On Sunday 21 September, 31 teachers came to Peninsula Bridge Club, from various clubs in Sydney, and country areas, Coonabarabran, Gosford, Kiama, Maitland, Hawks Nest, Bowral, Ettalong Beach, Wagga Wagga, Port Stephens, to attend the first ABF/NSWBA Continuing Professional Development Day. As always, these get-togethers generate lots of energy. 

I used Audrey Grant's  new material, called "Modern Bidding  Methods". We covered the role of Opener, Responder, Intervener, and Advancer (Intervener's partner) during the day, in that order. 

A sumary of the bidding, with the matching 16 hands to play, is all available on my website. Go to joanbuttsbridge.com Learn, Other Lessons, Modern Methods. I sent the deal records for teachers to use.

Cath Whiddon was sensational in her role as local liaison person. Her organisation was superb.  Cath has just qualified as our very first ABF Accredited (Star) Teacher. Congrats, and thanks Cath. 

Flyers are now available for the next CPD days, Melbourne VBA, 11 October  Ballarat, 12 October,  Brisbane Toowong, 23 November. The last TTP for 2014 will be held at QCBC in Brisbane on October 25,26. 

I will be offering more Teacher Training Programme and Continuing Professional Development Days in 2015. Please contact me (asap) if your club or region  would like to host one.  joan@joanbuttsbridge.com.

Also, please send to me via (alanamowbray@hotmail.com) any student feedback forms, and reports on your teaching activities. This information will also help you accrue points.

I have added six new videos to my site, on Competitive Bidding. 

(1) Overcalls

(2) Responding to Overcalls

(3) Preemptive Jump Overcalls

Also, 

(4) Doubles

(5) Responding to Doubles

(6) Doubles over Preempts

There are four hands to play on my site, after viewing each video. Check it all out on my website, joanbuttsbridge.com

Teachers often comment that their own bridge improves when they give lessons. That's because they are reducing the material to its basic elements when they present it to their class.

Josh Waitzkin, whom I quoted last month, explains in "The Art of Learning" that students must immerse themselves in the fundamentals in order to have any potential to reach a higher level of skill. Depth is More Important than Breadth is worth remembering. 

Initially only one or two themes will be considered at once, but over time the intuition learns to integrate more and more principles into a sense of "flow". Eventually the foundation is so deeply internalized that it is no longer consciously considered, but is lived.

Strong (bridge) players rarely speak of the fundamentals, but these beacons are the building blocks of their mastery. If you want to teach, you need to break down your knowledge incrementally.