5 minute warmup
10 minute technique corrections from last training
45 minutes drills of varying resistance (with occasional minor corrections)
Feedback
30 minutes sparring with a mission related to the drills of the day
Feedback

My advanced classes are 4-6 week cycles of a theme and each week builds on the previous one. The actual class is usually 15-30 min technique, 15-30 coached positional sparring (the nature of this changes depending on what skills we are training) and then open mat with suggestions of things to focus on. After open mat we do informal q&a and technique discussion/reflection on our matches.

The technique portion training changes, depending on what we are working on. In some cases it’s micro positional sparring with simple goals, then technical instruction to reinforce the solutions to the problems people come across. Some times it’s focused on technical instruction with no active resistance, and sometimes we focus on incrementally increasing resistance.

Intelligent problem solving is always the underlying theme of all classes.

On 1h30' class:

- Two rounds warm up of shadow jiu-jitsu and simple drills

- Three or four rounds sparring, increasing intensity, first round is starting from the knees, other rounds you choose if you like to start kneeling or standing

- Technical work on something that got noticed during sparring or that is the main theme for a while, for approximately 30 minutes (this changes widely and can be drilling, games, problem solving, whatever)

- Five rounds positional sparring

I've been doing one on one Training with a neighbor due to the lockdown. We've structured our Training in the following manner.

We take one submission and it serves as the foundation of everything, including all it's variations. For example if we pick Triangles, that would be the front Triangle, reverse Triangle, side Triangle, back Triangle and inverted triangle. From here, we take one variation of the submission, front Triangle for example, and focus on that for the next 4 days.

Day one will be only focused on the submission itself and how to escape the submission. Here the focus is exclusively on getting a mechanically clean submission. In the case of a choke that means having an efficient Choke without cranking and with minimal effort and for locks that means focusing on control and the ability to hold the opponent in the locking position without cranking. The escapes are from early to late. Sparing on the first day is only starting in the submission position and until escape or submission.

Day two is focusing on landing the submission from the bottom position and it's related sweeps. The focus here is on being able to land the submission from bottom position or being able to shift it into a submission when the submission fails. Sparring on this day is more open. We start with submission escapes again, but then move to sweep submission sparring. The target here is that one tries to sweep or submit, and the other just defends without passing to learn how to adapt to the danger zone. Additionally, the person performing the submission is only allowed to finish from the bottom. Nothing from top position. We then finish with handicapped sparring. One of us will be able to do any technique they want, and the other is only allowed to do the submission being practiced.

Day three is then top position. Here, the focus is how to land the submission from the top position and what passing/pinning method is best for landing the submission. Sparring is handled basically the same as bottom position but the focus is switched to submissions from top position and passing.

Day 4 is stand up. Here we go into how to do the submission from standing position or how to go from stand up directly to Submission (i.e. flying triangle or rolling knee bars). Also, takedowns as set ups or plan b when the submission doesn't work are also covered. Sparring on this day is only from standing. Since we are doing this in our apartment, we only spar with low intensity and never do big throws. As before, there is a heavy focus on handicapped sparring. One will get to do whatever they want and the other has to do one of the takedowns/standing Submissions covered.

Focus on the whole cycle is to force people to move away from their old reliables and add to their arsenal. After the 4 day cycle is finished, we do the whole thing again a variation. Once all variations are covered, we move to a different submission and start the whole thing over again.

Kinda sameish.

Occasionally with added long-form speech a la Priit.

Similar with when I was able to coach group classes.

Now I mostly coach private training so
1. review of previous class w troubleshooting
2. Introduce 2 - 3 techniques depending on complexity presented in isolation
3. then apply the technique in context
4. drill the technique again
5. sparring (if applicable) or more drills of the above

I recently watched Master Paulo Mauricio Strauch recalling 1970's BJJ was 3 different coaches working, takedowns, newaza and self defense in one class and students spending 15 mins with each coach during a class. Interesting...

I'll copy what I said over in the instructor subforum for the same question a while back. This is pre-covid structure, I've been doing it different during covid (all solo drills and grappling dummy work at the moment):

WARM UP: 7-10 mins, jiu jitsu specific (e.g., shrimping, side control escapes, Christian's thing of open guard sparring but no sweeps or subs). I always disliked classes with mega long warm-ups (I go to class to learn jiu jitsu, not super cardio), so make a point of being efficient with mine. If people want a huge workout with lots of press ups etc, they can do that on their own time. :D

Next, one TECHNIQUE (if it's an hour class: 1.5hrs, I'll do two). I'll demonstrate and go through the details, then have everyone drill it for four minutes each. After that, they'll drill it again for a further three minutes each, but this time with progressive resistance (I emphasise that it is still cooperative, with the goal of helping your partner improve their technique, but with realistic physical feedback, plus constant verbal feedback. As Priit puts it, "you're the coach";), to help iron out mistakes.

