So, I have a black belt in Hapkido & Karate at a small martial arts school, and my sensei is very insistent I teach multiple classes a week there. I have no experience teaching unfortunately but I'd like to chase this opportunity... Does anyone have experience teaching here? What did you wish you knew when you first started instructing?
Any Advice For A New Martial Arts Instructor?
- Thread starter Sydenys
- Start date
There are 2 ways to teach a class.
1. Teach foundation first. Teach application later - You will create students with good foundation. Some of your students may not be able to fight. If you require all your students to make A grade before they can graduate from elementary school, some of your student may quit before they will have chance to go to college.
2. Teach application first. Enhance foundation later - All your students will be able to fight. Some of your students may not have good foundation. If you only require your student to have grade C to graduate from elementary school. One day when they graduate from college, they may still don't know some basic information.
It's hard to say which method is better.
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Wing Woo Gar
Grandmaster
I prefer #1. I can’t see the point of application if they can’t stand on one leg or coordinate footwork.
ap Oweyn
Black Belt
Ride it out. Whatever image you have in your head about what you "should" be as a teacher is going to take time. You're not going to be as dynamic or calm or sage-like or engaging as you want to be right off the bat. Give yourself some grace. You know the material, but you'll need to find your own voice and style.
You will. Just don't beat yourself up too much over it in the meantime.
That said, look at the teachers and coaches who inspired you. Ultimately, you'll find your own approach. But it'll likely come from emulating others' approaches and modifying to suit you. Personally, I'm in FMA because I was into JKD, encountered Guro Dan Inosanto, and was completely awed by his sense of calm and unassuming leadership. I wanted to be that.
But I'm not Dan Inosanto. I'm inspired by him. But I'm also a bit of a clown. I joke around a lot when I'm teaching. Usually in the service of an important point. But, if someone is looking for the "austere master" type, I'm not that guy. The two-step process of 1) coming to terms with that and 2) coming to celebrate it is great. But it takes time.
Enjoy yourself. This is a process too.
You will. Just don't beat yourself up too much over it in the meantime.
That said, look at the teachers and coaches who inspired you. Ultimately, you'll find your own approach. But it'll likely come from emulating others' approaches and modifying to suit you. Personally, I'm in FMA because I was into JKD, encountered Guro Dan Inosanto, and was completely awed by his sense of calm and unassuming leadership. I wanted to be that.
But I'm not Dan Inosanto. I'm inspired by him. But I'm also a bit of a clown. I joke around a lot when I'm teaching. Usually in the service of an important point. But, if someone is looking for the "austere master" type, I'm not that guy. The two-step process of 1) coming to terms with that and 2) coming to celebrate it is great. But it takes time.
Enjoy yourself. This is a process too.
Be yourself and be honest. You are a new teacher and are still learning yourself. If you don't know the answer, tell people that... "I don't know, but let's ask my sensei... here is how I see it...." If you are working on something that you are not good at, let them know, this is not my best technique, I am working on it as well.
One thing I have found is to spend more time teaching things that I need work on. I tell my students we are working on this because I need to improve it. Specifically, I have issues with this part... so configure your drills and repetitions to accent that part. You will then spend your time with the students helping them get better at that piece of the puzzle... and since they ask more and different questions and have different problems... you will end up improving your own technique along with them. Over time, those will become your better techniques.
Another fun strategy is to fix the fundamental issues that people have, using the content of the day. Don't change the content of the day, to address the fundamental issue. Lets say that one day you are supposed to work on kata A. You see that many in the class have issues keeping their structure in a turn. Use the kata A and the movements within kata A to address their structure. Don't switch to kata B, which is easier because the turn is not there or to kata C because it makes the turn easier. You should be able to work any fundamental issue in any kata. The effect of this will be that both you and the students will improve their fundamentals across the board for all kata. You will see more things in the kata than you did before.
When I teach, I pick a few techniques to work on for the class. (Jujitsu is a little different than karate....) Then, we start on the first technique and I identify who is in class and what they need to work on, as well as seeing what fundamentals they are struggling with in that technique. Then we start over with that technique, this time focusing on those issues and how to address them in that technique. Then I go to the other techniques I had planned, but the focus remains on how those same things are used in the other techniques as well. I have found that it does not matter what fundamentals or what techniques.... it still works. I also find myself learning lots of new things about techniques I thought I knew all about.
I did 12-13 years of Shotokan Karate.... and the same thing works there as well. I was not the teacher, but the student. But, each class I would decide what I wanted to focus on: balance, rooting, transitioning, body unity.... Then, during class, no matter what techniques or kata or exercises we were asked to do, I found ways to work on the things I wanted to using the kata, techniques and exercises as the tools. It still worked.
One thing I have found is to spend more time teaching things that I need work on. I tell my students we are working on this because I need to improve it. Specifically, I have issues with this part... so configure your drills and repetitions to accent that part. You will then spend your time with the students helping them get better at that piece of the puzzle... and since they ask more and different questions and have different problems... you will end up improving your own technique along with them. Over time, those will become your better techniques.
Another fun strategy is to fix the fundamental issues that people have, using the content of the day. Don't change the content of the day, to address the fundamental issue. Lets say that one day you are supposed to work on kata A. You see that many in the class have issues keeping their structure in a turn. Use the kata A and the movements within kata A to address their structure. Don't switch to kata B, which is easier because the turn is not there or to kata C because it makes the turn easier. You should be able to work any fundamental issue in any kata. The effect of this will be that both you and the students will improve their fundamentals across the board for all kata. You will see more things in the kata than you did before.
