The guys in my class don’t see it, but I do. I’ve been teaching methodology for the past 2.5 years, and I’ve been studying about ESL for the past 5 years.
BJJ is exactly like ESL.
For clarification purposes, ESL is English as a Second Language, but for this post I mean it to be ANY 2nd language classroom. BJJ is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and theoretically this could be brought out to any other martial arts. But I’m sticking to what I know, so I say BJJ is exactly like ESL.
Let’s break it down:
BJJ is a foreign language for your body. Because of this, the teaching methodology is the SAME. Let’s take a look at what I’ve been teaching for the past 2+ years.
Warmup In an ESL classroom you need some sort of warmup because the students need to switch their brain from their native language to the second language. You’re getting them ready for speaking, listening, etc. In a BJJ classroom you need a warmup to get your body ready for techniques and sparring.
Target Language For the ESL teacher this is talking about what students will learn. Vocabulary, grammar, or even body language. For the BJJ teacher this is the techniques you are teaching for the day.
Encounter, Internalization, Fluency. In an ESL classroom there is some introduction to the target language (Encounter), then the students practice it in a controlled setting (internalization), and then they have a chance to use it in a situation set by the teacher but that allows them free practice with it (fluency). During the Internalization stage, the teacher should look for and correct problems students are having with the Target Language, but during the fluency activity they do not correct.
In a BJJ class, the instructor shows the students a move (encounter), then they drill it (internalization), then they may get a chance to do positional sparring (more internalization), then free sparring (fluency). The instructor should look for and correct problems students are having with the technique during the drills, but during the sparring they do not correct.
There are definitely more similarities, which I’ll touch on later.
What do YOU think?
Some of us have had a bit of a conversation about BJJ being like learning a second language over here on Dev’s blog. (And other posts, which of course I can’t find right now. Sorry!) Only, we’re all experiencing it only from a student’s side and not from the teacher’s side.
Most days I feel like I can only say simple sentences. I stumble with higher-level grammar, syntax, and punctuation. If I’m working with someone who speaks less jiu-jitsu than me — say, a new wrestler — then my limited vocabulary seems immense; but when I roll with the higher belts, it seems they speak rapid-fire and use jargon and slang I’ve never encountered.
Thanks for the comment and the link! I would love to read more about what people have said about it. The grammar/syntax/rate of speed/level are absolutely all part of it, and I plan to wax a little more poetic about it 😉 and then talk about teaching methodology and how it can be absolutely applied to the BJJ classroom. It would be nice if all BJJ instructors had some solid methodology behind them.
I wonder if there are any foreign language teachers who also teach BJJ and if they have been able to maintain the same teaching philosophy or if their classrooms are run similarly. I suppose I have 10-15 years before *I* can find out 😉
Roy Dean is quite keen on the “BJJ as a language” metaphor, and given that he’s probably the most eloquent BJJ instructor around, he’s also put it memorably into words, in several interviews and on Purple Belt Requirements.
I didn’t transcribe exactly what he said in that review, but in short, he builds an extended metaphor around the idea of techniques as words. The most important element in gaining the purple belt is to take these words and string them into sentences. Eventually, you will be able to use those sentences to create a compelling argument, refining your oratory until you can debate at the highest levels.
That is gorgeous. I’ve always been passionate about languages and teaching, and to hear someone wax poetic about it–moves me. Thank you so much for the link.
[…] Posted on December 27, 2010 by Julia Johansen BJJ is exactly like ESL. I brought this up in this post. Now to expand a […]
[…] friend Julia draws parallels between BJJ and foreign language acquisition all the time on her own blog. One post in particular though, mirrored some of my own thoughts on the matter […]