Impact of Instruction

[Jiffy]

So true. I think more than anything, enthusiasm and being genuine are more important than anything.

[hawkfish]

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. projection, 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 wrong 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?

I agree with you. I don't feel that all instructors are the same and that they need to teach everything. If I did just kata and kihon, I don't think that I would figure out how to apply them in "real life" or sparring without my Sensei showing me what to do.

[bushido_man96]

Experience is a very good teacher, and there are two ways to get to it. One is on your own, which may not be the most efficient road to take. The other is to learn from the experiences of others, which is usually more efficient.

[jaymac]

And in order for an instructor to be really effective s/he needs to believe in what they are teaching and follow it themselves, whether it is in regards to the martial arts, self discipline, and even behavior.