You've already had some good feedback on the first part of your question, so I'll address the 2nd part.
Originally posted by Kaith Rustaz
With that asked, what is considered 'seriously study'?
For those teaching now, could you please elaborate on how you got to that point, and how long it took you? What (if any) specific requirements for your chosen art there are before you may teach?
Thank you.
:asian:
I think "serious study" will vary from person to person. I currently train or teach 10 - 15 hours / week.
From 1996 - 2001, I trained 20 - 30 hours / week.
The drop is mostly because my school is in its fledgling stages and I don't have many students. As my student count increases, my training/teaching time will increase.
From 1996 - 2001, I was training with my primary instructor in Sikal. I still visit him at least once a month to train. I've also got a couple of other instructors that I train with when I can. But from '96 to '01, I was a freak. This, combined with my previous background and my natural ability to absorb and retain information, allowed me to reach instructor level in that system in 4.5 years. My instructor has only certified 4 instructors. 5 - 6 years is the average of the other 3. I was able to train that much simply because I made it my priority to do so and I had (and still have) a very understanding wife. I'm not better or worse than the other 3. I was just able to dedicate more time to it.
But time isn't the only factor. Some people could train just as many hours and still not make it. Some people would overload their ability to retain information if they trained that much. Others could train more and retain it.
As far as the testing that was required by my instructor ... we went out in the woods and spent the day beating the tar out of each other while demonstrating the entire curriculum, and then some (impromptu extrapolation). At the end of the day, I had a pinched nerve in my shoulder and a great big, tired grin on my face. The shoulder took a couple of weeks to get back into working shape.
My instructor rankings in other arts haven't been nearly as rigorous.
In Eskrido, I was first made an honorary black belt (in my mind anyway), then worked to round out my knowledge of the system and am currently a 4th Dan ... but was never formally tested ... Grandmaster Cacoy watched me work and promoted me.
In Shen Chuan, the instructor test is usually pretty rigorous. I got a break because the rigorous test is kind of a "tempering." The instructor knew what I'd been through with my other instructor and knew that I'd already gone through an equivalent "tempering" process. Consequently, my test for that just consisted of demonstrating material as he asked for it and some impromptu extrapolation. But it didn't last hours and didn't include anyone getting injured.
But each instructor has different requirements.
Both my Sikal instructor and my Shen Chuan instructor also require that a person have a certain amount of teaching ability before they'll promote to "instructor."
In Sikal, one can be a "Lakan" or a "fighter." One can be a "Guru" or a "teacher." Or, one can be a "Lakan/Guru" which means that both fighting and teaching ability/skill have been shown. All 4 of us that have been promoted thus far have been "Lakan/Guru."
In Shen Chuan, they give an "Instructor" certificate that is separate from the Dan ranking. There are some who are black belts but not "Instructors." This means that they can perform the material but, as of yet, haven't shown that they're capable of teaching the material.
Both of these instructors, though, always try to insure that black belts (or people working toward black belt) get some teaching time. And they offer pointers to improve teaching.
I think these qualifications are pretty rare. I think most schools just use "black belt" to denote "instructor" and there's not really any effort to help people become "instructors." It's just assumed that, since they can perform the material, they can teach the material. This isn't always the case.
Mike
