Impact of Instruction

[EarthElement]

I was having an interesting debate with a friend of mine today about the impact the instructor of a style has on the student.

His argument was that all the instructor must do is teach his students the proper techniques and training regimen. Thats all. Then he says it is up to the student to practice sparring and such with the techniques he has learned and learn all the strategies and tactics through personal experience from sparring/fighting. In his eyes it is just a matter of who practices the most. (given the subject is practicing correct techniques.)

My argument was that there is more an instructor must do. He must teach the students the strategies and tactics which my friend thinks are common sense. i. e. projecton, visual cues, patterns and such. Also, the quality of instruction plays a huge role e.g. the proper way to do techniques. It would seem that in his argument that all instructors are the same as long as they show you how to do techniques the right way. There is something worng there but i cant quite put my finger on it.

I really cant think of anything else, so what do you all think about this?

[alsey]

i'm totally with you on this. an instructor's job is to teach his students everything he knows. instructors know a lot more than just a set of techniques, and that should all be taught as well. lots of practice should be combined with teaching. practice is vital of course, but practice is a lot better when there's someone there to tell you how you can improve.

[Rick_72]

Strategies and tactics are common sense. However, it takes a good instructor to begin the thought process. Meaning, due to experience someone who is instructing martial arts is normally able to immediately see the openings and such, that a less experienced practitioner will not. A good instructor will explain things in such a manner as to get his student to start thinking more clearly, to where their common sense starts working.

[bushido_man96]

Anybody can show someone how to do a technique the right way, just by doing it the right way. However, this is not the same as teaching. An instructor has to be able to break things down into component parts, and be able to explain the same things in different ways, because not everyone learns the same way.

Another important thing that instructor does is help out with learning all of the subtleties of sparring, form techniques, and so on. There are instructors out there, that are like what your friend describes. The students that they produce that are good are the ones with either natrual ability or prior experience. It takes a really good instructor, with a lot of patience and willingness to help, who can take the mediocre and below average students, and turn them into excellent practitioners.

[Brandon Fisher]

I feel that a instructor has the responsibility to teach to the best of their ability on all subjects. I have always felt I wanted to ultimately teach my students well enough that they become better then I am.

[ps1]

Different arts are built with different doctrines. Therefore the strategies and tactics that different systems use are also different. It is the instructor's job to teach those strategies. Otherwise he/she is not teaching the art, just how to kick and punch. You are correct. The same kata are taught in several different arts but the applications are sometimes very different. That's not obvious in anyway.

At advanced levels (5 or more years of training usually) the job of the student changes. He/she begins to figure out which strategies are best for him and take those into his own personal use of the art. But the overall doctrine does not change.

[cathal]

I wholeheartedly agree with that. After all it is a kind of artform so why bother only teaching half? The student's own interpretation of the art will come along with time.

[parkerlineage]

I agree that, eventually, a student will be able to take what they want and formulate their own ideas - but until that point, the instructor has to begin those thought processes for them, and guide them on their path.

[jaymac]

I agree with others here and you of course. Anyone can teach another person a movement with correct technique. But there is so much more behind a good instructor than just showing someone a movement. An instructor must pass on all that has been shown to him by others and guide his students and be their mentor. A good instructor may even be compared to being somewhat of a parent figure to his/her students in that he/she guides, cares, and nurtures students in the Do (way) of their art.

[Jiffy]

I couldn't agree with you more.

I think the role of the Martial Arts instructor is huge. Firstly, to answer your question, I believe they must teach the student everything for the battle field. This includes everything from the technical aspect, to strategy, awareness etc... Then, they also need to teach the student how to find the ongoing, changing answers for themselves.

Then, as well as that, I think there is an obligation to shape the person into something that reflect what a Martial Artist should be, not just what they can physically achieve.