The NEW GB2 with Professor Ana Laura Cordeiro
GB Online is excited to announce the NEW GB2 with Professor Ana Laura Cordeiro. Professor Ana is the first woman instructor to teach the GB2 Curriculum, and she shares some fresh techniques and concepts for all GB Instructors and students.
You will remember Professor Ana from her other instructionals on GB Online: Keeping the Pressure Off: Spider & Lasso Guard , (this author´s favorite GB Online instructional series!) - 12 Ways to Help You Win with Single Leg X-Guard, and the GBF Curriculum.
GB Online recently talked with Professor Laura, and she shared some of the philosophy that went into the design and filming of the new GB2.
Some of the topics she talks about what students can expect from the new GB2 curriculum, her preparation in designing the program, the importance of simplicity, concepts, and techniques, and tips on how students should approach the curriculum.
You will have to read to the end to learn what is Professor Ana´s favorite part of the NEW GB2 curriculum.
The focus of the GB2 curriculum
GB Online asked Professor Ana what do you want people to learn from your curriculum?What's the biggest thing you want them to learn?
Professor Ana says that she believes the main goal is to help not only students but also GB instructors learn techniques and concepts to teach in their GB2 classes. GB Instructors can learn both from the specific technique and concept, and they can use the techniques to get their own ideas for classes as well.
Techniques vs Concepts
The new GB2 has 96 techniques. That is a lot of new material for Jiu-Jitsu students, but Professor Ana urges us to look beyond only the mechanics of any one specific technique. She teaches the concepts behind the technique that you can apply to other techniques in your game in addition to the particular technique that Professor Ana Laura shows in any single class.
"They can create other techniques using the concepts that we are going to work on, that we're going to review in the curriculum, and try to make everything simple," says Professor Ana.
Simplicity
Part of her philosophy of teaching Jiu-Jitsu is that Professor Ana believes that the techniques—even the more complex techniques—can be broken up so that anyone can learn them, even white belts who are moving up from the GB1.
Professor Ana says, "I think simplicity is always the most sophisticated way to make people learn." A focus on the underlying concepts helps students understand more advanced moves more easily.
What are the most important lessons that you want students to take away from your GB two curriculum?
Professor Ana recommends taking a patient, analytical approach to getting the most out of the curriculum, especially in this modern age of 15-second clips on social media.
"Yeah, I think nowadays where everything is so fast," says Professor Ana, "Everything is a touch away (on devices) and I put myself in this situation."
Professor Ana urges students to look at "Everything. Don't just look at the first part or second part. Try to see the whole explanation. I think that helps a lot."
Professor Ana acknowledges that most Jiu-Jitsu students are very busy, but slowing down is key to absorbing and understanding the techniques at a deeper level.
"I know everybody's super busy, but take time to study, take some notes, and write down some tips."
Professor Ana advises watching the whole thing, really studying, and taking notes—the same as a student taking a college course.
Professor Ana sees slowing down as the best way to approach the GB2 Curriculum.
"It's funny because we don't get as much of a holistic view of things anymore because we're on social media, and it's like now if the video is longer than 10 seconds, we're like, oh, next video."
Professor Ana admits that she even finds herself doing that when she is looking at curriculums.
"Oh, that's, yeah, that's what I was short attention span," she laughs.
What to watch for in the new GB2
The GB2 covers all of the ground positions, but Professor Ana is especially proud of the back position and attacks.
"Seems like for me it's a big challenge for GB1 students when they migrate to GB2, that they have a really basic understanding on how to take the back, but they just know how to take the back from a third of the positions," says Professor Ana.
In the new GB2, Professor Ana teaches a greater number of techniques and strategies to enter into the Back Mount position. "In this curriculum, I'm approaching other ways to take the back."
"I think that might be the biggest takeaway or the biggest insight of the curriculum."
The major theme behind the new GB2 is Professor Ana's simple Jiu-Jitsu philosophy:
"It's like making complex position into more simple position, but it's still being very effective."
Click here to learn more about Prof. Ana Laura's New GB2 Curriculum that begins July 7th, and get an early viewing to Week 15 training.
