How to build a BJJ competition team (Christian Graugart 1h35m)

Creating a BJJ team is essentially experience design
Humans feel social comfort and true sense of achievement when they can join a tribe larger than themselves and, through hardship, grow within this. Create a tribe with the potential for people to achieve accomplishment at their individual level. All human development happens outside of comfort zone. A competition team can create a safe way to put people there.
What defines “successful”?
Elements of a “Time Of My Life” experience:
- High contrast experience
- Social group isolation
- Perception of expectation
- Hardship
- Accomplishment

Set training schedule
Set competition calendar (smaller practice competitions and usually ends with one big competition as target)
Expect 70-80% to bail early
Give the team a name

Base these on training/competition/what game they like/body type
Nurture niche experts / specialists on the team (wrestler, guillotine, spider guard, lapel, half guard, triangle, leg locks etc.)
Some game plans are obvious, some take a few competitions to see where the person feel more comfortable playing
Build simple flowcharts
Weight target
Training target
Which classes can you as a minimum commit to doing, where the coach expect a reason for you not to show up?
Competition target
Which competitions do we expect you join?
Which are practice and which are to win?
For some people the goal will be to just compete. For some it will be to win a major tournament in one year timeframe.
Individual side-missions with cross off paper on the wall of the gym
Present to athletes individually
Make them sign it
Goal is to practice and study the game plan for a full season

Competition classes 90% drills/competition simulation & 10% individual/team corrections
Warmup: Visualize your game plan with partner
Most important skills: Scramble positions for three seconds, have a good guard and competition skills.
Drill: Back on the mat
- King of the hill style rounds
- Win by: Pinning opponents back on the mat for three seconds or take the back with hooks for three seconds
- Win 3 in a row and you can go out to back of line to rest
Drill: Long guard defense rounds (top and bottom)
- Variation 1: Top person is passing, bottom person defending
- Variation 2: Bottom person is sweeping/submitting, top person is defending
- Play LONG rounds
- + Regular guard rounds King of the hill style
Competition simulation
- Own warm-up routine
- Cheering
- Referee
- No music
- Walk-in routine
- Practice weight cut
- Practice picking out voice in crowd
- Practice speaking up as coach
- Give immediate feedback and tips to competitors and crowd
Team physical training
Film practice and competitions for feedback
Compete and evaluate (technical corrections in class)
Train, compete, evaluate, repeat

Facebook group or similar for team communication
Personal attention regardless of level or “importance”
Social element outside of training is very valuable
Exposure of team towards rest of academy
- Custom competition team gi with with names on
- Team photo before leaving for big, final competition of season
Important to make everyone feel like they’re contributing to the team as a whole
Create highlight videos from tournaments
Nurture social aspect of competition trips
Keep injured members involved
Belt promotions at end of season (usually at team dinner after competition)