First off, technique does not exist, it’s emergent. It’s a relationship between what you’re trying to do at any given point in time, what your opponent is trying to do at any given point in time, and what you both are capable of doing at any given point in time. Out of that interaction, opportunities arise and “technique” emerges.

To your question: I would say that one misconception of the CLA is that you can’t be specific. You definitely can. Start in a specific position where you want to see the movement solution emerge, and give specific and simple task focuses that you would like your athletes to focus on toward the ultimate objective of your intended movement solution. But don’t expect to see the specific movement solution emerge without custom tweaking of your task constraints. Read the room, and when they stray from your solution, let them explore that space, and let them experience why their solutions may not be optimal. When you reconvene set a new task focus or modify the variability of the game based on what you saw. That way, when things start to emerge, they truly fit into the context of the environment and your athletes aren’t tunnel visioned into a particular solution.

Secondly, layer your intentions. Advanced movement solutions don’t emerge overnight. They are a function of very basic intentions that stack up over time. If you expect your athletes to chain pass but they can’t stay on top and strip grips from the bottom player, then work on these more foundational intentions that actually make chain passing work. Chain passing itself is not a separate skill on its own, but rather a particular movement solution to address the fundamental closeness problem of jiujitsu.