Does an instructor need to be (or have been) a good fighter?

[Sainthood]

A teacher should be a decent fighter but that isn't the only thing that is important when trying to find a good teacher/dojo.

[yamesu]

Did you see that TUF fighter (UFC reality show) where Rampage Jackson was the coach?

He would teach nothing to his camp, he would bully one of the students (calling him names) and his corner advice in fights was horrible ("don't let him hit you!", "hit him!").

I'd rather never be taught by Rampage... and Rampage is a GREAT fighter... but I'd rather have a less good fighter being my teacher.

Great fighters don't always make good teachers. Teaching and coaching is hard to do, and I think an important aspect of effective coaching/teaching is being able to.adapt and adjust how you teach.

But look at someone like Bill Wallace. Good fighter, and I've heard nothing but good things about his seminars. Some can do it, others not so well.

Agreed

Double agreed

[evergrey]

Heh well certainly it's not the only thing! Of course they would need to be a good teacher, and a good person.

[sensei8]

Heh well certainly it's not the only thing! Of course they would need to be a good teacher, and a good person.

Not every black belt can teach, even though they might be a great fighter. The transition from the competitive ring onto the dojo/school floor as the instructor is a extremely thin line, imho.

[evergrey]

OSU, for me, I have long term goals of teaching. I want to fight before I am a sensei... but I have been deeply honored by having been called upon to teach already! Teaching kata to white belts only, of course, given my low rank... but it remains a great honor. I have only ever seen brown belts and above teaching anything at my dojo. I think that my Shihan believes in me and my goals, which means so very much. I hope to become a good teacher... and a good fighter! OSU!

[Jissen]

That's like saying Mike Tyson shouldn't be able to beat his coach in boxing.

There are doers, and there are teachers. Rarely do you get both in the same person.

[shimizu]

I guess it would help as then the students would be able to learn of the teacher when they watch the sensei/teacher, for example, spar a higher a sempei/other yudansha. But, theoretically - no

[MasterPain]

Something to consider here, I have no natural athletic ability to speak of. My reflexes are slow, I don't take my conditioning seriously enough, I have short stubby legs that can't triangle choke anyone who is out of junior high school. But I do have a fair amount of knowledge to offer. Give me a beginner with a good attitude and good athletic talent, and they'll be kicking my butt by the time they know half what I do.

[Open minded]

A instructor can still be a good fighter even though he has never been in a fight

You are fighting in everyday live mentally, physicle and spiritually

Along the instructor is competant on what he is doing that is good enough for me

Even if the person didn't have a belt to his name as a belt is only a grading not a magicle power so along he's competant that is the key

[shadowspawn]

Great question,

My answer would be not necissarily. From personal experience, a good number of the black belts that have come out of Bujin Bugei Jutsu have tested there skills in some sort of sporting arena. That includes MMA, IBJJF tournaments, Full contact karate tournaments etc. They have all been met with a good deal of success and many trophies and medals to go along with it. This is not the purpose of our art however, I have known great martial artists and great teachers of martial arts that have never fought in a cage, or grappled in a tournament. These instructors are still capable of delivering information in a way that their students reveive the most benefit from their instruction.

These men have never "competed" but i have sparred with them and it is not a pleasent experience. So no, one does not have to be an accomplished fighter to be a great martial artist or a great teacher.

Pretty much this. Competition/sport martial arts are just a recreation of what a fight might be like but with a good deal of limitations as to what you can do. For example, you could be really good at setting up a triangle choke in jujitsu tournaments, but if you were to get into an actual self defense scenario and as you're setting it up, the guy takes a huge bite out of your inner thigh, you might not be prepared for such a situation due to the regulations in place while training the technique. There is absolutely no substitute for actual combat, but the closest you can get would probably to have a good teacher who understands the strengths and weaknesses of the techniques that they teach.