In the end this is our fault, but a guy came in wanting to try us out. We got him on the mat and we're showing him some throws, dude labds on his back and is in pain. Gets up and says he had lower back surgery....
Why in the world would you think "let's try learning martial arts now before I am healed up."? So he left and said he'd come back later. We forgot to ask about any medical issues first but it was assumed he was fit for it since he volunteered himself.
We always ask people about their current physical state so that "
We can customize their training." so that "
they can see and get better results." This is part sales and marketing and part safety. We always want to train people based on their current physical capabilities. We also want to monitor their training as well. Many times we would get someone who is recovering from some kind of health issue, so we make sure people don't push harder than they should. While "jumping into the fire" and learning by doing is a great mindset, it doesn't work well for Martial Arts Training.
Sports in general are full of people who have the bad habit of pushing harder than what may be good for them. Things to keep in mind.
1.
Demo on current students not newbies or potential customers
2.
If you want to show that a technique, then pick one that allows you manage the pain intensity. Joint locks and escapes are my go to, because it's something that the potential student can experience and do on day one. They also help to explain concepts and how things work. It's a good way to take all of the magic out of martial arts.
3.
Remember you are in charge and that people are stupid. Your job is to stop people from making stupid decisions under you guidance like doing martial arts right after back surgery.
4.
Most important thing to remember: MARTIAL ARTS HURT,
because that's the original intent. I think many forget this because the fight element has been taken out of many martial arts schools so there's an assumption that there are things that can be done without causing injury. The reality is that there isn't a single Martial Arts application that doesn't have the potential to cause pain in some shape or manner. Apply the application correctly your student gets hurt. Apply the application incorrect you, or your student, or both can be hurt.
There are more common injuries on the giving and receiving side of things. I've hurt my back multiple times in Kung Fu just from trying to do certain kicks with my left leg instead of my right leg. I've hurt by back from lifting incorrectly be it my own fault or because my opponent forced me into a bad lifting position at the same moment I tried to lift.
Best way to show techniques and applications is to have a video example. Video examples can be edited and have the benefit of showing the best of what you can do and the effectiveness of it, without hurting anyone who is viewing the video. I keep some of my form and martial arts sparring on my phone for this purpose. Here's what we do, How we train, and the effectiveness of our training. (Form, Conditioning, Sparring).
If they want to try stuff out give them the Easy stuff. The easy stuff is always easy to those who train in that system, but it's usually very difficult for those who have never trained in that system. So just give them the easy stuff.
