Martial Arts Instructor
Train with the best martial arts instructor
One of the most common methods of choosing a martial arts instructor is by default. You find the closest martial arts school and go with that. However, the most important factor in finding the right martial arts training is by picking the best martial arts instructor for you. Consider some of these key areas when searching for the best martial arts instructor: teaching style, martial arts experience, and instructor credentials and affiliations. Let’s look at these in more detail.
Martial Arts Instructor Teaching Style
Look for an instructor who you are comfortable with; one whose instruction skills are taught in martial arts classes in a manner that suits you. Instructors are like coaches; they do not have to be able to perform what they teach, but they must have the ability to get students to perform what they teach, and perform it well. If you learn best or are most comfortable in rigidly formal martial arts classes, you probably won’t do as well if you choose an instructor who likes to joke around in class. If you prefer a more relaxed, informal atmosphere, then strict traditional martial arts training with bows and rigid formality will probably stifle you, and you will not learn as well.
Martial Arts Instructor Experience
Martial arts instructors may be tournament champions in sparring or forms, but it does not necessarily mean they offer the best martial arts classes. Study with martial arts instructors for what the instructors can teach you to do, not for what the instructor can do. A martial arts instructor who knows their stuff will generally have students who display it – higher level students will be skilled appropriately, a demonstration of the instructor’s teaching abilities and communication skills. Ask the instructor how long they have been teaching.
Instructor Affiliation and Credentials
Talk to the martial arts instructor, ask the instructor about their instruction credentials. Instructors are usually affiliated with a national or regional organization (see the organizations topic for more information). Often instructors will display their qualifications and certificates. If the school focuses on martial arts training for tournaments, then find out if the instructor is certified in the rules of the governing body for these tournaments as a coach or referee. Unless you are familiar with the ranking system within the particuler organization with which the instructor is certified, then do not place much emphasis on the rank of the instructor. Each major organization has it own rank structure, so it is difficult to compare ranks between them. Do not base your decision on where to train solely on the rank of the martial arts instructor.
Remember, the most important factor when selecting martial arts school, the training atmosphere. Make sure that you are comfortable with the atmosphere of the martial arts classes and the attitudes of the students and the instructors. If you feel the martial arts instructor is enjoying teaching the class, and you can see yourself training with them, then you might have found the best place for you to train and develop in the martial arts.
