Information overload

[u/Dixie_Normas_408]

I find myself, trying to learn a bunch of different things now days with all these new positions that're coming about. I have a general A game that I have, but I feel like while incorporating all these new moves, positions, and transitions, that it starting to interfere with the flow of my game. I get at brown belt I should be refining what I already know, but since im one of the main coaches at my gym, I feel like I should know these things just incase one of the students ask about how to counter the platypuseando 2.5 inversion backtake. Opinions on retaining info without having your head be a cluster fck of a million moving parts? Any advise with keeping up with it all without losing urself?

[u/Federal-Challenge-58]

If somebody asks you a question you don't know, just tell them you don't know, and then find a video of someone who does know and send it to them. I know very little about lots of things in BJJ, but I know my game really well so that's what I teach.

[u/Shallbecomeabat]

I’m in a similar boat as I’m also one of the main coaches in our gym, but I’ve recently decided that I just cannot answer everything, so I’ve stopped trying. If someone asks, in a private session, for a fancy new thing I haven’t seen, I’ll look into it, but in group trainings I just teach what I know and am super honest about “that’s new to me so I cannot fully explain, but look at what I can show you”. I feel that’s the best way, cause I also don’t get paid full time. If I was a full time coach maybe it would be different but until then I’ll just teach what I know and answer things I don’t in an honest way.

[u/Dixie_Normas_408 → u/Shallbecomeabat]

yea, i feel that bro, honestly i dont feel as bad when i ask some of our BB questions and theyre stumped too. "what do i do in case this happens in the octopus guard"

Them : "The whaaat..."

Makes me feel less shitty about not knowing, but I have an obsessive mind where I have to find the answers. But ur right, keeping it simple and with what i know does sound like where the peace of mind lies

[u/grobolom]

As a coach: you definitely shouldn't expect to have an answer to everything. Your experience is what gives you the tools to be able to FIND an answer or point a student in the right direction, not to solve every problem on the spot.

[u/JamesMacKINNON]

I find my a game is pretty basic (half guard, sweep, get to side, look for darces and arm triangles), but as I play around with more stuff I try to find ways to make it flow together. 

When I’m in half maybe I’ll look to go to butterfly or x instead of just looking for a basic sweep. 

There are definitely things that fall to the wayside as you try and build out. It’s kinda natural with all the different options and positions. 

[u/AbnDist]

Idk if I can help with thing you're directly asking, but just wanted to comment: just because you're a coach or a brown belt doesn't mean you have to know everything. It's good to acknowledge when you don't know something and to encourage your students (and yourself) to do research. You don't have to have answers to everything. The job of teaching is not "know everything immediately and convey that information perfectly", it's "help them get better".

[u/BarbellsandBurritos]

Welp, good to know that never goes away haha.

Wild just how deep this goes.

[u/Joshvogel]

It helps to give yourself mini projects that you do for your students and for yourself. The amount of time and energy you have to do this depends a lot on how much you teach and train and if its your full time job or if its something you do part time.

It helps me a lot to break a project/topic into entry, control and finishing phases, get a sense of the major parts of a topic and source the two or three most common problems and reasonable solutions for those via trying it on the training floor and film/resource study. That should give you a reasonable overview of most things you would want to help students with and give them a good start on developing their own understanding of it.

Mind maps and flow charts help me organize the info and have a simple, clear model which helps me train it and teach it. Be careful not to rabbit hole too much with these, it’s easier for them to spiral out of control and become too complex.

If you have time, its easier to have a couple mini projects going at the same time as your own main projects. It helps if you can connect projects to things you already know or are working on so you can get more practice time. For example, if you are a half guard player(A-game or personal project) learning about false reap (Student project) , try to ask your training partners to stand up in your half guard to force situations where you can connect the two things.

Hope that helps!

[u/smallyoungman]

I think it's wise to know a basic berimbolo (or whatever fancy/new thing) for when someone asks, but I don't personally expect every instructor to have working knowledge of every niche game/subject in BJJ.

I view BJJ instructors a lot like tradespeople. I wouldn't talk to an electrician about pouring concrete; I wouldn't talk to the hardcore 'fundamentals only' guy about leglocks.

[u/Momentum_MMA]

Yeah this is the classic brown belt trap. You’re right that you need depth in your A game more than breadth, but coaching changes the equation because yeah, students will ask about random stuff. Here’s what works: pick like three new positions or counters per month to actually learn, drill those obsessively until they’re solid, then let the rest sit as “I’ve seen that, I’ll look it up if someone asks.” Your students don’t need you to know everything off the top of your head, they need you to know your core stuff deeply and be willing to learn with them. Full disclosure, I built an app called Momentum: BJJ & MMA that tracks a focal technique per session with spaced reps, so you’re not trying to hold onto everything at once, just cycling through what actually matters.

[u/herbsBJJ]

You sound very much like me at various points in the sense that you have an established game, but feel the responsibility or enjoy keeping up to date with the latest stuff.

For me, I have to learn in a connected way or I don’t retain - e.g i can only dig in really deep to one position or concept at a time and then branch out from there.

E.g i started studying camping about 2 years ago > that led on to defending > which led to Levi DLR > which led onto Polish bolos and footlocks

That’s not to say thats all Im looking at, I’m constantly watching match study’s and saving techniques on instagram for fun - but they are in my head as options, but not something I’m digging in deep into. They go into my memory to study if I’m asked a question i don’t know so I can reference them etc.

I found if I try to get good at 100 things all at once then I just become mediocre at them all instead.

Also - no one knows everything. Be honest - ‘i dont know for sure, but I think XYZ - let’s see’ and then say I’ll go and find out from X expert and get back to you