If your child has been taking Jiu Jitsu classes for any length of time here at Tribe-SBG Reno, there’s a good chance you’ve picked up and learned a thing or two while watching them. You are probably familiar with the names of the major positions, as well as able to recognize when your child is the one in the dominate position or not. This is the point at which most parents want to jump in and help coach or give instructions to their child from the sideline. Unfortunately, this almost always has negative side effects. One of SBG’s “Big 5” Rules (you’ll find it on our wall posters) is “No Sideline Coaching.” While it may seem harmless, here are 5 reasons why we ask you to please watch and let the coaches do the coaching!
1) Focus.
Sideline coaching often interrupts your child’s focus (and others’!). From the sidelines, it’s difficult to know exactly what the drill is supposed to accomplish or specifically what the coach has asked your child to focus on. You might even give the “right” instructions for the position, but they could be very wrong in the context of the current drill requirements. As your child wrestles with wanting to listen to their parent vs. what their coach told them to do, they will quickly and easily lose focus on the tasks at hand. Give your child a gift of fewer distractions by trusting that they have a set of instructions they are supposed to currently focus on and letting them train while you simply watch from the sideline.
2) Safety.
Children are easily distractible. They can lose their focus simply by seeing a friend walk in the building, watching a bug fly by, or remembering something that happened at school. Add in the directions being coached by their favorite parent and they will certainly lose their focus. Focus in Jiu Jitsu is not just important for learning, but it’s also important for their safety. There are a lot of moving parts in Jiu Jitsu, and a lack of focus can quickly lead to a safety concern. While our Growing Gorillas coaching staff keeps a watchful eye on our students, especially in riskier positions or while live rolling, your child has a newfound responsibility to learn how to keep themselves and their partner safe. Allow them to do so with one less distraction from the sidelines.
3) Roles.
A coach’s role is to be the coach, and a parent’s role is to be the parent. This is vital to keep Jiu Jitsu as a fun, physical outlet that is separate from their home life (we get it, lots of Jiu Jitsu ends up happening on the couch at home, too!). A Jiu Jitsu parent’s job is to get kids to class on time, encourage them, and give them positive reinforcement. Allow the coaches to take care of the coaching duties while you support and encourage from the sidelines.
4) Goals.
Coaches often have specific goals in mind for each child. Coaching your child might detract from what the coaches are currently working on with your child. Rather than stifle the learning opportunity at hand by adding in extra coaching that may not be pertinent, allow and trust that the coaches have tabs on your child’s Jiu Jitsu journey and development, and that with their coaching, your child will thrive. If you have questions about something you are seeing or don’t understand, please don’t hesitate to ask your child’s coach!
5) Easier Said Than Done.
While you’ve likely accumulated some decent knowledge of Jiu Jitsu just by watching, escaping is easier said than done when someone is actively trying to hold you down. Sometimes, one of the best and easiest ways to support your child is to jump in, too! Sign up for a class and show your child that you are coachable, looking to learn, and ready to work hard-just like you are expecting them to be. The bonus is that you will likely realize how impressive your child really is when you experience the difficulty of escaping. We offer several class times here at Tribe-SBG that allow you to train at the exact same time as your child, too!
Support Your Child By Letting The Coach Coach
Wanting to support your child is always a good thing. Sometimes as parents, we have to re-learn how to best support our child in new situations. In Jiu Jitsu, one of the absolute best ways to support your child is by allowing the coach to do all of the coaching while you sit and enjoy watching from the sidelines. The next time you feel like shouting out a direction, remember that you just might be taking away a learning experience from your child that their coach was trying to provide for them. Let the coach do the coaching.
