What do you do when your instructor stops teaching?

[Tony]

Well I have been training in my present style for over 7 years and about a month ago I get to class only to discover that my intructor has stopped teaching (due to personal reasons which we are not privvy to!) and has handed his classes over to a couple of guys, one who is now taking the Monday Sanshou class and the other is taking the Tuesday Kung fu class.
The Thursday class has been cancelled so i cna only train in this twice a week. Although I have probably been training longer than these guys I don't feel very confident teaching. I never envisaged I woudl ever teach when i started this. I will stuck wiht this because I have invested a lot of myself but i do want to learn other arts. The guy taking the sanshou class is doing a good job and I am only too happy to support him anyway I can but he has not been training as long as me! He has only been training for 3.5 years and the other guy not as long either but he has already started teaching and is really good at it but there have been some little disagreements between him and another senior grade in class which does not look very professional!

 

[terryl965]

I would ask if you could do the thursday class and see if teaching wuites you and then go from there.
Terry

 

[painstain]

experience isn't what makes a great teacher. as long as they are compassionate to the needs of the students and know what to teach, then i would give them full support. i say this because i am the lowest ranking instructor in our system, i run two schools and sometimes i have students, whos gi and belt is older than i am. i do not know their forms or some of their kicks, but i do expect great technique and excelled movement from them. great teachers are teachers before they ever start training. not that i'm a great teacher, but my instructor saw something in me when he approached me about instructing, that he didn't see in others as far as willingness to go out of my way to help others and volunteering info when i could of just trained myself to be better than those arround me. as a teachers, i want my students, even the ones i have a hard time with, i want them all to be better than me. and i am a perfectionist when it comes to my training.

if you leave a class that these men teach feeling like you gained something and they seem to be confident in their teaching, i'd say stick with it for a while longer

with respect,
painstain

 

[IcemanSK]

I hear ya when you say its frustrating. I had an instructor do that, too. Even though its not what you pictured yourself doing, I'd consider teaching the Thursday night class. Not because you have more time in than the other guys, but because you have a passion for the Art & want to share it. That's a valueable asset to any school.

 

[Fluffy]

Maybe it's time to move on. Are there any other KF studios around?

 

[Fuzzy Foot]

Most people don't like changes that are thrust upon them. In this case I would advise you to give it some time and if you find you're not happy there, your heart/mind won't be in your training and you'll have to make some changes yourself. Don't hesitate if and when the time comes to make a move. And if that doesn't work, keep looking until you find yourself doing the right thing in the right place.

 

[searcher]

I am inagreement with a couple of the other options that have been presented. First, you should try to teach and at the very least it will give you a better understanding of the techniques you have been trained in. It will help with your own understanding and may even deepen your knowledge. Second, have you checked on training in another school, either in kung fu or maybe in another style? Both of these options warrant some further investigation.

 

[still learning]

Hello, This has happen to my Son and I..after two years of going to every class(Shotoken)...Our Sensi...said He is qoing to quit and he did (Indepentant schoo). No one to take over.

The next best thing happen a Kempo School had just started nearby...NO reqrets....Best thing happen for us...NEW style..NEW Forms...We have both being doing for over 10 years now.....

Suggestion: Here is a chance to try other Martial Arts....Styles/Systems...Do not limit yourself to only ONE....Learn what others are doing. Open yourself...the whole world of martial arts and new friends.........Aloha

 

[MRE]

I agree that you should give teaching a try. I am a white belt with only several months of training under my belt. Were I in your class, I would hope that one of the seniors with experience in and passion for the art would fill in so my development would not be hindered. From your post, it sounds like you have both.

 

[tshadowchaser]

If you are a senior in the class may i ask why you where not given the opportunity to teach. If you where and turned it down because you didn't feel comfortable ---welll- maybe you should give it a try to see how you do and if you like it.
Also keep on practicing on your own. Skills disappear and things get forgotten or mixed up if we do not practice