Are you or will you be a good or a amazing Instructor

[Jack LaBarge]

[Jack LaBarge]

[Cody Kietzman]

I find it excruciating to watch these guys. The repeat themselves a lot and super super slowly. I get what they are trying to but wow it doesn't work for me.

[Michael Sioda]

^^^ I hear you. I like the positive energy they have & appreciate their technical expertise. But I watched some of their Gracie Bullyproof DVDs to learn games to play with the little tykes to get them used to some of the JJ fundamentals. Great games & clear instruction but they talk to the viewer like we are also 6 years old for the entire duration of the 10 hour DVD set. I could only make it through the 1st few DVDs...

[Justin W.]

It is the broadest form of pedagogy. Communication using simplified language. This is why the Gracie's are the most successful and well known BJJ name in the face of the Earth today.

Listening to a Stoned instructor is less informative than being spoken to like a beginner at times. Also note, codifying language does not help spread knowledge. Its locks it up to the initiated only. Not a competitive methodology in comparison.

You are becoming the voice of reason. I agree. Everyone should teach a move as if the people they're teaching to, don't know anything about the move because they might have known 9/10 details about the move but missed one detail and someone else might have known 9/10 details but didn't know a different detail from the other guy and so on. Also, even if you know a move completely, it is always good to review.

[Jason Hyatt]

The Gracies teach children jiu jitsu using primarily social learning theory with a touch of constructivism thrown in there for good measure. This is also the approach that Coach Herzog takes but he manages to do it without sounding like he's trying to sell you a ShamWOW at the same time. Renner just has a voice and rhythm to his speech that makes him sound like a pitchman. What he has to say, however, is almost always excellent. Now a guy I could listen to for hours at a stretch is Pedro Sauer. Wow is that guy an elder statesman of jiu jitsu or what...

The only thing that bugs me about the lessons they are trying to impart is the frequent use of the idea of "transferring" knowledge, or "imparting" learning to a student. People simply don't learn that way and teachers simply don't teach that way (even when they think they are). All students in any discipline bring with them preconceptions, knowledge, assumptions, and personality traits. Each student must construct any new knowledge on this scaffold of existing experience. An excellent instructor recognizes this and seeks to help the student improve his or her scaffold, not just hanging new ornaments on the existsing one. This may require challenging certain assumptions or knowledge a student has brought with them in order that they might rebuild a sturdier scaffold. This isn't necessarily "breaking a student down to build them up again" though that is certainly an approach that is used (more often than not, this approach just leads to frustration and a high attrition rate). You can tell someone or show someone something a million times and he may learn to repeat it, but if your lesson does not change the way he thinks or behaves in a novel situation, you haven't taught him anything. You have to change the way he thinks and you can only do that by getting him to think hard in the first place.

Oddly enough, despite what they SAY, what they DO is less transmission-model teaching than social learning. Even if they can't articulate educational theory, they clearly understand how it works and they apply it well. More than anything, Renner is right about one thing: no teacher of any sort is any good at all if they do not have a passion for helping others learn and improve.

[Paul Surridge]

when i teach i tell the older students and new ones the same thing and i warn them "your going to hear this a million times" but try to pick up a finer detail everytime we go over an older technique and make it better. usually i'm stoned tho so i guess it doesnt matter since it must be wrong.

[bobby rivers]

Also note, codifying language does not help spread knowledge. Its locks it up to the initiated only. Not a competitive methodology in comparison.

Jj in itself is codified. Say 'omoplata' to your aunt and see if she understands this simple term. Like all technical jargons it takes repetition and study to learn. Eddie just got more specific in naming positions, subs, and transitions. Makes perfect sense to us, but for some reason some guys just don't get it.

[Karim Graham]

an*

[Cody Kietzman]

Well the concept they are preaching is legit but they have a really bad delivery. When humans converse there is a rhythm to the conversation and these guys don't follow that rhythm making their teachings unpleasant to my ears. So while i understand what they are doing they have God awful delivery...Nice Sham Wow reference btw BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! As far as codifying language goes you will always have jargon used at certain schools if you started in only 10th planet than our language is not codified its normal....