5 PRINCIPLES OF MARTIAL ARTS

TEACHING
June 23, 2014

by Sang H. Kim | Excerpted from TEACHING MARTIAL ARTS

1. Planning
The foremost element in teaching is careful planning. Plan the objectives for each class and
delegate the amount of practice time you will allow for each. For effectiveness and safety,
carefully consider the type and number of exercises and skills you will teach in every class.
Set goals for each class. Students can perform better and learn more quickly when they
have goals to work toward. In setting your classroom goals, it is best to identify each
individual’s strengths and weaknesses whenever possible. This insures smooth progress
and avoids unnecessary frustration. For the greatest motivational value, goals must be
specific and reasonably difficult to accomplish. (For a more detailed discussion of planning,
see Chapter 5)
2. Motivation

Teaching Martial Arts: The Way of the Master

By Sang H. Kim

It will make your job easier and more successful when you have students who are motivated
to learn. The desire to change and acquire new skills is necessary for a student to continue
studying martial arts for a long period of time. The single best way to motivate others is to
be a highly motivated person yourself. (For a more detailed discussion of motivation, see
CH. 3)

3. Recognition of Individuality
Every individual has a different way of perceiving and understanding the world around him.
Since you are teaching a group of individuals you must consider every person individually
and as a part of the whole. Every individual learns at his own pace and to the best of his
ability. Inherent to being a good instructor is the aptitude for teaching the class as a unified
whole while giving each individual the specific instruction he needs to improve.
You must master the ability to balance the need for individuality with the need for
conformity. While there are many things that all students perform uniformly, an
overemphasis on conformity can stifle a student’s natural talent. Because we are all unique
persons with unique physical and mental characteristics, we each have special talents and
weaknesses. By accurately recognizing these strengths and weaknesses, we can maximize
our potential. We are both confined and compelled by our uniqueness.

Yet, within the martial arts there is a special tradition and heritage that have been handed
down to us. It is our duty to preserve the character of our art and to pass it on to our
students. Therefore, we require that students practice certain skills in a specifically
designated way, without digression. A good example of this is the practice of forms. Every
white belt in a particular style practices the same form in the same way that every white belt
before him practiced it. This is a way of preserving the tradition of our art. Of course some
people kick higher or punch faster than others, but this does not mean that to showcase the
kickers we demand that everyone kick high or to accommodate the punchers, we substitute
punches for kicks. This would be time consuming and detrimental to the martial arts as a
whole. To teach effectively we must set the standards for students as well as encourage
their individuality.

4. Practice
Regardless of their individual needs and differences, all students need the opportunity to
practice what they have learned. Repetition is the best method of practice to perfect a skill.
Supervise your students’ practice sessions whenever possible. This will prevent them from
practicing flawed techniques that could lead to bad habits or injuries. When a student
reaches the advanced level, practice becomes even more important because of the broad
scope and difficulty of techniques being learned. Many advanced students tend to stop
practicing basic techniques. Remind them to continue to keep their foundation strong. Every
good instructor recognizes that fundamental skills are prerequisite to success in the martial
arts.

In addition to regularly scheduled classes and supervised practice sessions, many students
may need specific guidelines for their personal practice sessions. For tournament
competitors, for example, two or three classes per week are not enough. At least five or six
periods per week must be spent in a well planned and consistent practice program. If a
competitor practices three times a week in the school, he should practice two or three times
by himself. His additional practice sessions might include things not fully covered in class
such as interval training, stamina work, short and long distance running, speed training,
weight training, etc.

Sang H. Kim Talks about Teaching Martial Arts

A practice program should be planned with diversity. The program must include
training for power, speed, endurance, strength, flexibility, and reflexes. It is best to
train one day concentrating on physical intensity and next day with emphasis on
mental skills such as accuracy, reflexes or strategy.

When a beginner must practice alone, let him practice with emphasis on slow, correctly
performed techniques. He should not have anxiety over mastering techniques overnight or
with great speed. More beginners get injured when they practice alone than when they
practice in class. The reasons for this are improper warm-up, incorrect execution of
movements, and overanxiety.

The best way to prevent injuries and setbacks is to practice under a qualified instructor’s
supervision. With an instructor’s guidance, students can maximize their power and speed so
that they can break through their present limitations and move on to the next level of skills.
If a student experiences a plateau in his training help him overcome it by reassuring him
that it is a normal step on the path of learning. You also can provide him with alternative
practice methods such as meditation, traditional conditioning exercises or reading materials
that may give him insight into his situation.

