Teaching Not in Your Future?

[ToShinDoKa]

For a long time, I always thought it was my expressed desire to teach a martial art I loved and knew would be effective. To-Shin Do, hands down, showed me such an art, and the desire hit the roof! But today during my meditation session, I considered deeply the idea of teaching To-Shin Do, (martial arts in general), in the future, and I personally think that it may not be the best thing for me or those who may have been my students in the future.

1) I'm somewhat of a pacifist, and though I'll study the 'killing techniques' of this and other martial arts, I don't think they'd be first on my list, or on my list at all to use. I sometimes, during PERSONAL study go out of my way to device a 'very' similar 'henka' that leaves the opponent alive in some way. I have become attached to Gyokko ryu's saying: "Destroy the enemy's power, and leave the life." I personally feel this may hinder the 'true' warrior progress of interested ones if I promoted this kind of thinking, and could be the difference between someone's living or dying... I'm willing to risk myself, but not others.

2) Being a teacher would take a LARGE commitment of both 'time' and 'energy', which personally I wish to spend on my personal spiritual matters. My spiritual health is just as important as my physical, and though the effectiveness of technique, application, strategy, and mind-science is there, my spiritual needs are not fulfilled in the To-Shin Do art. To start a Center, and not be able to give ample time, or at least 'heart-felt' commitment to the students, would eat me alive on the inside. My personal training, or that of training partners, I can handle, because at the end of the day, they are partners and must consult 'teachers' for final guidance, not me.

I suppose I'm writing this to ask: Is there anyone else who sees their path in the martial arts (preferably this one, but others too) does NOT include ever becoming a professional instructor?

 

[stickarts]

For me it was a not a conscious decision but felt more like a "calling" to teach. It just naturally happened.
Many of the greatest teachers that I have known are pacifists! The arts can be a great vehicle for helping others and the skills that we learn can be used to avoid conflict.
Different things become important at different times in our lives. Teaching may or may not be for you right now. I think that you will know when, or if, it is the right time for you to teach.

 

[newtothe dark]

One thing to consider is yes teaching is sometimes a calling sometimes a career but in the end you choose to share. The monks of Shaolin have been a part of a martial tradition that had included many lethal skills yet hold life most precious. Maybe the thing you could 'share' with your students and the skill you can train the most could be the one to be able to decide when is the time for the lethal strike or one to use some more control. Never think you cant have something to share, each student hopefully finds a teacher that expresses the art in the manner that reaches them.

 

[ToShinDoKa]

I see...:asian:

 

[bydand]

Yes and No. How's that for a clear concise answer! What I mean is that I never envisioned myself as a teacher, but I have been helping in the kids classes for a bit, and you know what. LOVE IT! Not so much the actual step-by-step teaching, but that spark of insight you can see flash across somebodies eyes when they "get" what you are trying to show them. That is a cool feeling, because it tells me I just might know something, and am able to pass that knowledge on. I don't see myself with my own Quest Center, or other school, but I do know if I am asked to fill in sometime in the future or lead a regular class I will jump at it. Not now, I have a long way to go before I am able to do that, but I do like helping out right now.