Trying to deal with a know it all in class.

[Russky]

I do ask questions about grips and stuff. Never questioning the technique but ask stuff about small details. I don't think I'm being a dick.

Only when instructor does not have an answer

 

[Vincent Tabaquin]

Hello, I'm an amateur MMA fighter who happens to teach wrestling at a small gym that I do not want to disclose the details of for various reasons.

So as I had previously stated, I teach wrestling . It's mostly for our Jiujitsu focused guys and our MMA fighters that I mainly took on due to myself being the most experienced wrestler by a long shot in our gym. I'm not a world class coach or ambassador of the sport by any means, but I do know my stuff especially cnsidering the group of guys I'm teaching. I only wrestled in NAIA after high school to give an indicator of my ability.

It's all been going well for quite a few months, and I genuinely enjoy teaching wrestling to people, having started my coaching career originally with youth teams and middle schoolers when I was younger.

However lately there is a new guy that has showed up at our gym. He's as green as can be and his only experience is with wrestling. At Jiujitsu class he's the dude who resists during drills and will try to crank when he's drilling a new sub. We have been working with him on that and he's doing slightly better day by day.

However, when he comes to wrestling class/practice, it has to be all about him. How he would do it, or how his coaches taught him how to do this setup or that shot. Remember how I said that this guy's only experience with combat sports was wrestling? Turns out he wrestled from 6th grade to 10th grade. So he didn't start until junior high and didn't even finish through high school.

This doesn't stop him from putting in his two cents every time I try to explain something. I've asked him numerous times to stop and let me do my job, but he just won't listen. Now, if he was actually a really good wrestler, I would respect his opinions a bit more and would even let him help teach if he had something to teach. Thing is, he sucks at wrestling, the sport that is his supposed base. He gets worked by our other fighters and Jiujitsu guys during live wrestling. Don't even get me started with how much I rag doll him when I get the chance.

I guess all I'm trying to ask is, how can I make this guy stop? He's constantly questioning the techniques I teach, even when I make a note that I modify something for MMA or submission grappling. Likewise he tries to tell the others he has a better way to do it, and even when no one is listening, he still just does things his own way even to the deterrence of others. Again I don't mean to claim I'm a great coach, but this guy doesn't have a clue what he is talking about.

TL;DR How do you guys that are coaches and instructors deal with a know it all student? How can I make them stop toxic behaviors in the training room?

Bro the best way is just to lay back and let him destroy himself. That's what I love about one of my BJJ coaches, he's not confrontational-- but when someone goes out of line, he'll say something very assertive and humbly, like "I'm sorry (name), can I please explain and focus on this, its really important." it's weird, he has a way of making people feel bad, but without hurting them?

Idk if this is the best advice for you. I'm a brown belt judoka (soon black on paper) and the one thing I hate is when other judoka come into BJJ-- my best advice to experience judo/wrestlers is to "TURN YOUR DAMN JUDO BLINKERS OFF" were doing BJJ dammit. No one cares about the experiences you've had and we're not going to suck into your teaching because you want to feel validated. End rant..

 

[LastFrontierFighter]

I might as well give an update on this for anyone who was wondering. Sadly enough, this guy only stayed long enough to do his trial run. Once his trial ran out he decided to quit coming altogether or that's what he told the owner anyway.

I also want to clear up that he wasn't asking questions or bringing in meaningful insight in anyway. I'm secure about what I know and I've had plenty of guys who come in to train that are on vacation or just dropping by when they are in our city on their way to somewhere else that end up giving me great tips or techniques. This guy just thought he knew better than everyone and would say laughable things.

 

[CFGroup]

I might as well give an update on this for anyone who was wondering. Sadly enough, this guy only stayed long enough to do his trial run. Once his trial ran out he decided to quit coming altogether or that's what he told the owner anyway.

I also want to clear up that he wasn't asking questions or bringing in meaningful insight in anyway. I'm secure about what I know and I've had plenty of guys who come in to train that are on vacation or just dropping by when they are in our city on their way to somewhere else that end up giving me great tips or techniques. This guy just thought he knew better than everyone and would say laughable things.

