morning coach if I can run warm ups. This has given me an opportunity to start small and start learning how much I can push before exhausting everyone, account for various levels of conditioning people have, work within a timeframe, and start planning so that I am not over emphasizing one specific muscle groups. We all practice accountability as good training partners... put that accountability into the context of being a teacher or leader and you will naturally start learning how to be a better coach.

I find that in my own learning I learn the best when I teach it to someone else.

As PT Beast said, watching others. A few days ago, I came across this guy on YouTube. His instruction style is absolute gold, probably lots of experience working with kids. I've been wanting to name drop him but this is the first opportunity.
Youtube: O7fXHaQeP3w
The other thing I'd add about instruction is something I learned from Jason Scully. Disguised repetition. I believe if something has not been learned, it has not been taught. There is a difference between teaching and explaining, and many instructors don't see that distinction.
All my lessons involve disguised repetition. A quick example, the best submission in bjj, the hug choke.
I started the lesson with arm triangle finishing details.
Then an arm triangle entry, finger walking from mount.
Then tips on maintaining the arm above the head. (Eskimo kisses and Yamaka).
Then review on far arm series (Americana, straight arm lock, kimura, straight arm lock, wrist lock) to arm triangle.
Then to defending the arm triangle, turn and put arm between legs.
Then adjusting to hug choke as they turn.
Then two more arm triangle entries, to far arm series, to arm triangle, to hug choke.
Then single leg to arm triangle to hug choke.
Each time the guys think they are learning something new, but the devil was in the details. Arm triangle finishing (because that seems to be a problem for many) then adjust to hug choke.
At the same time, they were learning to immediately turn away from arm triangles.
Disguised repetition.

Thanks for the replies, guys. Love all the ideas and material that’s being shared. Let’s keep this up!

I think that teaching skills are what transfers your knowledge to trainees. Process of growing persons knowledge and skills is very interesting. If a student has strong motivation and a good head, they will learn even when instructor has poor skills in teaching but fairly good knowledge of subject. Most students need motivating and help and feeling of being valuable member of the group and that’s where teaching skills kicks in.

I think teaching skills are half of the picture. Other half is the knowledge of the subject. Cannot teach what you do not know, but all the knowledge of the subject is useless, if you cannot present it so that learned owns it.

Very true!

I started coaching beginners at the end of my blue belt and found it very valuable to improve my own jiu jitsu. You can't teach what you don't understand well yourself.

My first classes turned out as mini seminars that I understood with hindsight to overwhelm white belts. These days I'm cramming less details in one swoop and focus more on retained knowledge that I can see reflected under pressure. To that effect, we do a lot of positional sparring. So I'm less focused on the input ("I gotta give them ultra-technical classes!") and more on the result (are they applying the stuff we've worked on).

I'm a teacher by career with over 20 years experience, I'm always looking to improve my classroom teaching and also my bjj teaching. Most of the bjj instructionals and podcasts I'm into these days are teaching and concept focused. If you're a coach, you owe it to your students to always be working on improving your teaching ability and methods imo