Practicing is the road to mastery. There are many paths to take. Some are uphill, some are
downhill, and some are long flat stretches of smooth sailing. As an instructor you have to be
able to visualize the entire path for every one of your students. When a student is
progressing well, let him go along by himself. When he is struggling uphill, gently push him
higher. When he is rushing downhill, give him your hands to slow his ride.

Be creative in motivating your students to continue practicing. If you make them consistent
in their practice, they will reach the destination they dreamed of on the first day of class.
(For a more detailed discussion of practice, see Chapter 3)
5. Performance Assessment
Performance Assessment is a data collection process that is used to comprehensively check
a student’s progress and correct errors in his performance. It is an essential technique that
should be used daily by all instructors. Performance Assessment has four progressive steps:
(1) Appraisal and Analysis, (2) Feedback, (3) Reinforcement and (4) Follow-up. Once you
begin using this process to check your students’ performance, you will find that the four
steps follow each other naturally and that you use them constantly in your teaching.

The first step in Performance Assessment is Appraisal and Analysis. This is actually two
separate but related steps. Appraisal takes place when you watch an individual student’s
performance and determine his current skill level. In doing this, note his general condition
and improvements made since his last Performance Assessment. If a student is performing
a specific movement incorrectly or that he generally has a bad habit, analyze exactly where
the difficulty lies. Accurate analysis is very important because if you incorrectly diagnose the
problem, the student will continue to perform poorly.

Step two is Feedback. Feedback simply means telling the student how he is progressing. In
learning a new skill, a student cannot accurately judge if he is executing it properly. Guide
him toward the correct movement through verbal and physical reminders. Correct a
mistake as soon as it occurs to prevent it from becoming habitual. If the error does become
a habit it can still be corrected through consistent feedback. Using negative feedback for
incorrect actions and positive feedback for correct actions will considerably accelerate
student learning.
Feedback must be followed by Reinforcement. For some students, the enjoyment of
performing well can be enough reinforcement to make them continue to improve. But even
highly motivated students occasionally need some kind of external reinforcement.
Reinforcement is similar to feedback, in the sense that there are two types of reinforcement
you can employ - negative and positive. Positive reinforcement includes individual praise or,
less frequently, a material reward for desired behavior.

Negative reinforcement means ignoring or discouraging undesirable behavior. In extreme

situations, especially when the safety of other students is at risk, punishment may be
required. Only use negative reinforcement or punishment only when a person fails to
respond to positive techniques. Unlike positive guidance, negative reinforcement
discourages the student’s undesirable behavior, but it fails to provide him with an
alternative behavior.

The final step of Performance Assessment is Follow-up. Check each student’s progress
regularly with particular attention to his or her previous difficulties. Follow-up is used to
ensure that the student can and is performing in the way that he was taught. It also
prevents the student from slipping back into bad habits that could result in a loss of
effectiveness in his training.         

One on One:
How to Be a Private Instructor of the Martial Arts

By Scott Shaw

There are numerous reasons why a martial arts technician may decide to become a private
instructor. First, and perhaps most prominent to the Black Belt on a budget is the fact that as a
private instructor you do not have to set up a studio. As rents, especially in large urban centers,
have skyrocketed, the ideal of a fully equipped dojo is often times out of reach. By offering one-
on-one services, not only can you build up a client base for a studio in the future — but your
overhead will be very low, as all that is required is the most basic of equipment: various portable
striking bags, focus gloves, and a folding mat.

More than simply the need to operate outside of the large financial requirements of a martial art
studio, as a private instructor you are allowed to make your own schedule — revolving it around
other life factors such as a job, school, or training with your own instructor. By teaching at this
level, you are allowed to define your own time table.

No doubt one of the most alluring incentives to becoming a private instructor is the fact that you
can charge much more for your services than if you were a school owner. It is a simple fact of
economics that martial art schools, located in close proximity to one another, need to be
competitively priced. The new student, not necessarily sure of what style he or she wishes to
study, will often times begin their martial art training based upon economic factors; i.e. the
cheapest school, rather than on the credentials and achievements of the school's owner.

The fact of the matter is, as a private instructor you cater to a completely different level of
clientele than that of a studio owner. Namely, people who are not basing their decision for where
to train solely upon financial concerns. With this, you can adjust your fees based not only upon
your own qualifications but on the economic standards of the community you are serving.

