Learning Jiu-jitsu can't be done in a vacuum. It is not an activity that you can pursue with any degree of success alone. You must have willing training partners in order to learn the art. Those who have been on the mat for some time most likely can tell you about some of their most memorable training partners over the years (both good and bad). Your training partners can have just as much, if not more, direct influence over your training as the instructor (both good and bad). I still have fond memories of one of my early training partners & mentors, that I heard from just recently again, "Pilot" Mike. Mike was one of the main people that helped me along the way when I was a white belt. He was a purple belt. We called him "Pilot" Mike, because he was a commercial airline pilot (he's retired now I believe). While he absolutely destroyed me on the mat, he was one of the nicest, friendliest guys you'll ever meet. He took me under his wing, and mentored me....helped me to learn to speak the language of Jiu-jitsu. We spent many hours sitting on the mat after class just talking about Jiu-jitsu. He would give me advice based on his experience, and helped guide me. He really seemed genuinely concerned about my welfare & progress. And I remember, the one thing he always said, was "Just don't quit. Keep showing up!" Well, I did....now I'm a black belt. Mike is still a purple belt. He had some unfortunate life circumstances that took him off the mat. But I still look up to him for the influence that he had on my early development in Jiu-jitsu. So, how can you make sure that you're one of the good training partners?
The first step is to show up. It's hard to help someone if you're not on the mat. Especially the "upper belts", lead by example. The best leaders are the best followers. Show up consistently, on time. Don't skip the warm ups. Don't skip fundamentals classes because you're "too advanced" or you "already know" the basics. Be the example that you want the white belts to mimic when they are in your shoes one day!
Remember what it was like when you were a white belt. Jiu-jitsu is hard, and the mat can be intimidating. Help the newer students to feel comfortable and at home on the mat. Don't ignore the white belts. The only difference between the upper belts and the white belts are that the upper belts started first. We're all on the same path! Take a new white belt under your wing, and make it your mission to make them love Jiu-jitsu as much as you do. Help them, guide them, check up on them. That new white belt may turn into one of your best and toughest training partners one day! Don't ever think that you're "too good" or "too advanced" to get anything out of working with the newer students. I promise you, it will benefit BOTH of you!
Help the white belts....but, don't overwhelm them. As my instructor, Steve Hall says often, "don't cheat them out of the white belt experience!" After you have been on the mat for a while, it is easy to lose perspective. We forget how much we struggled with things that seem very simple and rudimentary now. White belts need a basic understanding. It is not fair to expect them to comprehend things at the level that you do as an upper belt, so don't try. You will only serve to confuse and frustrate them. Jiu-jitsu is a long journey, and there is plenty of time to refine the fine details of the techniques. At white belt, we just want to pass along the big picture. Newer students don't need a lot of theory. They need repetitions. Help them to understand the basic mechanics of how to do the move, and then just let them practice it-over, and over, and over.
It is easy to over-teach a move to a newer student. This is a common syndrome amongst many upper belts. And, it comes from a good place. After all, you are trying to help them. But, what you may not realize is, despite your best efforts, you may actually be doing more damage than helping. Just guide them to get the big picture, don't give too much advise or correction, and keep it very basic. It is easy to fall into the trap of wanting to demonstrate the more advanced variation or counter. Don't do that!! Keep it simple, just rep the move slowly and smoothly, as close to the way the instructor showed it as you can, and let them follow your lead. When you are paired up during class with a newer student for drilling, the upper rank should always do the move first. This give the newer student an opportunity to watch the move demonstrated again as you do it (hopefully mostly correct). Then, let them do it and repeat it multiple times. Ideally, at least 5 reps each or more before you switch. Avoid the temptation to correct minor errors, or give advice. You will find that a lot of that gets figured out naturally through repetition. Just rep. There really should be very little talking going on while drilling a move. Keep moving and keep repping it out as much as you can during the time allotted.
Avoid the temptation to re-teach the move. Often, upper belts will re-explain what the instructor just spent the last few minutes explaining to the whole class. This confuses the newer students, and wastes valuable drilling time. Let the instructor show the move, then grab your partner and start repping it out. You can answer questions briefly as they arise, but don't spend the entire time allotted talking about the move. Just do it!
Focus on the move being shown in class. Please don't be the person that does that move the instructor shows once or twice, and then takes off on your own variations or counters to the move, or start drilling the latest move you saw on YouTube because you think it is cool and you already "know" this "basic" move. If the instructor is showing it to the class, there is a reason for it. Focus on what is being shown. Work on your more advanced variations during your open mat time with your more advanced training partners. Don't confuse the white belts with it!
Don't give too much resistance too quickly! This one should be obvious, but unfortunately it still has to be said. Yes, you may know how to counter the move being shown. However, if you give resistance and counter the new move that your partner is trying to apply, all you're doing is robbing them of their confidence to attempt the move. If they feel that it won't work, they will not attempt to apply it....and then, yes, it won't work. Because they haven't put the time into it to learn the details, timing, and sensitivity that make it work. In fact, I will go a step further....in the beginning, especially with newer students, you have to not only not give resistance, you have to help them do the move. Use your own movement to guide them. It is your job to not let them fail! Once they start to understand how to go through the motions of the technique, you can help them a little less, and a little less, until they are doing it for themselves. Think of it like teaching a kid to ride a bike. You have to hold them up and help them keep their balance, until they get the feel for it. And gradually, you let them go on their own. If you just let go right away and they fall, they're not going to want to get back on the bike! Once a student know a move well, only then, can you gradually start to increase resistance, until they are able to do it well enough on their own that they can overcome that resistance. Live training with resisting opponents is extremely important, but imparting too much resistance too soon is a recipe for disaster. Don't do it!
Don't fake your way through it. You may only be a blue or purple belt, but the newer students still expect you to be able to answer all of their questions. Recognize what you do not know, and don't fake it! If you don't know the answer, refer it up to one of the people with more experience than you, or the instructor. You may end up very confidently teaching someone something wrong. Rather, help where you can, and admit what you don't know. Nobody knows everything. It will give BOTH of you the opportunity to learn more.
Most of us that make it into the upper ranks in Jiu-jitsu are very excited to help those coming up behind us. We see the potential in the new white belts, and recognize that you were once where they are. We know how valuable and rewarding training can be. So we naturally want to help mentor and guide the newer students. My opinion is, the best way to do this is to simply be the example for how you want them to be. Help them, but don't overwhelm them. Understand that they don't have your experience or perspective yet, don't try to force it on them. The process is important, let them experience it in their own way, and just provide support. Remember, if you are one of the upper ranks, you are a leader to the less experienced students, whether you want to be or not. They are watching you. So, lead by example!
