Fundamentals Class Structure

This document covers how to run a 60-minute Fundamentals class. For what to teach each week, see the curriculum pacing schedule.

THE 60-MINUTE CLASS

Every Fundamentals class follows this sequence. Assume a 7:00 PM start.

Phase	Time	Clock Target
1. Warmup	2 min	Done by 7:02
2. Evergreen Game	~8 min	Done by 7:10
3. Retrieval	10-15 min	Done by 7:25 at latest
4. Main Topic	Remaining time (~35 min)	7:25 to 8:00

Live rolling happens after the 60-minute class, not during.

The default order is evergreen before retrieval. You can swap them if the topics make more sense in the other order. What matters is that all four phases get covered & the main topic starts by 7:25.

PLANNING YOUR CLASS

Before you walk in the room, you should know the week’s primary topic and concept of the week from the curriculum. You need to pick two things: a retrieval topic (from the two options listed in the curriculum) and an evergreen game.

Three Goals When Picking Topics

1. Diversify so students play the whole game every class. If pinning is the main topic, lean toward a retrieval that’s a guard, wrestling, or submission position. Then pick an evergreen game from a different bucket than whatever you chose for retrieval. The goal is that every class touches multiple areas of grappling.

2. Choose topics that flow into each other. If the main topic is mount and one of the retrieval options is headquarters, you might pick it so you can show a pass from HQ to mount and use that as an entrance into the game. Connections between phases make the class feel cohesive instead of disjointed.

3. Teach to the level of the room. If you have a lot of newer students, avoid retrieval topics with steep learning curves (like SLX or saddle). Pick something accessible. If the room is experienced, pick the more challenging option.

These goals will sometimes pull in different directions. Diversifying might mean picking a retrieval topic that doesn’t flow naturally into the main topic. Flowing into each other might mean retrieval and the main topic are in the same bucket. That’s fine. Use your judgment on which goal matters most for that particular class. There’s no single right answer.

You don’t need a script for what you’ll say between games. You should have a sense of the key concepts and movement pathways from reading the curriculum, but most of your coaching decisions will come from watching the room.

HOW EACH PHASE WORKS

Phase 1: Warmup (2 min)

Jogging based warmup. Get the body moving. Keep it to 2 minutes.

Phase 2: Evergreen Game (~8 min)

This is a recurring FYJJ game that shows up most weeks regardless of the primary topic: FYJJ Pinning, FYJJ Guard Play, FYJJ Guard Retention, or Circle Game.

Don’t spend time explaining the game. “FYJJ sweeping, let’s play.” Start the timer. If someone doesn’t know how the game works, help that group individually while everyone else is already playing.

Pick the evergreen game based on the diversification goal above. If the main topic is a guard position, don’t also run guard retention FYJJ here. Spread the categories around.

Self-handicapping is the key constraint. If a student is winning easily, they’re not learning. Remind them.

Phase 3: Retrieval (10-15 min)

Positional rounds from a topic students have seen before. The purpose is recall, not re-teaching. Students will have time to rest and cool down at the start of this phase.

How to run it:

Ask “What do you remember about this position?”
Let them struggle. That struggle is the point. Effortful recall builds long-term memory better than smooth, easy review.
Give a brief coach prompt: 1-2 key concepts, then straight into positional rounds.
Keep it to 2 rounds each 2x2min or 2x3min. This is not the main event.

Phase 4: Main Topic (~35 min)

This is the bulk of class. Instruction, drilling, and positional sparring on the week’s primary position. The main topic must start by 7:25 at the latest.

Weave the concept of the week throughout this phase. Don’t give a standalone lecture on the concept. Reference it during instruction, use it as a lens during debrief, and point it out when you see it (or its absence) during games. For example, if the concept is “base” and the topic is mount escapes, ask students what they notice about the top player’s base before showing anything.

For matched topics (where there’s a clear top and bottom, like mount maintaining + escaping): alternate rounds so students play both sides. 3 minutes maintaining/attacking, 3 minutes escaping/defending, switch partners. Students build mental models of both perspectives.

For non-matched topics (butterfly, DLR, kimura, etc.): the primary topic won’t have a natural “both sides” structure. Extend the main topic portion and lean on retrieval and the evergreen game to cover the other side of grappling.

Progression within the main topic:

Start with drilling (blocked or serial practice) to introduce or reintroduce the position.
Move toward positional sparring and games as students get comfortable.
How much drilling vs. how much game time depends on the level in the room.

ADJUSTING TO THE LEVEL IN THE ROOM

Students drop in at different points in the cycle, so the same topic might be brand new for one person and a review for another. Don’t plan around where the cycle is. Plan around who showed up.

Room skews newer or less experienced:

More time on drilling, less on open-ended games.
Simpler game variations with fewer constraints.
Pick accessible retrieval topics.
Slower pace between games. A little more explanation is okay, but still aim for under 2 minutes of talking.

Room skews experienced:

Less drilling, more serial and randomized practice.
Add complexity: harder entries, tighter constraints, more pressure.
Reference prior work on the topic. “Last time we worked this, we focused on X. Today let’s add Y.” That retrieval prompt is itself a learning event.
Pick the more challenging retrieval option.

Mixed room (the most common scenario):

Pair people intentionally if needed. Experienced students can self-handicap while newer students get real practice.
Give layered coaching: a simple cue for newer students, a more advanced concept for experienced ones.
Games with clear win conditions work for everyone. The self-handicapping mechanic in FYJJ handles the skill gap naturally.

COACHING REMINDERS

Perception before action. Every debrief starts with “What did you see?” Not “What should you do?” Only after students describe what they see does the coach discuss what to do about it. Use the alignment scorecard: “What was their base? Posture? Structure?”

Less is more. One concept per break between games. If you chase five rabbits, you catch none.

Don’t interrupt games. If you see a bad strategy, address it between rounds or add a rule that makes the strategy non-viable. Don’t stop the timer to lecture.

Individual feedback matters. Try to give every student something each class. One positive reinforcement, one constructive nudge. Don’t just coach the best performers.

For more on all of these, see the Coaches’ Guide.

WHY THIS STRUCTURE WORKS

Learning Science Behind the Class Structure

These principles inform why the class is built this way. You don’t need to memorize them, but understanding the reasoning will help you make better decisions when you need to adjust on the fly.

Spaced retrieval (Lemov): Revisit topics after forgetting begins. The best time to remember something is when you’ve started to forget it. This is why retrieval is a separate phase, not a re-teach.

Interleaving (Lemov): Switching between topics and perspectives within a session strengthens encoding. It feels harder in the moment but produces better long-term learning. This is why we play both sides of matched positions and cover multiple areas per class.

Blocked to serial to randomized (Lemov): Start focused, then interleave, then randomize. This progression happens within the main topic phase. Start with drilling, move toward games.

Sleep consolidation (Lemov): 4 class days per week means 3 sleeps per topic. Memory consolidation happens during sleep.

Constraints-led approach (Gray): FYJJ games constrain the environment to guide self-organization without prescribing technique. Students discover movement solutions within the constraint space. This is why games are not filler.

Repetition without repetition (Gray): Same outcome, different movement each time. Different partners, entries, and constraints build adaptability. This is why we vary games rather than drilling the same sequence repeatedly.

Representative practice (Gray): Training should recreate the informational context of live grappling. This is why all drilling leads into games.

Perception-action coupling (Gray): Don’t separate seeing from doing. “What do you see?” comes before “What should you do?” This is why debriefs start with perception questions.

For more depth on these principles, see GJJ Pedagogy.