Taking the lead in your own club is a significant and rewarding step. While the responsibility for your students and the club’s success rests with you, remember that you are not alone. The Jiu Jitsu Foundation has a strong network of support available. Actively engage with your mentors and experienced regional leads. They are invaluable resources for guidance, advice, and sharing best practices in teaching and club management.

It is understandable that the demands of teaching and running a club can feel overwhelming, making it easy to inadvertently neglect your own development. However, prioritising your continued learning is crucial, not only for your personal growth in Jiu Jitsu but also for the benefit of your students and the long-term health of your club. Use the wisdom and experience of your seniors to help you navigate challenges and find effective strategies for balancing your responsibilities with your own ongoing training and development.

Don’t forget to make time for your own training. Remember to make time for your own training. The Jiu Jitsu Foundation runs courses to support this, including Brown and Dan training days, directional courses, and regional courses. You can also train by visiting another club. Ask your mentor if you may train there. They will very likely be pleased to have such an experienced student to teach.

You can also integrate training with some creative thinking. When you are demonstrating techniques, perform them left-handed. Introduce blocking and evasion techniques into a warm up. Whenever a session is progressing effectively, participate and train with a group. Provide your assistant instructors with a plan to teach part of a session. Meanwhile, take your more experienced students aside and practise some pressure work. Ensure that you are directly able to supervise your assistant instructors while working with your more experienced students.

Think about your development in the longer term.

• What do you like about Jiu Jitsu?
• What motivates you?
• What would you like to improve technically?
• Are you happy with your fitness?
• What would you like to improve about your pressure work?
• Do you have a target date for your next grading?
• Do you know what will be expected of you at that grading?
• Have you arranged a training programme?
• What role do you want to play in your region?

Developing your Jiu Jitsu Teaching

Reflective practice allows instructors to continually refine their techniques, lesson plans, and teaching style based on feedback and self-evaluation. By reflecting on the effectiveness of different teaching strategies, instructors can adjust their approach to cater to diverse abilities and backgrounds of your students.

Reflecting on what worked well and what did not in a class session helps instructors develop problem-solving skills, enabling them to make immediate adjustments. Reflecting on one’s teaching practice encourages self-awareness, helping instructors understand their strengths and areas for growth.

After each class, take some time to evaluate your own performance as an instructor. Consider questions like:

• What went well in the class?
• What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
• Were all students engaged? If not, why?
• Did the lesson meet the learning objectives?
• Were there any instances where students struggled or appeared confused?

Continue to reflect on how well you used the framework (unit 6 of the Assistant Instructor Course)

Consider what feedback was given and how students responded to it. Think about adjustments you could make in the future.  

Observe a session led by another instructor and ask for feedback on your own teaching. Exchange ideas with other instructors to improve lesson planning, teaching strategies, and class management.

Student feedback is a crucial aspect of reflective practice. By encouraging students to share their thoughts and feelings, instructors can gain insight into how effective their teaching is from the learner’s perspective. Solicit feedback from your students regularly. Ask them what they felt went well, what could be better, and what they might need more help with. Use this input to guide your teaching approach.
Regularly assess students’ progress and provide feedback to ensure that they are improving in all areas: technique, strategy, mental resilience, and physical conditioning.

Keep a teaching journal or log where you write down observations, thoughts, and reflections after each class. This process helps to identify patterns, both positive and negative, and serves as a tool for long-term growth and development.

Part two of the Club Instructor Course is the assessment of the teaching skills you learned in your Assistant Instructor course and have since been developing under the mentorship of your club instructor. Following the completion of the online component of the Club Instructor course, your instructor will arrange for a Club Instructor course assessor to carry out the assessment. You and your club instructor will receive feedback on your performance and a copy of your assessment. If you do not pass, you will receive an action plan to work on before a Club Instructor Course Assessor reassesses you.

In the assessment you will be marked on 

Pre-delivery planning

• Completion of the session plan. (Click the link at the bottom of this unit to download session plan template).
• Inclusion of objectives and goals.
• Appropriateness of objectives and goals to the students.
• Demonstration of logical progression.
• Identification of adequate resources and time needed.
• Inclusion of adaptations and alternatives.
• Inclusion of coaching tips.

Safety

• Continuous checking of the environment and safety.
• Control of the group and ensuring continuous safety.
• Demonstration of the need to check students’ physical readiness for exercise.

General Approach

• Provision of variety and challenge.
• Maximisation of student involvement.
• Ability to motivate and inspire.
• Composure, even under pressure.
• Initiative to improve outcomes.
• Catering for all abilities.

Organisation and Management

• Effective management of students.
• Effective time management.
• Effective space management.
• Appropriate grouping of participants.

Instruction

• Provision of a simple explanation of task and skill.
• Identification of key coaching points.
• Progressive development of the session.
• Your use of clear and accurate demonstrations.

Communication Skills

• Methods for gaining attention before providing information or demonstrations.
• Continuous checking for understanding.
• Voice projection, clarity.
• Facing students when speaking to them.
• Your presentation of Jitsu Etiquette and terminology (framework).
• Effective positioning.
• Demonstration of the whole technique followed by a breakdown.
• Multiple demonstrations.
• Demonstrations at different speeds.
• Demonstrations from different angles.
• Your use of effective body language.
• Maintenance of eye contact.

Observation and feedback

• Awareness of the whole group while dealing with individuals.
• Stopping training to correct common errors.
• Provision of explanations and demonstrations to correct errors.
• Correction of one error at a time.
• Provision of constructive feedback.

Please prepare and bring your session plan for a 30-minute teaching slot. Without this, you will find the first section of the assessment challenging. We are assessing your teaching as a potential instructor of your own club; therefore, be flexible and relevant. You may be teaching students ranging from novices to other blue belts, so be prepared to teach something appropriate to their level. Additionally, be aware that ‘teaching’ does not solely mean instructing a technique from its very beginning. You should demonstrate all the teaching skills required to run a club, from basic technique breakdowns to drilling exercises.

Ask for help

Once you have passed your Club Instructor course, remember you are not alone, even though your success will depend on your own efforts. If you are experiencing problems, approach your mentor or other instructors and explain the situation. It is highly likely that they have dealt with something similar and can offer invaluable advice. Sharing a problem often makes it easier to manage.

This is the end of this module and the course.

You now need to complete a final set of questions to complete the course.

Personal Development Questions

You’ll need to answer correctly at least 6 out of the 8 questions below (at least 75%) to progress to the next unit. Note that unless indicated choose one answer only.