The goal is simple. It involves two primary parts. The first is to clearly establish with the student what they want to accomplish in the session, and then help them achieve that goal to the best degree possible in the time frame available.
Now of those two parts, the second tends to be one that can be just a tad more difficult. So how do I address it?
First of all, I’ve found that breaking down technique into two foundational elements improved my own ability to learn as well as teach. Those elements are the concepts for why a technique works and the movements for making it work. Now one of those elements can be applied instantly, and the other one is not quite so easy.
So we have a simple equation. To learn a new technique or improve one already known, you have to learn a new concept, movement, or both. All of the components of the equation aren’t equal though, learning a new concept and applying it to a movement that you can already perform well is clearly the quickest method of learning new technique.
It would be more difficult to flip that around and focus on learning a completely new movement. For example, if someone wanted to learn some offensive options from Tornado Guard or Inverted Guard but they couldn’t do a granby roll, that would be significantly more difficult than if they could do the roll.
Personally, there have been many times when I’ve been in class and I’ve learned a new concept that just clicked for me because I was able to apply it instantly. It’s those moments that led to significantly boosts in my skill.
So when a private is taught, you want to give that same experience because you only have a short time to give the most benefit possible.