The Roving Trainer

It is important to understand that there are a few down sides to becoming a private instructor of
the martial arts that must be examined before you decide to follow this path. First of all, you must
travel to your client. Therefore you must possess a reliable vehicle to get your equipment and
yourself to the location on time. The quickest way you will lose a private client is if you are
continually late or you cancel at the last minute. No matter what the reason, when a person pays
to have you come to his or her home to train them, they expect you to be there. No excuse will
calm them if you do not show up.

Though private clients hate it if you do not show up, they will, however, often times cancel at the
last minute on you. Therefore, it must be delineated at the outset of your relationship what will
occur if they cancel without a twenty-four hour notice. (This subject will be discussed further in the
paragraphs that follow).
With the basic criteria for becoming a private instructor understood — becoming a roving martial
arts teacher does not mean that it does not take work to become successful in the field. Therefore,
we must study some of the factors involved in creating a successful private martial arts instructor
program.

Advertising
First of all, you must develop a client base. To do this you must get the information out to the
public about the fact that you teach martial arts on a personal level. The style of this
advertisement can range from flyers placed in supermarkets or on university billboards, to taking
out ads in the newspaper.

As you are deciding what is the best initial step for you to begin your private martial art instructor
publicity campaign, you must initially understand that people who see your ad in a supermarket
are not generally going to possess the funds to pay a large fee for your time. To this end, though
you may wish to begin your teaching program by serving the community and teaching people for a
low fee, to move to the level of receiving a higher payment for your services, you will want to
attract clients from the upper-level financial echelon. The most effective way to achieve this is to
place newspaper ads in affluent communities where a large percentage of the populous is of the
higher income bracket.

What your ad says about you and what you have to offer a client is equally as important as where
you place it. In your ad you must tell your potential client your credentials and the services you
provide in as few words a possible.

It is important to never lie and claim untruths about yourself. First of all, lying is against the Code
of the Bushido, and lies always come back to haunt you. Therefore, be honest as to your Black Belt
status and let the people know what you have to offer them — if it self-defense, cardio-aerobic
martial arts, a traditional system, or weapon training? From what you say in your advertisement,
the specific type of client will seek you out according to what you have to teach.

The Fee Basis

When you begin the process of becoming a private instructor you must decide what fee you will
charge for your services. This is a highly variable issue. Your decision will not only be based on the
economic standards of your community, but how far you have to travel to reach your client. It is
also based upon the amount of time you will train them at each session, the level of qualifications
you possess, and the type of client you wish to teach. Remember, your fee can certainly be
adjusted depending upon each individual student.

For an idea of what to base your fee structure upon; here in Los Angeles, a private martial arts
instructor never goes out for less than $125.00 an hour. The average is $200.00 an hour, and it
goes up from there. On the high end, with a wealthy client, the fee is about $300.00 an hour —
but this is based on a private instructor with an extensive track record and a long list of
recommendations.

Your Initial Contact

Once your ads have been placed, your fee established, and a client has contacted you, the
recommended first step is to speak with them at length on the telephone. Find out what they
want, what they expect, and if you are the person who can provide the desired instruction to
them. The image of the private martial arts instructor in the movie Action Jackson comes to mind.
The private instructor went to the home of the character played by actor Craig T. Nelson and was
immediately beat up by Nelson, who then stated, “Lesson Over!” In other words, have a very clear
idea of what you are getting into before you ever travel to the home of a new client.

The Private Instructor Form

Once you are at their home, it is very important to define as clearly as possible what the structure
of your teacher/student relationship is going to be. Create a Private Instructor's Form and have
several copies of it printed out. Speak to the perspective client and find out what it is he or she
wants to learn, why he or she wants to learn it, and what he or she expects from you. On your
Private Instructor's Form, write down, as clearly and precisely as possible, what their course of
instruction is going to be over a defined period of time — usually one month. The clearer you
define in writing what they are going to learn and how they are going to learn it, the less chance
you will have of ending up with a dissatisfied customer.
Many personal instructors become lost in the fact that they may be getting paid a substantial sum
of money and, thus, they lie to a perspective client in the hope of luring them into an instruction
program by promising such things as, “You will be a great martial artist in a few months,” “You'll
be able to beat up anybody after only two lessons,” and so on. If you treat clients in this fashion
and what you promise does not come to pass, you will develop a reputation as a charlatan and
your clients will not recommend you to their friends. Thus, you will not possess an ever-expanding
client base.