Figured he wouldn't be around for long, LOL!

Seen it a million times.

Props for coming here for advice and perspective.

Still, think of it as a learning experience.

Teaching is a whole different animal. Especially in combat arts/sports where people come with physical insecurities about protecting themselves or complexes to dominate others. The psychological game is as important as the technique when you teach.

Students are an opportunity to learn on your part and as important to you as you are to them.

 

[LastFrontierFighter]

Thank you, I was actually surprised with the responses I got, I figured that people would just tell me I was worrying too much or that I was bitching about something everyone deals with.

It was a learning experience, and hopefully in the future I can change guys like that for good. We have had guys like that but now they are chill guys that train consistently. Sad to lose one but it might be the best for everyone involved.

 

[MaxMMA]

I actually love these kind of dudes, makes rolling/sparring extra fun! Take him off to the side again and tell him that his advice is not needed and that if he keeps it up you will make him quit the class. If he keeps it up, smash him every day in training until he quits or until he becomes a good training partner.

Don't beat him unconscious, but send him home sore as fuck every night. Crossface him hard, hold that choke for 3 taps instead of 1, practice your pick ups & slams on this guy, test out some firm gnp reactions from him.

Basically practice all the stuff on him that you don't want to do to your other sparring partners because you're not a piece of shit.

 

[MaxMMA]

shit he already left...

 

[ThatBJJGuy]

maul him in training

 

[kenpeters8]

Couple of months ago, there was this white belt college kid that's 21 years old, annoying as hell. He stopped coming to the academy I train at. I'm a purple belt with a decent collegiate wrestling background. Everytime I drill with him, the dumb kid would try to correct me. I'm like chill the eff out, son. Whenever I rolled with him and I usually go easy on white belts, I would let him escape. And after the roll, that dumb asshole will say stupid comments such as "it's all fundamentals, man. It's all basic." Then he walked away and paired up with a new training partner. After a week, I just tapped him every single chance I have easily. End of the roll, I said the same thing he said, "it's all fundamentals, man. It's all basic." Couple more weeks later, he quit. And I found out he does that same shit to each one of my other training partners in class. Good riddance.

 

[Dogstarman]

Couple of months ago, there was this white belt college kid that's 21 years old, annoying as hell. He stopped coming to the academy I train at. I'm a purple belt with a decent collegiate wrestling background. Everytime I drill with him, the dumb kid would try to correct me. I'm like chill the eff out, son. Whenever I rolled with him and I usually go easy on white belts, I would let him escape. And after the roll, that dumb asshole will say stupid comments such as "it's all fundamentals, man. It's all basic." Then he walked away and paired up with a new training partner. After a week, I just tapped him every single chance I have easily. End of the roll, I said the same thing he said, "it's all fundamentals, man. It's all basic." Couple more weeks later, he quit. And I found out he does that same shit to each one of my other training partners in class. Good riddance.

Jesus that's so infuriating. You are there trying to help the guy learn and he just thinks he is doing really good.

 

[LastFrontierFighter]

It's hard to know right away if the person you are working with has either no self esteem or has a huge ego. Some people you have to push them and make them believe that yes you can in fact do these things. On the other hand we have douchebags that think they know it all and need that notion crushed.

 

[Foppa21]

I used to be one... I was a fucking pain in the ass when I was a white belt... fucking idiot I was. Eventually he'll realize no one is really asking is pov, so he'll shut up...

I was then and to a certain degree, probably still am. Unfortunately my body could never execute what my mind wanted.

I was never the "neverending what if they do this?" guy though phew

 

[AndyMaBobs]

I have a thing I do with guys like this. Pretty embarrassing and they eventually stop.

I ask them to come up and show the move they are talking about, then I give them just enough defense when they are showing their move in front of everyone to where they either go to their back, or they look extremely awkward and do not score. Usually the group laughs at them, and they stop giving input because they realize that when they give input, they will get called up to show it, and they will look like an ass. Much more effective than beating them up 1 on 1.

that's literally what i was about to recommend