Instructor Maintenance

[Phil Farmer]

I got the idea for this thread from another one in which I answered a question. My thought here is to get input from other instructors about the issue of keeping your own training going while teaching classes. I have been teaching for eight years and during that time, my greatest challenge has been to keep pushing my own training to each new level while still keeping my students interested. It can be difficult to practice high level throws when there are no students experienced enough to take the falls.

In my style, we have clinics on a regular basis and a week long camp each summer but it is sometimes hard to keep yourself motivated when you have large groups of beginners to teach over and over again. My other concern is that there are many instructors out there on their own with no organization to support them. It is easy to quit learning and just keep doing the same things over and over again, or to invent things. Thoughts about this, anyone?

Phil Farmer

[kenkyusha]

Not sure,

I've been lucky with training partners (I do teach, but am still actively a student as well) who are willing to work as hard (to be frank, harder) on the stuff.

For solo training, I tend to focus on refining subtleties of posture and attitude for both taijutsu and buki, coupled w/some heavy weapon work for building speed and endurance. And of course hours and hours of ukemi.

Nothing like that look on your instructor's face (you know the one, the, 'why do I waste my time with you?!?!'-look) to make one want to suck less for the following class. :)

Be well,
Jigme

[Dean Whittle]

I maintain my own skill level (and hopefully improve it?) three ways.

Firstly, I maintain close contact with my Instructor and regularly travel to attend his classes, so that I continue to be a 'formal' student.

Secondly, I do daily home training (solo).

Thirdly, I regularly get together with a small number of my senior students to just train. My teaching is limited to demonstrating what we're doing and then it's up to them to work with it (although I do occassionally give them some 'polishing points'). I find this kind of training to be very important as it gives me the opportunity to work on those areas that I need to and that interest me at this time which may be outside my Organisation's standard class curriculum.

With respect

[Jonathan]

Originally posted by Phil Farmer
I got the idea for this thread from another one in which I answered a question. My thought here is to get input from other instructors about the issue of keeping your own training going while teaching classes. I have been teaching for eight years and during that time, my greatest challenge has been to keep pushing my own training to each new level while still keeping my students interested. It can be difficult to practice high level throws when there are no students experienced enough to take the falls.

In my style, we have clinics on a regular basis and a week long camp each summer but it is sometimes hard to keep yourself motivated when you have large groups of beginners to teach over and over again. My other concern is that there are many instructors out there on their own with no organization to support them. It is easy to quit learning and just keep doing the same things over and over again, or to invent things. Thoughts about this, anyone?

Phil Farmer

First off, while your skill level on the advanced techniques might not improve as quickly as it would were you the senior student and not the senior instructor, the beginners, particularly when you spar with them, are teaching you valuable reminder lessons on how non-martial artists move. So many black belts become so skilled at fighting other black belts that they stop training against the clumsy attack and are felled by the old haymaker or some such attack they are no longer conditioned to expect.

Also, every time you teach the basics, yours improve. In the end it really is the basics that matter. For pracice sparring against a skilled opponent, start creating a network of skilled martial artists, not necessarily of your style, in the area to work with. Even an amateur college wrestler would probably provide some serious resistance. My two cents.

[illusions117]

I teach only small private classes at the time, but I still try and always continue learning. I go once a year to train with my "real" instructor, but I am often not in the USA where I live. So, I like to look for seminars in anything that seems useful and drop in for some cross training. I have a set curriculum, but I do not rule out books and videos as well. The books/videos are not by far the core of what I teach, but only a complement to my style. I consider myself progressive, so I'm always open to new ideas on how to do things within reason. I try and look at everything I can, but I stick to the old Bruce Lee idea of "take what is useful and reject what is useless." I also put in the hours of working alone on my techniques and making an effort to come up with new and interesting ways to present and practice the material.

[Aaron T]

We run classes for the senior students, the younger are along for the ride. Eventually they will be the seniors and things will make sense. As we are a co-op run dojo, student retention need not be high. We have 25 active adults, which is perfect. I work on what I need to and everbody else follows along.

[TehPeoplePesron]

I don't know about you, but I get a lot of my own training from teaching. I find that by teaching, I learn a whole lot more than from just practicing on my own. Of course, you can't really learn anything new by teaching but you can learn and fine tune the stuff you already know. At an advanced level the learning of major things (ie: new techniques/forms) is given at a lower rate than before and you are stuck perfecting what you already (think) you know. I have found that teaching a specific young boy at my dojo, has taught me a lot more about my forms and techiniques then a higher rank can in some cases. I find it a pleasure to teach and it will always help me perfect my existing knowledge.

I hope my experiances help you in your martial arts conquests