What kind of experience do you look for in a martial arts instructor?

Makalakumu

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Besides experience in the art, what kind of experience do you look for in a martial arts instructor? For example, I tend to like to train with people who have actual hands on experience with putting the principles in action. People who have served in combat, people who have experience with body guarding, people with LEO experience, experienced bouncers and/or security professionals. Beyond the art itself, these type of people seem to have the kind of personal experience that helps with real life application.
 

Aiki Lee

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None of that really matters to me and here's why.

If you're in the armed forces and saw combat you probably didn't fight without a rifle.
If you're in law enforcement or security that doesn't necessarily mean you have good martial arts skills. I'm inclined to listen to their takes on things, but it isn't a deciding factor for me.
The only thing I look at is whether or not I like the instructor as a person and if they move the way I want to move. That is all really. A good martial arts system should still be good if it hasn't been tested in reality by the instructor but is still based in realism.
 

TKDTony2179

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I think it would depend on the art. If I am looking for lets say knife defense then if the instructor has experience I would go to him than a instructor that just add a so called knife defense that is based on a one step. To be clear, i wouldnt go to a karate school for a knife defense but more like an fma. But if he was a world champion kickboxer then yea I would go to him before a karate school.
 
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Makalakumu

Makalakumu

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The only thing I look at is whether or not I like the instructor as a person and if they move the way I want to move.

What if the way you want to move doesn't work? How would you know? This is where some real life experience can be handy, because you know your teacher has had to apply some of it in the past and lived to teach you.
 

Cyriacus

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What if the way you want to move doesn't work? How would you know? This is where some real life experience can be handy, because you know your teacher has had to apply some of it in the past and lived to teach you.

Imo, because what works for one person may not work for someone else. Just because i like chokes and ive used chokes doesnt mean that chokes are the answer for you. Theres a reason theres such a huge variety of methods for doing the same stuff out there :)
 

pgsmith

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Makalakumu said:
What kind of experience do you look for in a martial arts instructor?

I like to know that they'll take a turn buying the beer on occassion, and don't always make the lower ranked students buy.
 

Happy-Papi

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I always go for seniors who has combat experience. I grew up with these kinds of people around me so I tend to look up to them. When I enrolled my son in Karate, I did a bit background check on the schools and enrolled him based on the rumors that I collected. Since we live in Japan, finding a combat tested instructor for my son is difficult. What I found out is that his instructors were bashing heads (real street fights) during their younger years and are Karate Kyokushin champions and that was all I needed to know.

Himura Kenshin

None of that really matters to me and here's why.

If you're in the armed forces and saw combat you probably didn't fight without a rifle.
If you're in law enforcement or security that doesn't necessarily mean you have good martial arts skills. I'm inclined to listen to their takes on things, but it isn't a deciding factor for me.
The only thing I look at is whether or not I like the instructor as a person and if they move the way I want to move. That is all really. A good martial arts system should still be good if it hasn't been tested in reality by the instructor but is still based in realism.

Actually, there are groups of elite fighting forces that sometimes prefers to fight without using firearms. Sometimes these people will even operate alone or in pairs only. Sometimes they are deployed in areas where guns are not available or may need to leave their firearms behind for stealth or to mix up with the crowd. When I was young and in training, my seniors told me to be a sniff-dog wearing only short pants and slippers and was burned, I had to slap the baddies (kindly) with a stool until back-up... Another training was to go inside dark, tight holes and there are times that firearm's sound and blast can be irritating to our senses, etc. Like crawling inside a sewer with your mouth closed because of the smell and filth and if you use a firearm and your mouth is still closed (because you are a hygienic person) it can mess up our senses. Opened mouth when firing can relieve pressure. Same with firing inside a vehicle... So sometimes going back to the basics is an option.

Yes, a good martial arts system that is based on reality can be good but sometimes there are small stuffs that we can only learn in combat. Ex: A knife school can teach lots of techniques about knife fighting and they are all good. A veteran can teach his students that even if you clasp the mouth, the cry can still be heard during a throat work, feces and urine, clanking of the feet and arms, etc. I am not saying that these stuffs are needed to be studied or learned but sometimes it is nice to be educated even if it is "for educational purposes only" :)

But as we all know that not all combat tested people are great instructors. Often times the best instructors are from civilian dojos.
 

Aiki Lee

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What if the way you want to move doesn't work? How would you know? This is where some real life experience can be handy, because you know your teacher has had to apply some of it in the past and lived to teach you.

It comes down to simulating a realistic attack in the dojo. If you train realistically with an understanding of violence then you can get a good estimate that your training will be useful. You can understand violence without actually involving yourself in the most violent of situations. If my instructor did have to use something he practiced in the dojo the skill he used would have been applicable for just that one time and you wouldn't have anything to compare it to. It would be hard convincing an outsider that it wasn't just a fluke.

Experience in the face of real danger is a bonus for me, but I do not think it is necessary. You can usually tell based on how an instructor behaves and speaks, whether or not he understands the nature of violence.
 

Aiki Lee

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Actually, there are groups of elite fighting forces that sometimes prefers to fight without using firearms. Sometimes these people will even operate alone or in pairs only.

The only special forces operatives that I know of that operate this way are gurkha. I would take training advice from them. I'd listen to anyone's combat experience if they were willing to share whether or not it was close quarters or not, but that does not mean they would be an optimal martial arts teacher.

Yes, a good martial arts system that is based on reality can be good but sometimes there are small stuffs that we can only learn in combat. Ex: A knife school can teach lots of techniques about knife fighting and they are all good. A veteran can teach his students that even if you clasp the mouth, the cry can still be heard during a throat work, feces and urine, clanking of the feet and arms, etc. I am not saying that these stuffs are needed to be studied or learned but sometimes it is nice to be educated even if it is "for educational purposes only" :) .

See I already knew all of that through training and my instructor did not need to kill a person to teach me that. Its all seems fairly obvious to me.
It is important to read about the experiences of people who have gone through that stuff, that's probably where my teacher learned it and why he passed it on to me. But a useful tip here and there does not make one a qualified teacher.

But as we all know that not all combat tested people are great instructors. Often times the best instructors are from civilian dojos.

My point exactly. If I were to choose between two instructors of the same art, one with combat experience or security or law enforcement I may take them into more consideration that the other. In the end though, it all comes down to whether or not I like the person and if they move the way I want to move and if they can explain it to me in a clear and understandable way.
 

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