BJJ is literally the only sport in the world that I know of, where the instructor is also a competitor. Can you imagine Tom Thibodeau coaching one day, and then lacing up his Nikes and trying to win a game of his own the next? Or Freddie roach fighting a couple of hours before one of his fighters?
Some of the best current coaches in the world are full time coaches and don’t compete, such as Heath Pedigo and John Danaher. At the same time some formidable teams have their coaches “leading from the front” and fighting alongside their students, which is actually the more common scenario.
When leading from the front, students get inspired and motivated. When Shaolin was getting ready to fight, the air in the school felt heavier.. but in a good way. Training got a little bit more serious, and the lower ranks would work hard to play catch-up. Which in turn made them better.
Also, as a coach, the pressure, anxiety and ten thousand other factors that are behind the scenes are apparent. You know exactly what your students are dealing with, since you are right there in the fire. “In the shits” is how it’s referred to in the kitchen world, and as a leader you know exactly what to do for the turnaround, and not from the sidelines.
At the same time, I believe I will become a much better coach when I “retire”.
Bruce Lee once said that he would detach himself and be able to see himself from a third person perspective while he is fighting. Whether that’s true or not, there’s a lot of value to that thought and it shows the importance of the coach and from seeing things from the outside. A coach is never blind sighted by an attack. And a good coach who knows his students doesn’t necessarily need to roll with them or “compete” against them to guide them to success.
When purely coaching, ego and competitive nature is eliminated between the coach/student. If the coach is competing as well, it is dishonest to believe that he or she is purely helping the student during the training for the comp. The student, who is actually the training partner, ends up being the “dummy”. Yes, it can be beneficial, but I would argue they would get better if coached and guided against other competitors.
If you are a coach and a competitor at the same time, what challenges do you face? Do you believe you can be the best simultaneously?
