When teaching a group class how detailed are you while showing a move? I know some guys who will spend 10 minutes showing every detail of a technique and others who show the basics of the move and let the guys start drilling.
How do you guys teach a move?
Generally, I sit on the side of the mat eating pizza and explain the moves between mouthfuls.
Do you then beat them with a Shinai if they do the move incorrectly?
Just like when the drill instructor in Full Metal Jacket told the marine to choke himself, I tell my students to beat themselves with the shinai when they screw up the moves.
Hodney,
This is a great question. I think that you have to do the following:
1) Demonstrate the move perfectly under ideal conditions.
2) Break the move down to five or six steps (doesnt have to be exactly this amount, but generally it ends up being around 5 or 6 IMO).
3) Demonstrate the move again perfectly.
4) Let the students practice the move and when you see a common error or a place to insert a detail, do so, but only after they have been practicing it a while.
I hate when people over-elaborate, like Im doing with the post. ;)
One more question...do most of you guys focus on 1 particular move/game for a period of time? For example- you would focus on armbars from the guard for a month or just focus on bottom escapes.
One thing that my coach does that I like is something he calls "tightening the screws". He will pick a game and start out showing the basic moves (for example, armbar from guard). We will then work on that specific technique for the next few weeks. He will progressively get more detailed as we go along. He will also show what to do when the guys counters and combinations that flow from this first attack.
HODNEY,
There's an article on WhiteBelt.org that talks about this from a cognitive perspective.
http://www.whitebelt.org/howmuchtoteach1.html
-C.
One of my classmates told me pretty much the same thing Andre stated.
He made the point that not every detail is crucial. Some details are far more important than others. If you focus too much on too many details than you'll miss the forest for the trees. In other words, if you focus on too many details than you'll think about and focus on those details and miss the "whole" technique.
Believe it or not but most intelligent people can figure out the important details.
You don't need to micro-manage or in this case micro-teach.
I have the "Home Improvement" mentality (real men don't read instructions). I give out a brief overview of the technique that is enough to get my students close to the move. Then I add details after they have been working on it and are coming up with questions. I watch them close for safety but I don't overload them with details at first.
That's what drives me crazy about some of the seminars I have gone to where the the BB instructor spends 20 minutes explaining the Kimura.
I pretty much do it the way andre stated
ttt
"That's what drives me crazy about some of the seminars I have gone to where the the BB instructor spends 20 minutes explaining the Kimura."
I agree! Like I said this is the "micro-teach" mentality. The thing about it is some people actually want this. They want to know all the details because they think "knowing" is the same as "doing".
The only details which are important are the essential ones AND there shouldn't be that many essential details. Bjj is NOT rocket science.
"Just like when the drill instructor in Full Metal Jacket told the marine to choke himself, I tell my students to beat themselves with the shinai when they screw up the moves."
you might also ask to see their war face before they drill. you have to test for gameness.