Archive for December, 2009

Watch as “Papa” John Gorman, USAJJ Commissioner, guides us through a brief overview of USA Jiu Jitsu’s Instructor Training Course.

This course took place from 12/04 to 12/06 at the USAJJ’s National Training Center in Washington, DC.

Students were exposed to different teaching methodologies, leadership development, business planning, and even how to plan a tournament. These concepts go well beyond technique to produce well-rounded teachers, instructors, and academy owners.

As you’ll see on the video, the course mixes lecture with practice; the ITC students take turns teaching an actual class in which even white belts are in charge of correcting and guiding upper belts. This training gives them the ability to become assistant instructors (in the case of white belts) or even the head instructor (for blue and purple belts that operate away from a black belt).

The last day of the course is dedicated to tournament planning, referee education, and the instructors are divided into the multiple staff requirements of a big tournament: timekeepers, score keepers, referees, registrations, weigh-ins, and tournament director.

After debating the best strategies, ITC students are put in charge of running an actual USAJJ In-House tournament.

The last tournament was broadcast live on uStream this past Sunday, and it was a great hit.

Below, check out pictures of the award ceremony for both the Instructor Training Course and the in-house tournament.