Team Development with BJJ Training

1. Overview

As BJJ is a team sport, BJJ academies promote a friendly environment that welcomes students from different backgrounds and cultures. BJJ athletes compete as individuals in BJJ competitions. But they train as a team.

BJJ coaches understand their students develop stronger teams if they share a common goal. Without understanding one another, team chemistry is impossible to achieve.

A BJJ team's goal is not only to take part in competitions but to represent their BJJ academies. Team development in BJJ training is an excellent way to form strong relationships on and off the BJJ mats.

Let's learn more about the importance of team development with BJJ training in this article.

2. Defining Team Development

• Team development provides BJJ practitioners access to training and resources to help them better work towards the same purpose. The team needs to work in harmony to achieve their goals according to the organization's culture.
• The team development process helps improve social relations, team efficiency, and interpersonal skills.
• Team development is also based on ways to implement better methods of team cohesion.

3. Team Development through BJJ Training

Teamwork is extremely important for BJJ athletes performance, development, and self-improvement. Usually, in most sports, individuals are responsible for their training, success, and failure in a tournament. But BJJ training takes an entire team to prepare for BJJ competitions.

It is important to a team that each person recognizes their strengths, weaknesses, and responsibilities to ensure team cohesion. Successful BJJ teams in BJJ training are led by coaches who inspire athletes with their actions.

BJJ training is not only about physical strength and grappling skills, but it also promotes teamwork and collaboration. Team development is not only applicable on BJJ mats, but also helps BJJ athletes in their practical life.

On BJJ mats, team members have different personalities, backgrounds, and cultures. Some act as leaders, some argue, some quit, and some stay cool under pressure. But still, they work, train, and push each other to improve.

For BJJ coaches, developing teamwork is not an easy task. It is often frustrating and difficult, but at times it can be rewarding to see teams grow closer.

BJJ coaches must work on encouraging team chemistry during BJJ training sessions. Team chemistry helps teammates eliminate the communication gaps and jealousy between them. All BJJ teams train in a safe and supportive environment. Sometimes, the training environment becomes destructive if a team member thinks he/she is more important.

Modesty, truthfulness, courage, empathy, compassion, loyalty, devotion, and hard work are attributes of effective and healthy BJJ teams.

Teamwork and loyalty as a source of inspiration in BJJ

3.1. Team Involvement with BJJ Training

Team involvement cannot be possible without effective communication if there is tension between teammates. They must talk and try to work out any differences that negatively affect team dynamic. Conflicting egos between teammates are not beneficial for building a good BJJ team dynamic.

BJJ coaches must work to make a healthy workout environment where everyone feels comfortable talking so as to avoid negative feelings and misunderstandings.

A good BJJ team tries to listen to one another's ideas and support implementing any good ideas to improve BJJ training.

3.2. Freedom of Expression with BJJ Training

Although BJJ training has a lot of rules, teammates are still allowed to express themselves freely by practicing different BJJ techniques suited to them. BJJ coaches and teammates support each other by helping them overcome any problems they might be having learning certain techniques.

3.3. Social Support with BJJ Training

Mutual support and respect are the foundations for a strong BJJ team. It means that team members help, care, listen and communicate effectively. All BJJ coaches and seniors also help promote prosocial behavior.

Teammates must provide support by taking care of any injured teammates. A BJJ coach must create a proper class structure where everyone is equally important, responsible, and committed to running sessions. BJJ coaches and teammates must treat everyone equally, whether they are an experienced BJJ athlete or a beginner just starting to learn BJJ.

All teammates must try to take part in discussions on effective ways to do drills, rolls, and basic ethics when in a BJJ class.

3.4. BJJ Training Strengthens Team Bonding

BJJ training teaches BJJ athletes to create a strong and healthy team bond by practicing mindfulness, respect, patience, and responsibility. All teammates support each other to achieve goals in life that contribute to lifelong learning and growth.

3.5. On-Going Practice with Team

A BJJ athlete is not preparing for BJJ competitions throughout the year. Some months are very busy and some months are not. But still, training goes on. The ongoing practice with a team allows teammates to practice and support each other.

