Strategy and game planning seminar for Jiu-Jitsu
A seminar for coaches and serious practitioners on the part of jiu-jitsu that technique classes often leave out: how to decide, plan and adapt.
Most students learn many techniques and still lose the same way. The missing piece is rarely one more sweep. It is knowing what you are playing for, what your opponent is trying to do, and what to do when the plan breaks. This seminar gives coaches a clear way to teach that, and gives players a way to practise it.
Who it is for
- Coaches and instructors who want to add a tactical layer to their classes
- Competitors and blue belts and above who want a structured game plan
- Clubs that want one focused seminar day for their team
Modules
A sample programme. The length and the selection of modules depend on your group, gi or no-gi.
Module 1: Position before submission
The positional hierarchy and why a tactical win can be a strategic loss. What you are actually playing for in each position, and how to value control, time and safety before a quick gain.
Module 2: Building a game plan
How to build a game from your body, your rules set and your opponents. Chains instead of isolated techniques. Thinking in decision trees: if A, then B or C; if the opponent answers with B, then D.
Module 3: Reading the opponent
Pattern recognition and tendencies. Reading intent, using feints and creating dilemmas, so that the opponent has to choose between two bad options.
Module 4: Decisions under pressure
A simple decision cycle for rolling and competition: observe, interpret, act, check the reaction, adapt. Risk management: when to attack, when to preserve, and how to stay calm when the plan breaks.
Module 5: Competition and rolling tactics
Rules, scoring and time. Adapting to different opponent types. How to prepare a match without over-scripting it.
Module 6: After-action review
How to analyse a roll or match: find the critical decisions, separate execution errors from strategic errors, build a response and test it again.
Module 7: Teaching tactics (for coaches)
How to turn a technique class into a decision class: drills with constraints, positional sparring with goals, and the questions to ask your students. Includes ways to give feedback that builds thinking rather than dependence.
Formats
- Seminar: 2 to 3 hours, a selection of modules with live drilling
- Full day: all modules, with a coaches’ session at the end
- Two-part series: theory and drilling first, a review session some weeks later
- Online talk: 60 to 90 minutes for coaches, without drilling
At your academy, at the BJJ DOJO Berlin in Berlin, or online. Group size and price depend on the format. Price on request.
Who teaches
I am Rodrigo Fernandes, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, 3rd degree (IBJJF, Team CheckMat), training since 2001 and teaching in Germany for more than 15 years, with beginners, advanced students, kids and adults. I run the BJJ DOJO Berlin and work with students as a coach. My background in control and automation engineering shows in how I explain things: systems, feedback and decisions. More on the About page.
I do not teach this as a fixed system you must follow. It is a set of questions and tools that you adapt to your own game and your own students.
Voices
These quotes are about my private jiu-jitsu lessons, not about this specific format.
I had the pleasure to study BJJ with Rodrigo for around 30 private sessions by now. He is a very passionate teacher interested in developing his students in a safe, progressive, and mature way. It’s hard to find someone who can guide you with more than just the technical success taken into account. Rodrigo brings to the table elements of health, tactics, and strategy, longevity in the practice, balance, self-discovery, and psychology. To sum up: Highly recommended, and big thumbs up!
Ido Portal
I’ve attended several BJJ seminars by some big names, but what I learned in my first private lesson with Rodrigo simply exceeded, without exaggerating every of them. An extremely likable person with a profound technical understanding. His analytical way of teaching and explaining BJJ through concepts and body mechanics has left me speechless several times — even days afterward. Thank you for this great experience. I’m looking forward to many more private lessons.
Christian Frey
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to train gi or no-gi?
Either. The ideas apply to both, and examples are adapted to your group.
Is it for beginners?
The concepts are useful from blue belt on. For white belts I suggest the coach attends first and brings the ideas into class step by step.
Do you travel?
Yes, by arrangement. Travel costs are added.
Enquiries
Tell me about your club or group, the number of people, the level and the date you have in mind.