A bit of introduction here: NWSMA holds a “black belts only” class once a month. We split the class time between practicing advanced material and talking about what it means to be a black belt and an instructor.
They are assigned a reading the week before class, and this month I gave them an excellent piece from Black Belt Magazine, titled, “How Karate Sensei Can Avoid Mixed Messages in the Dojo.”
It’s part of a growing trend towards holding martial arts instructors more and more accountable for the examples they set in the dojo. I asked the black belt class to respond to this article by offering their top 3 do’s and don’t’s for martial arts instructors.
Some background
The rise of commercial martial arts in America led to a flowering of “McDojos” and “belt factories,” schools with watered-down martial arts, aggressive business practices, and, frankly, questionable raison d’etre. I won’t bore you with details–if you want to know more about what a McDojo looks like, you can look here.
Since we all want to avoid becoming a McDojo, here are the black belts’ top 3 do’s and don’ts for instructors. I compiled them all into a general list, as much as possible using their own words from the notes I took.
Top Black Belt Do’s and Don’ts
NWSMA Black Belts’ Top Do’s
- keep your composure
- maintain seriousness of purpose, even when breaking the rhythm of the class
- be able to inspire people to try harder, do better
- be able to control the mood of the class, from excitement to the level of focus
- be able to work well with different people
- be patient
- set a good example
- make sure they [the students] understand you
- use short, simple terms to explain techniques
- try to involve other instructors in what you’re doing
- make sure you follow through
- balance information and application
- make sure all [students] are included
- make a point of practicing alongside students–there’s a time to watch and a time to do
- teach students emotional coping strategies, like how to say “maybe next time” when they’re disappointed
- remember that “trying your best” looks different for each person
NWSMA Black Belts’ Top Don’ts
- don’t push beyond [an individual student’s] limits
- don’t use a condescending or patronizing attitude
- don’t let out-of-control moments spiral further out of control
- don’t be close-minded to other applications of a technique
- never let your emotions take over
- don’t disrespect anyone, especially be aware of how you’re teaching adult students
- don’t teach too much/so much that they don’t absorb the information
- don’t go too fast
- don’t overreact
- don’t teach advanced things to lower ranks too often [we decided that occasionally challenging students with stuff above their level was good]
- don’t argue with other instructors
- don’t expect anyone to get it on the first try
- don’t get frustrated
- don’t let a student give up, end an activity after a good (or better) attempt
- don’t give empty praise
- don’t bring a bad attitude to class
These all come from ladies and gentlemen between the ages of 16 and 26, all of whom have been training for over a decade and hold provisional, 1st, or 2nd degree black belt ranks.
I thought it was a remarkably mature and impressive list, so I wanted to share it with our readers! Feel free to share a comment or add to the discussion. 🙂
And before you think we get too serious, here’s an idea of what sometimes, maybe, might happen in black belt class:
