#87 - Adam Singer - Coaching is About Creating Environments, Not Teaching Techniques

#87 - Adam Singer - Coaching is About Creating Environments, Not Teaching Techniques

From The Grapplers Perspective by Paul Johnson & Danny Allen

September 2, 2025 · 1h 40m

About this episode

Adam Singer discusses his coaching philosophy focused on creating effective learning environments in BJJ and MMA.

Adam Singer shares his 25-year journey in coaching BJJ and MMA, explaining how ecological dynamics and the constraints-led approach creates more effective grapplers despite less technical instruction. • SBG's "aliveness" approach filters effective techniques through realistic testing • Traditional drilling methods often fail to transfer to live situations • Ecological coaching creates environments where students learn through problem-solving • Students become effective before becoming efficient in their movements • Culture, environment, method and athletes function as one interconnected system • Belt promotions based on effectiveness against peers rather than technical knowledge • Students know fewer named techniques but perform better in live rolling • Scaling drills through modified constraints allows mixed-level training • Creating representative designs helps techniques emerge naturally • The coach's role is primarily to create optimal environments, not to provide information If you're interested in learning more about ecological coaching, follow Adam on Instagram @AdamSingerSBG where he shares insights and training methods from his ongoing…

People in this episode

Hosts: Paul Johnson, Danny Allen

Guest: Adam Singer

Topics covered

  • coaching
  • BJJ
  • MMA
  • ecological dynamics
  • constraints-led approach
  • grappling
  • training methods

Keywords

  • coaching
  • BJJ
  • MMA
  • ecological coaching
  • effective grapplers
  • training environments
  • problem-solving
  • live rolling
  • belt promotions
  • technique

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SBG

More episodes of The Grapplers Perspective

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Grapplers Perspective podcast page.