It hasn't been that long since I started my journey learning the art of teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. There are times where I am fully confident, and others where I feel not even close to "good enough." I know I'm still new to this skill, but just like the beginning phases of learning jiu jitsu, I feel a bit out of my element. Overcoming that feeling will take time, but the progress I have made so far is well worth the time put in.
Recently, I got the opportunity for promotion in my career. I chose to apply, and was accepted to be a trainer in my craft. In the grand scheme of things, I believe this will help tenfold with my true passion of teaching BJJ. I have had some opportunity in both cases to perform some valid attempts to teach both my acquired skills. Just like most other things in life, I am fully aware that the longer you spend performing a task, the more likely you are to improve. The only way to ensure this is to approach with a constructive mindset.
Jiu jitsu as a whole inspires a lot of my life choices. When I think of teaching comparisons at work, I mainly think of a specific moment I encountered on the mats or a philosophy I read in a jiu jitsu self-help book. Is this the best way to deliver your training? The answers may vary, but I believe so... Anything that you can relate from a personal experience is much more valuable than someone else's experience, or an article of some sort you've encountered over the years. The personal experiences give the trainee something more real to relate to, and at the end of the day, the message will become much clearer based on that teacher-student relationship. And I'm not saying someone else's experiences aren't worth sharing, but to demonstrate firsthand what you've experienced during a live performance of work, the passion of these experiences will resonate through your teachings because they are of such vast significance to yourself.
With that in mind, I see this art of teaching expressed in many different styles. Each has it's ups and downs, but to find the perfect balance of what works for me is quite the challenge. I find myself constantly wanting to teach in certain ways, but I tend to get lost in the details and over-complicate the process. I need to learn how to read my audience as well... Am I going into too much detail right away? Should I show the move first? What if this grip happens and prevents me from showing it this way, and that way? Should I explain them all or should I keep it simple?
I am more confident than I was when I started to teach, but I know there is much to learn. It is exciting to imagine where my teaching skills may grow as I evolve over the course of my jiu jitsu journey, and hopefully I'll capture a few lessons along the way. As a purple belt jiu jiteiro, I see teaching well worth learning now opposed to later on down the road. Setting goals has always been one of my favorite things to do with my jiu jitsu, but it may be time to start being more specific with some teaching oriented goals as well. Stay the course; keep on rolling forward.
