active observation: As training begins I always try to keep an eye on the room and look for any need for intervention (not interrupting the class, but usually afterwards or in subsequent classes). This is an opportunity for a coach to assess whether a given move or concept is working as intended for the students. In problematic cases the essential question is whether failure is due to inadequacies in the technique itself, or my presentation of it, or the students implementation of it. Usually it is a mix of the latter two, though sometimes the first is the culprit and changes must be made. The best way to appropriate blame is by observing how the class as a whole is handling the assignment. If there is universal failure, but the technique has been shown previously to be effective in competition, then the blame should be put on me as the coach. I need to do a better job of presenting the material. If some students are successful and others failing, it is probably a failure of student comprehension and extra time needs to be devoted to remove the confusion among those who are not performing adequately. If even the most talented students are struggling to apply it successfully despite having a clear understanding of what they are trying to achieve and how to do so, then we will break the technique down after class and see if modifications can be made to make it work, or abandon it. This constant assessment of performance and judgement of the root of FAILURE is key to forward progress, not just in jiu jitsu, but in all aspects of life. Often people shy away from addressing failure, but locating and addressing failure is probably the quickest route to improvement. The key is to see failure as an opportunity for advancement rather than an episode of embarrassment or shame. If we take the latter point of view, we all would have been shamed out of the sport as white belts! Here I check out the action in Singapore at a large seminar in Evolve jiu jitsu academy. This presents slightly different problems as the students are all strangers, but the general idea remains the same.