When I teach, I pick a few techniques to work on for the class. (Jujitsu is a little different than karate....) Then, we start on the first technique and I identify who is in class and what they need to work on, as well as seeing what fundamentals they are struggling with in that technique. Then we start over with that technique, this time focusing on those issues and how to address them in that technique. Then I go to the other techniques I had planned, but the focus remains on how those same things are used in the other techniques as well. I have found that it does not matter what fundamentals or what techniques.... it still works. I also find myself learning lots of new things about techniques I thought I knew all about.
I did 12-13 years of Shotokan Karate.... and the same thing works there as well. I was not the teacher, but the student. But, each class I would decide what I wanted to focus on: balance, rooting, transitioning, body unity.... Then, during class, no matter what techniques or kata or exercises we were asked to do, I found ways to work on the things I wanted to using the kata, techniques and exercises as the tools. It still worked.
The teach it back methodology is a good way to learn.
Demonstrate to the students. Then have them practice it.
Then work with them each and ask them to show you and ask them to talk it through.
This will actually help the student learn to be a teacher before the get their black belt.
The issue with this is that lower belts can do something OK for lower ranks and then be frustrated when more or slightly different is expected at a higher rank.
You will make mistakes.
There will always be at least one student you will show them. And then when the senior Black belt asks they will not be able to do it or answer even though they just did it. Their failure is not yours. How you handle their failure is yours.
Do not let it eat at you.
Do not get mad and punish the class for that one.
It is ok to say I don't know. let me get back to you.
It could be later in class or the next class or after you discuss with another instructor.
I have found those that yell louder and go faster when frustrated that the students are not getting it are not teaching.
As to telling an instructor to pound sand, I would approach it differently.
I would try it his way at first. He may have a method. e.g. checking for raw talent and or how much you absorbed during your training.
He may have some other senior color belts he will ask how you did.
Do not think this is bad.
He is looking to find what he needs to work with you.
Look at it as a position of trust. They are trusting you with their students.
They would not have asked if they thought you could not do it at all.
Now if they get mad, or have unreal expectations of perfection then you can have a serious discussion with yourself on what to do next.
Best of Luck
If a student doesn't quit in his first 10 years, I agree that #1 is better.
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So do you think it would be wise to cover foundation for like 20-30 mins and then use to rest of the lesson to cover application?
This is all really good advice and really inspiring, thanksThe teach it back methodology is a good way to learn.
Demonstrate to the students. Then have them practice it.
Then work with them each and ask them to show you and ask them to talk it through.
This will actually help the student learn to be a teacher before the get their black belt.
The issue with this is that lower belts can do something OK for lower ranks and then be frustrated when more or slightly different is expected at a higher rank.
You will make mistakes.
There will always be at least one student you will show them. And then when the senior Black belt asks they will not be able to do it or answer even though they just did it. Their failure is not yours. How you handle their failure is yours.
Do not let it eat at you.
Do not get mad and punish the class for that one.
It is ok to say I don't know. let me get back to you.
It could be later in class or the next class or after you discuss with another instructor.
I have found those that yell louder and go faster when frustrated that the students are not getting it are not teaching.
As to telling an instructor to pound sand, I would approach it differently.
I would try it his way at first. He may have a method. e.g. checking for raw talent and or how much you absorbed during your training.
He may have some other senior color belts he will ask how you did.
Do not think this is bad.
He is looking to find what he needs to work with you.
Look at it as a position of trust. They are trusting you with their students.
They would not have asked if they thought you could not do it at all.
Now if they get mad, or have unreal expectations of perfection then you can have a serious discussion with yourself on what to do next.
Best of Luck
If one day God stands on top of the cloud, the whole earth population will believe in God. If a priest says, "Trust me. God does exist." The effect won't be that great.
When you ask a new student to develop a certain foundation, If he doesn't know the purpose, he may not spend personal training time into it.
I always show the application first. I then tell the new student that he will need certain foundation to do the application.
For example,
Foundation:
Application:
Same Trick
2nd Black Belt
reaching black belt level(sho-dan/1st dan) takes about five years, five years of observing one’s instructor and ways to instruct
Prince_Alarming
Master Black Belt
Don't underestimate the difficulty involved in learning something new.
For example, in my gospel choir some students copy the leader's movements to the same side as the leader moves while facing them while some- correctly- move to the opposite side. This can create snarlups.
Remember that people have different learning styles. I, for example, do best with written instructions. It may help to have a 'cheat sheet' printed out so that students can memorise stuff on their own time.
For example, in my gospel choir some students copy the leader's movements to the same side as the leader moves while facing them while some- correctly- move to the opposite side. This can create snarlups.
Remember that people have different learning styles. I, for example, do best with written instructions. It may help to have a 'cheat sheet' printed out so that students can memorise stuff on their own time.
HighKick
Master of Arts
Life experience and the ability to be a teacher (of any subject) is huge. It can be improved upon as time goes by.
Think of your own training experience. What was missing? What did you enjoy the most. These can be great building blocks to start with.
Also, talk to your instructor and get an idea on just how much 'poetic license' you have.
Prince_Alarming
Master Black Belt
Also, mercy is an underrated attribute in an instructor. Try to force people to do something they're not prepared for is a good way to cause injuries and lose students
KenpoMaster805
2nd Black Belt
I like to help Teach i been helping since i was a orange belt until now i just got my black belt last year and still helping like my instructor said when you teach your learning at the same time
