As teaching has been such an influential step in my training I saw it fit to write my first blog about it. So many people approach teaching in the wrong way. Running a class can be a lot of fun, even when your material is not, but most people make the mistake of overthinking and overexplaining. For some teaching comes naturally. It truly is a blessing to have the gift to share your knowledge so easily, but for those of you who have more difficulty, I am going to offer some advice to help you get on the right track. I'm not an expert, but I've seen and made a lot of mistakes. Here's some food for thought.
"Less Yack More Smack"
The biggest mistake which I have already touched on is overexplaining. You don't have to talk about every detail when showing someone a technique. In fact, the less you talk the better off you are. Specially when teaching children, if your instructions take up more than five words you'll lose them instantly and would be better off running a fun class that will want them coming back for more, and then correct their mistakes at a later date. Some of the best classes I feel I have ever taught included very little "teaching". I like to show a technique once or twice and then let my students figure it out. I let my students answer their own questions and correct themselves. I walk up to a student and ask them what they are doing wrong. They may give me a list of things they need to fix about their roundhouse when I was only specifically looking at their foot position. This develops the students eye for detail and gives them the tools they need to succeed instead of having them being dependent on me. My students have all the answers and all the skills; It's just up to me to expose their talents and make them the best they can be.
"Monkey See, Monkey Do"
People, adults included, are always working to improve themselves. They see something they like and yearn to acheive it. This said, be a role model even when you're not in teaching mode. (Yes, you at the back of the class who came to help, but now are not doing anything but socializing and taking up training space. You may think you are not needed because we have black belts leading the class and there's nothing for you to do. Wrong. Get up and work out at the back or even better, beside someone.) Even outside of class, be an intense individual. People will pick up on it and chances are, what your students see when you're not looking will make a bigger impact than the show you put on in front of the class. If you want to inspire your students to attack their level of personal fitness, get down there and do the pushups with them. Scream the loudest and demand intensity from them. Not by telling them they need to be intense. This has never worked in my experience. If you want intensity, teach with intensity and give them no other choice but to follow suit. If you want your students to practise their forms or the choreography you taught them last class *wink wink* *nudge nudge* make sure you're practising. Start doing Kempo before class starts. You'll always have at least one student watch you and come over to ask a question. If I start doing forms before the kids' classes, I guarentee someone will come over and want to practise with me and if I practise with one, i have to practise with everyone. Point is, don't sit around thinking about ways to motivate your students. Work your hardest and be a good person. Lead. That is often enough.
"It's The Little Things That Count"
I walk up to a student, put my hand on his shoulder and say "you know your roundhouse looks really good. Just pivot that foot a little more and you'll almost have a perfect kick". The student smiles and puts a little more effort into his next kick. What was the original kick like? Doesn't matter. Will the following kicks show improvement because of the extra effort? Definitely. I've watched the most awkward people turn into brilliant martial artists because of the effort they put in. A little encouragement here and there can make the biggest difference. It's important to be able to read your students. If someone had a bad day at school and you can tell they are down on themselves, give them a kind word. Do some kicks beside them and let them know that you value their attendance in class. (I write mostly about teaching children because that's what I do best, but also if you can teach children, teaching adults is a cakewalk. It doesn't work the other way around.) I've sat through teaching seminars and one of the main points I always remember is how to deal with students that have been missing class a lot. If you single a child out for being absent, they are alienated and are not going to want to come back after missing another class because of the spectacle you make of it. Instead I make a point of quietly letting them know that it's good to see them in class again, either after class or as I walk by during class if it's appropriate. Little things like this make a difference. It's compassion and empathy that make a good teacher.
These are just some ideas I've been wanting to share for a while now. A lot of people have obscured views on teaching. Hopefully everyone will relax and not talk so much when at the front of the class. There's only so much explaining you can do before everyone gets bored and loses intensity. I've always been the type to "just do it" and I feel my body knows better than my brain. I hope that people start to adapt this attitude so they react instead of thinking more often.
And as an after thought... Why do people like freesparring?
