Two sides of my students: Most of you know my students through their efforts in competition (shiai). There is however, a whole other side to them that you may not be aware of – their ability to teach to others what they do in competition. I have always believed that the ability to teach the sport well often has a beneficial effect upon your own performance. This is not always the case, I have known some outstanding competitors who were not gifted teachers and vice versa, but as a general rule there is a lot of truth in it. I find that clarity and succinctness of expression in the technical and tactical elements of the game helps not only our ability to get others to understand what we do, BUT OURSELVES AS WELL. As such, our own internal dialogue when we try to overcome and solve problems is quicker and more efficient. In addition to performance enhancement, getting my students into teaching the sport lets them see beyond mere competition and into the deeper social aspects of jiu jitsu, particularly the theme of that Jigoro Kano made the of his approach to grappling. I often involve my senior students in the teaching process. Many times I ask them to teach a move back to me that I had shown them previously. Other times I make them demonstrate a move to the class while I assist. When my body has physical issues and I cannot physically demonstrate a move, I have them demonstrate whilst I narrate the salient features. As a result, all of my senior students () are excellent teachers. Some of my favorite times to watch them teach is immediately after a big competition where they have employed some aspect of our game, and then watch them teach it to a group at a seminar shortly afterwards. Invariably the audience is shocked at the level of detail involved and their ability to explain those details in ways that increase performance. Here Gordon Ryan details of our back system at Shawn Williams academy in , just a week after EBI 11 where he used it so successfully to take gold.

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