Respecting Younger Instructors

[hobbitbob]

Monkeygirl,

 

I'm sorry that you took my post as a personal attack. I don't believe that after ten years one magically becomes an instructor. i DO feel that it takes many years (ten being the minimum!) before one has enough insight into one's style to adequately analyze and correct the techniques of others. I don't doubt that you are an effective "model" of techniques. I don't know you, or your instructor to be able to make that determination. I do feel that, in general, allowing someone who is 15 to "teach" is an exceptionally poor decision on the part of any senior instructor.

 

Pax.

[theswarm]

I disagree

 

I was able to correct myself and others in my second belt, let alone now (i'm currently sempai) - The mental side of things I find the easy part (as i'm always thinking about karate, and always practicing karate), being able to correct and know what a technique should look and be like, my problem being a beginner and occasionally teaching is sometimes making sure I have the correct technique myself.

[OrangamusJulius]

Teaching the martial arts is not the same as learning the martial arts. If this were true then I know an old Kung Fu master who should hang up his silk suit.

 

Proficient technicians do not necessarily make good instructors. Just because you can do it doesn't mean you can pass it on to other people. I have heard stories from my school about a BB, a strong fighter, that threatened to toss a 5 year old student through a window. I personally knew two excellent BBs (they are gone now) that were excellent teachers when they were alone, but could not stop verbally abusing each other long enough to pay attention to class.

 

On the flip side, my favorite instructor has always been my first long-period instructor (he's since moved). He wasn't the most skillful martial artist, in that his kicks were low and his stances were short, due to ankle and knee problems. But he was an excellent fighter (usually only used his hands) and an excellent teacher. He could teach kata better than anyone else in the school (not because the other instructors were bad, this instructor was good). He knew exactly how to pick you apart. He saw everything, and knew how to point it out to you.

 

Teaching takes certain key skills. It takes leadership (foremost), maturity (not equatable to age), originality and variety (just a dash, to establish your own teaching style and to keep the students interested), intuition (thinking outside the box), and an eye for what wrong technique looks like and how to fix it. Most times the natural martial artist doesn't make the best teacher because s/he doesn't know the struggle of a regular student, or how a technique can be done IMPROPERLY. A good black belt may be able to show you how a technique SHOULD be done, but will not necessarily be able to point out why you are doing it wrong.

 

I think that is also an important aspect of being a good instructor -- being able to definitively tell a student "You are wrong, and this is why". This is not an aspect that can be taught to a budding instructor. It is a personality trait, the sort of quasi-arrogance that comes with a natural born leader. Confidence in your own technique is key, because if you are not confident with your skill, why should your students be confident in you and the art you teach them? My original instructor knew he could not perform even a flying side kick, but he was confident enough in his hand technique.

 

I am an instructor myself. I've taught my own classes since 5th kyu, and am now a 1st dan. I started off with a small class of 4 year olds. Around 3rd or 2nd kyu I was put in charge of my own adult class. I have been the only instructor many of them have had. My students are some of the best in the school. Maybe I was lucky, maybe fate gave me naturals. Or maybe my natural leadership, maturity, confidence, and intuition have allowed me to see what my students are doing, what is wrong, what is right, and what to do about it.

 

My original instructor has since visited me and worked out with my class. He complimented me on how good an instructor and a martial artist I had become.

[OrangamusJulius]

BTW, my schools owner started teaching at fifth kyu as well, his instructor decided to toss him in the "deep end" of instructing a class by himself and see if he could swim. He has now been teaching for over 25 years. It seems to have worked rather well for him.

[CheekyMusician]

Just thought I should give my two pence worth.

 

I don't agree with teenagers teaching adults classes for a few reasons:

 

1. Teenagers are still growing up. They might be "mature" in action, but they are still young. I'm 17 and have acted like a mature, responsible adult since I was a pre-pubescent. I'm one of the "model" kids when it comes to having good manners, a good attitude, a good work rate etc. At the age of 15 I thought I was an "adult". I thought that I would change very little between the age of 15 and the age of, say, 21. Oh how wrong I was. From about the age of 16 I've went through more changes than I would ever have considered possible (and no doubt there is much more to come when I start Uni, start working part-time etc. after the summer). At 15 I thought I was past the whole "growing up" stage, but I'd not even started out on it. My mind set, my attitude, almost everything about me has changed for the better, and I believe that a 15 year old may not get the respect that they desire as teachers because the adults they are teaching will be aware that there will be more "growing up" for the teenager to go through yet.

 

2. This is kind of linked to #1. People do tend to respond better to people who are older than them. Its easier for them to respect someone who is older, or at least a peer of them, for many reasons. Obviously, in a martial arts class there is constantly going to be students of various ages and you could not expect the instructor to be older than everyone, but a 15 year old teaching an adults class will be extremely young. The majority of the class will be older than that. A 15 year old teaching a kids class on occassion would be appropriate though, as children could look up to a 15 year old.