SPECIFIC SPARRING (length varies depending how much time I've got left, but normally about 10mins) from the relevant position. I.e., if we've been going through open guard, I would have them start in open guard, with the rule that they can't lock their legs. Person on top looks to pass, person on bottom sweeps or submit. If either reaches their goal, restart back in open guard.

FREE SPARRING (I aim for a couple of five minute rounds, again depending how much time I've got left) Another few rounds, this time with no restrictions, except that you start from the position of the month.

REVIEW the techniques we’ve just learned. I have the whole class face the same way (so that when I say ‘grip with your right hand, move your left hip’ etc, it is the same for everybody), then quickly run through what I taught earlier step by step. That shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.

STRETCHING to finish, for the legs, back, neck, arms etc. About 5 minutes.

As my classes are only 1hr, I also always have open mat afterwards (for as long as people want) if people want more sparring time, more drilling etc. Or just to chat, I highly encourage people to socialise. In many ways, BJJ class is a social club for me. ;)

1. I ALWAYS include something at the start of the session to do with grip. Absolutely always. Some sort of hand fighting or controlling a limb. Without fail. I often use this as a way to get warm.

2. Technique of choice for that session. Touching base on the session before it to remind folks.

3. Pressure testing through active drilling with various levels of resistance.

4. Murder.

for a typical hour class

active drill as warmup - 5 mins
technique with increasing resistance and problem solving - 30 mins
positional sparring related to technique - 10 mins
rolling - 10 mins
stretching - 5 mins

times are rough and if it's a longer class we add more rolling time or delve deeper into the technique section

There is no perfect structure as everyone prefers and needs different things.

In the ideal world if an academy is big enough they can provide different types of classes and structures so people can pick and choose what they want/need. If not that is what cross training is for.

I hate warm ups. I only get injured from warmups. Never in sparring or tournaments hardly. But that's me.

Extensive warmups should be saved for fundamentals classes. Advanced classes let them warm up however they want or do a casual 5 minutes whatever where it's not that serious and no shrimping and flopping to the floor for no reason. As you get older there is no reason to be wasting energy and taking useless bumps.

I personally prefer very short explanations on techniques without much talking. I will zone out if someone talks to long as will a lot of other people. Just need to do it with my body and go from there. But everyone learns different. I can drill something 2 or 3 times and then I am ready to do it in sparring no need to spend an hour drilling the same thing in some half assed speed where the opponent is not resisting.

More drilling/positional sparring in fundamentals, more sparring in advanced classes. More of a balance if there is some in-between intermediate class.

The only thing that actually bothers me is when places will do techniques and drilling and they leave zero time for sparring and then you have to leave. As long as people have plenty of time to spar after class is over or a class for sparring that evening then whatever the rest of the class format is I could really care less. But you need that valuable sparring time where you can focus on what your trying to get better at. As everyone should have certain things on their mind that they want to focus on from certain positions to get better and not just be doing what they are told to do that day from the daily techniques. That will kill your progression growth quicker than anything.

You need to be constantly developing you A/B game, and you will gradually become more well rounded and plug the holes in your weaknesses over time. But their should be a clear intentional method to training when sparring. The daily techniques are just supplements to give you ideas and tools along the way. They are not the main course of daily training excluding fundamentals classes.

I don't think this is this case for most people. I agree that sparring and pressure testing are vital and should be an integral part of every lesson plan, but most people from what I see will normally stick to the two or three things they can do well if all one does is free sparring and tend to avoid becoming more well rounded. A perfect example is how most people in BJJ are pretty bad at takedowns and just pull guard. It can even be argued that one could become a World Champion and never really have a good stand up game. You can tell people to start on their feet, but it tends to turn into a race to pull guard. Most people don't like doing things their bad at and will only do so when forced. That's why handicapped sparring is a really effective tool here. It forces people to improve their skills and expand their arsenal by taking them out of their comfort zone.

That's why I mentioned that you need to have something your focusing on getting better at each day before you walk in the door. That means not just doing the exact same thing but your always working on increasing the spider web and connecting all the dots together even at first if its just how to transition from position to position and then eventually how to chain 1 set of submissions together and then to where your actually thinking of having a plan for every single position including if their near side arm is up or down and so on etc. Just figuring out what are your options from all the endless possibilities.

Doesn't mean just doing the exact same thing over again but you do need to get good at something before your going to be able to get well rounded. If you just try to be well rounded your going to drastically slow your ability to actually get good at everything as the better your A game the more you can choose to work on whatever you want instead of other people basically dictating what you can work on by them being in control of you. Having that choice and then creating options for yourself offensively and defensively of things to work on. Catch and release your favorite stuff and work on new stuff and so on. The goal should never be to finish a submission unless it's a new one that your working on or your ready to just end the spar.

There's no set format for our classes. The BJJ classes have a variety of coaches assigned to covering them and each coach has complete autonomy in how they run the class and/or what they are teaching.

Just make it fit into the time slot.