3.6. Team Loyalty

A team bond cannot work without loyalty and honesty. Every teammate must invest their time, efforts, and even finances to support the growth of the team. Most of the time, BJJ students are asked to make small sacrifices like practicing with a new student, cleaning the BJJ mats, or paying a visit to an injured teammate.

3.7 Improving Healthcare with BJJ Training

BJJ training teaches students about the need of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through self-care. Healthcare is a priority for all BJJ athletes. BJJ athletes must be willing to adopt a healthy and hygienic lifestyle.

3.8 Better Hygiene, Safe BJJ Training

A responsible BJJ athlete must also practice good hygiene for the sake of oneself and the team. An athlete must make sure that his/her BJJ gi is clean. Taking care of hygiene is a good way to prevent you and your teammates from getting skin infections, staph, ringworms, and impetigo.

3.9 Teammates Are Crucial for BJJ Training

For BJJ athletes, teammates help improve how drills, sparring, and rolls are conducted. A BJJ athlete cannot practice how to do every technique without the help of teammates. Solo drills and dummies won’t serve as effective BJJ training. A teammate is a form of support with whom one can spar on a daily basis and help improve one’s performance.

3.10 Appreciating Team during BJJ Training

A BJJ athlete must have the guts to appreciate the help from experienced BJJ grapplers without getting upset or jealous during training. The more inexperienced fighters should not be afraid to ask experienced BJJ grapplers to help them with practice or give valuable improvement tips.

3.11 Setting Limits for BJJ Training

Not every BJJ athlete can effectively give advice to their teammates during training. He must know his limits and refrain from asserting his teaching skills. It is the BJJ coaches’ job to guide others, so athletes should refrain from encroaching on their responsibilities. A BJJ athlete must develop patience and be able to listen and follow instructions as needed.

3.12 Managing Time During BJJ Training

Teammates should refrain from focusing on only a single type of technique during a BJJ training session. A BJJ athlete should not rush to learn or do as much as possible as quickly as possible. Time must be managed accordingly so that athletes develop a better understanding of all BJJ techniques. BJJ training is a time for self-improvement and progression for you and your teammates.

3.13 Support of BJJ Coach

Undoubtedly, a BJJ coach is the most important element of BJJ training. A BJJ coach is responsible for a BJJ athlete’s improvement in performance, technical skills, and personal maturity. But a BJJ athlete not only learns from a BJJ coach, but also learns valuable life lessons from their teammates and opponents.

3.14 Team Unity at BJJ Competitions

BJJ competitions are important events for BJJ athletes to test their current skill set. Even if they are competing in BJJ competitions as individuals, their team is still there to support and cheer them on.

4. Issues Regarding BJJ Team

There are always troublemakers in a team. The most common issues in BJJ teams are bullying and sexual harassment. First of all, if any BJJ athletes suspect there is bullying or sexual harassment, they must not keep quiet and report to the BJJ coach.

Moreover, it is unbearable if any BJJ athlete betrays their teammates, BJJ coach, or BJJ academy. Fighters who indulge themselves in useless rivalries end up being a detriment to the team. They also try to hog all the attention by doing crazy stunts, being fueled by narcissism and arrogance.

Personality traits that have no place in BJJ are selfishness, prejudice, insecurities, arrogance, anger, lack of morality, immaturity, and lack of respect.
Any issues that occur in BJJ training need to be resolved tactfully by BJJ coaches. It is the responsibility of BJJ coaches to identify culprits and then take strict action against unethical acts.

5.Conclusion

BJJ athletes cannot progress without team support. The development of an effective team is a never-ending process. The team shares success and responsibility.

Instead of competing against each other, teammates help each other improve in skill to reach a common goal during training. A healthy and productive BJJ team communicates, supports, and collaborates. Thus, teamwork can make it possible for individuals to think calmly while facing any crisis. Thus, teamwork is a valuable asset of BJJ training.