 

3. Responsibility issues. I believe any instructor should have First Aid certificates etc. to ensure they can handle any situations. They should have a fair amount of life experience and should therefore be more prepared to handle any person that comes into the dojo, and any situation that may arise. A 15 year old will think that they would be capable of coping in any situation, and some may be able to, but I think the large majority wouldn't. If I even take the First Aid certificate issue as an example. I was involved in First Aid from the age of 8 till the age of 15. Every year I went to classes and received my certificate, which was fine. Of course, I had to attend the kids First Aid class (the adults classes were only available to 16 year olds and over). To simplify First Aid, make it easier for all ages of children to learn and to avoid teaching children dangerous techniques that could be performed badly in a life or death situation, the taught 'kiddie First Aid' at that class. Its still a great thing to know, of course, but its not quite the 'Real McCoy'. That's just an example from where I live, but if say a proper First Aid certificate could not be taught and presented to someone under the age of 16, then no instructors should be under the age of 16.

 

Personally, I think every case would have to go on its own merit. I mean if there is an exceptional martial artist out there who happens to have a maturity and wisdom beyond their years etc. etc. and they just happen to be only 16, then they could possibly still be martial arts instructors at that age. I think, though, as a general rule, a martial arts instructor should be at least 18, but preferably 21, should have a minimum of 10 years martial arts training and should be at least a 1st dan. Exceptional young martial artists could, of course, help out with childrens' classes, but I believe an adult should always be present at these classes simply for liability issues. Of course, during any given class any age of student could offer help and explanations to members of the class who are needing it, but I don't believe they should be responsible for taking the whole class.

 

I hope no one gets offended by this

[karate_woman]

Hmm.

 

I think it is up to the head instructor to determine who should be teaching their classes. If people have a problem with the quality of the instruction -or the maturity of the instructors - they should discuss it with the head instructor. Not wanting to be taught by someone younger than oneself is narrow-minded, especially since many students start later in life these days.

 

I am a black belt and 12 years older than our brown belts, and was not offended in the least when Sensei had them show me some new things that popped up while I was away.

[IAMA_chick]

go for it. some people are mature among there years. there are some younger instructors at our school, or assistant ones i mean. and they deserve as much respect as anyone else. if they have worked and earned the spot to be an assistant then they should have as much respect as other older instructors.

[CheekyMusician]

Hmm.

 

I think it is up to the head instructor to determine who should be teaching their classes. If people have a problem with the quality of the instruction -or the maturity of the instructors - they should discuss it with the head instructor. Not wanting to be taught by someone younger than oneself is narrow-minded, especially since many students start later in life these days.

 

I am a black belt and 12 years older than our brown belts, and was not offended in the least when Sensei had them show me some new things that popped up while I was away.

 

I agree that refusing to be taught by someone younger is narrow minded, but there's a difference between getting helped from someone young and them taking the class. The person I go to most for help and explanations in my karate class is an 11 year old girl. She's a lovely girl and an excellent martial artist, very helpful, but I would not want her taking a whole class full of adults.

[karate_woman]

I agree that refusing to be taught by someone younger is narrow minded, but there's a difference between getting helped from someone young and them taking the class. The person I go to most for help and explanations in my karate class is an 11 year old girl. She's a lovely girl and an excellent martial artist, very helpful, but I would not want her taking a whole class full of adults.

 

I'd agree with that; for one thing, an 11 year old isn't old enough to be in the dojo by herself, let alone responsible for the whole place. The people I'm referring to are 18, but are still significantly younger than me, and I've noticed they are somewhat immature before class. Sensei has not had them teach independently, but teaching is part of the requirements for black belt in our dojo, so they have to do some supervised teaching. I was just responding to some of the posts that sounded opposed to the idea of being taught by a younger person at all...if Sensei thinks they've got something to show me, I'm going to pay attention!

[DeeLovesKarate]

God knows I have that problem. I'm a 14 year-old assistant instructor, and I'm astonishingly lacking in self-confidence, so I tend to stand off to the side, and not do much during classes. I've been spoken to about this so many times, but it's nothing anyone else can fix for me... I have to work at it. Try to look at what you're doing and figure out if your posture is commanding enough, you're voice loud, and sure, and that you can be seen or heard through most of the class. Look at the methods, postures, etc. of your elder instructors. What is it they are doing right? Trust me, age has nothing to do with it. My senior instructor when I help teach is a year older than me, but it's such a difference in our demenor (sp?) that you'd think him to be three years older. It's an additude/confidence issue. Hope I helped.

 

Ous,

 

Dee