What Dan Level is appropriate for instructing?

[granitemiller]

I think it is important too that the person has the ability to teach and wants to teach.

There are those that have no desire to instruct.

So I wouldn't say that someone is "rushing" to teach, but if they have the aptitude and desire, why not start getting their toes wet at Green?

[Traymond]

In my KIA Schools. It goes like this.

The highest kyu rank will lead the warmups, then they will bow to a dan instructor to lead the class, in some cases if a dan is not able to be their, the highest kyu level will instruct the class on their basic test review, and if your the highest kyu their I think you deserve to be able to "show" others how you passed that test.

But 1st dan's are usually able to teach a whole class by themselves without the supervision of Sensei.

[white owl]

I have been insisting and helping instruct since orange belt and now I currently hold the rank of a brown belt and have taught my own classes, it is a requirement for dan testing to be able to lead and instruct a class and I feel there is nothing wrong with it. It helps you grow as a martial arts.

[Traymond]

I agree. But I don't like it when I walk into a class and see someone mouthing off to someone teaching a class for the first time. I was a shodan and watching a 2nd brown teach for the first time and an yellow belt was trying to show the brown belt how to do the technique that she was trying to show them...

I walked in their and told the yellow belt to drop and give me 40 knuckle push ups and ten clapping push ups...

He has been extremely obedient ever since.

[Daisho]

luckily I've studied in mostly "sport training" dojos, so we basically are squared up with another student 99% of the time. We hadto study a few katas for certification within the main M-R community, but that was about it.

So pretty much when we learn a technique, whichever of the two people squared up that seem to grasp it better helps teach the other. At bluebelt/green tasuki you can lead the class in warm-ups. Bluebelt/green tasuki comes about 5-7 years in our dojo, and that seems to be where most students tend to stay. Our greenbelt test requires extensive training outside the dojo in cardio and strength, which many don't seem to have.

1st kyu (our brown belts) are typically getting 1on1 training the entire year or 2 they remain there in preparation of their shodan test, and they tend to remain outside the normal class until they become shodan.

Our 4 nidans generally run the technique training while our head sensei walks around and gives us tips or makes sure we're applying correctly.

The head of our dojo holds the rank of yodan, either he or our top student the only sandan always run any type of formal or ceremonial classes.

[quinteros1963]

I agree that I higher ranking student is able to lead a class of beginers if his sensei allows it. It happens from time to time for warm-ups. An entire class should be left to Yondansa's

[Kempohands]

In my own opinion, no student should run an entire class, even under "supervision" of an instructor, who is not at least a black belt candidate (whatever the color is in your school, in mine it's 3rd brown). I have no problem with lower ranks assisting or taking classes through warm-ups and basics, but when it comes to teaching and organizing an entire class I would prefer to leave that to students who are at least black belt candidates and have demonstrated sufficient ability to pass on knowledge effectively.

[Traymond]

In my own opinion, no student should run an entire class, even under "supervision" of an instructor, who is not at least a black belt candidate (whatever the color is in your school, in mine it's 3rd brown). I have no problem with lower ranks assisting or taking classes through warm-ups and basics, but when it comes to teaching and organizing an entire class I would prefer to leave that to students who are at least black belt candidates and have demonstrated sufficient ability to pass on knowledge effectively.

Do you not feel that a 1st brown cannot teach a green belt what they need to know?

[Daisho]

After learning a technique, we tend to follow the instruction of the student who has best grasped how to effectively utilize it. So many times it will be a lower rank, but our sensei is always walking around making sure we're getting it sunk in properly.

[Kempohands]

In my own opinion, no student should run an entire class, even under "supervision" of an instructor, who is not at least a black belt candidate (whatever the color is in your school, in mine it's 3rd brown). I have no problem with lower ranks assisting or taking classes through warm-ups and basics, but when it comes to teaching and organizing an entire class I would prefer to leave that to students who are at least black belt candidates and have demonstrated sufficient ability to pass on knowledge effectively.

Do you not feel that a 1st brown cannot teach a green belt what they need to know?

I feel that a 1st brown knows exactly what to teach the green belt, but lacks the level of understanding to teach. I would not feel comfortable handing a green belt ovr to a brown belt so that the brown belt could teach him or her a brand new technique because if the grene belt questioned the technique I'm not confidnt that a 1st brown would have the conceptual and practical understanding to explain beyond "this is how you do it" and maybe "this is when you would do it." What about if the technique starts to fail halfway through? How about if that 2nd or the 3rd punch comes? What's stopping my opponent from counter here? these are questions that as students we answer as we go on. I don't know how it is in your system, but in mine we simply learn the required techniques at our rank and the basic 1 or 2 concepts that the techniques are trying to teach, and it is our responsibility to examine and question our techniques as we move up the ranks. Some students, however, have a naturally inquisitive mind, and leaving one of those above questions un-addressed (unless it's a true beginner w/o the knowledge of the concepts that one would need to be familiar with to understand the explanation) is a big no-no.

So in short, I would not feel comfortable with a 1st brown teaching a green belt unless I've worked with that brown belt extensively and deem him or her well versed enough in the techniques to do so. I should have mentioned this: I tend to be an opponent of the "no exceptions" clause when it comes to rules about teaching, so I wouldn't make the black-belt candidate thing a set in stone requirement. My experience has driven me to form that general rule though.