Regardless of definition, some physical or mental realities make teaching more difficult to a ānon averageā person. (Is that even a term?)
Iām sure that goes for teaching anything, not just Martial Arts.
I think most people get better at teaching the more they teach. And get better by teaching people that learn differently, disabilities or not. I think the key is being completely honest with them as you go along and openly talk to them about how to teach them.
A kid I used to teach (who I lost to hockey) brought down his uncle who was visiting from Ecuador and didnāt speak a word of English, only Spanish.
He was staying with the kidās family for three months and wanted to know if he could train at our school. He had never trained before.
I told the kid I needed his help. He would have to be there for every class, standing beside his uncle as we drilled, and translate every word I said, verbatim. Not what he thought I meant, but exactly what I said.
The first week was kind of clumsy, but it worked out just fine. The other students made him feel comfortable, too, and that helped a lot.
Related to this - Coming up through the ranks, one of my fellow green belts was legally blind. He used to regularly kick my butt.
My JKD instructor was also legally blind, but taught me a ton.
Everything can work out just fine if you put in enough effort and time.
