Tom DeBlass used a recent Instagram post to address Jiu-Jitsu instructors directly…
Arguing that non-competing students deserve special attention and a different standard of care than those actively competing.
DeBlass Wrote:
Jiu-Jitsu instructors, it’s imperative that you pay special attention to your non-competitors and take extra good care of them.
He explained that many of these students push themselves to match the pace of competitors simply because they assume that’s what’s expected of them, when instructors should be communicating something different entirely:
You must make it clear that what you want is for them to be healthy, happy, and able to train for a long time.
DeBlass emphasized that non-competitors aren’t measuring themselves against the same standard as a dedicated competitor with fewer outside obligations:
They are not in competition with the 20-year-old who has nothing to do besides train Jiu-Jitsu.
Many of them are middle-aged. They have full-time jobs. They have families to take care of. They have responsibilities outside of the academy.
It’s your responsibility as their instructor to understand that and guide them accordingly.
He closed by making clear that pushing these students still has a place, as long as it’s balanced against their lives outside the gym:
Push them, absolutely. Make them better. But know who you’re coaching.
Your job isn’t to break them. Your job is to help keep them on the mats.
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