It is very important at this early stage of the relationship to be willing to walk away if either your
potential client or you feel ill at ease. Trust your feelings and trust theirs. If you cannot truly
provide them with what they are expecting, the relationship will only deteriorate and both your
client and yourself will not be motivated to properly follow through with the prescribed course of
study.

The Training Schedule

Once you have substantiated what you will be teaching, you must then define a time structure for
you to do it within. As is the case with most traditional martial art classes, a person's attention,
particularly at the early stages of martial art training, can be held for approximately one hour to
one hour and a half. Thus, you should set up a training schedule where you will visit the client a
specific number of times and provide martial art instruction for a predetermined period of time. If
you do not clearly define the time structure on your Private Instructor's Form, unmet expectations
may occur. Thus, it is very important to clearly state the amount of time you will teach during
each lesson throughout the course of instruction.

Certainly, situations arise in everyone's life where schedules, particularly ones set over a period of
a month, will need to be altered. You should put it in writing on your Private Instructor's Form that
cancellations must be made at least twenty-four hours prior to the scheduled class. It is a good
rule of thumb to establish at the outset, that if a class is canceled with less then the required
notice it will be viewed as a class given and cannot be rescheduled and must be paid for. It is for
this reason that you always have a student pay you at least one month in advance; preferably
more. Thus, you are protected from continued cancellations.

Once all of the delineating factors have been written into your Private Instructors's Form, have the
new client look it over and agree to it in writing. Give them a copy of the Form. With this, you will
have a basis to begin your instructor/student relationship.

The Injury Release

Injury Release Forms are commonly used in martial art studios. This is a form where the student
relinquishes their right to sue the martial art studio, its instructors, and its students in the case of
injury. Though this form is almost universally non-binding, due to the fact that in the United States
a person cannot sign away their rights; it, none-the-less, may keep a student from filing a
frivolous complaint.

The legality of private instruction is a bit different from the case of a student who enters a martial
art studio. First of all, the instructor is on the student's property. Thus, any injury could be
attributed to the property owner. In any case, it is an important and sadly necessary step to
include an Injury Release on your Private Instructor's Form. With this you can at least partially
protect yourself if your student becomes injured.

The Teaching Begins

Teaching students on the private level is much different from teaching martial art classes. In a
one-on-one situation you cannot use an advanced student to demonstrate techniques. You must
show your student the movement and then let them practice it upon you. This type of instruction
can become very trying, especially if you are training your student in throwing or ground fighting
techniques and they must sent you to the ground time and time again.

In one-on-one instruction the level of training can become boring to the student much more
quickly then in a class structure. This is due to the fact that there is limited personal interaction.
Though this is, in fact, the reason many people initially choose personal instruction over a class
situation, it is imperatively important to keep the curriculum changing and evolving to hold the
private student's interest.

One method to add diversity to your private student's course of study is to occasionally or on
special occasions, such as a promotion test, bring in a martial art associate and allow them to
work with your student under your instruction. This additional individual should never be a martial
arts novice, as then your main client will feel cheated of their time. The person must be at least a
competent advanced student.

Bringing a second individual into the learning environment must be first Okayed by your primary
student. Once this has occurred, they can then experience how it feels to interact and work out
with another person.

Promotions
When you teach in a traditional martial art studio it is the common practice to award colored belts
to signify a student's achievement and ongoing mastery of a particular system. This is a time-
honored practice that gives the student a goal to set and something to work towards. In teaching
privately, it is rare that the student will wear a traditional martial arts uniform during training —
particularly if they are an adult. Thus, you need to find a method for them to stay interested in
your training, other then simply the mental and physical benefits.

It is important to remember that the reality of teaching privately is that most students who train at
this level do not wish to become martial art masters. Thus, their training time tends to be short
lived. As is the case with many people who have a passing interest in the martial arts, they join a
studio and then after a month or so their interest fades and they leave the studio. Though this is a
common occurrence, with the added incentive of something to work towards such as rank
advancement, your private students may wish to remain in your training for a longer period of
time.

If you are not teaching with the traditional belt system, one way of providing motivational stimuli
for your client to remain in training is to award him or her a certificate indicating a specific period
of time in training. This can be on a one month basis or as you see fit.

If you are training them in a more formal system of martial arts and they are advancing
successfully through its prescribed steps, at a certain point in time you can provide them with a
yellow belt certificate, then a blue belt certificate, and so on. Whatever method you ultimately
choose to use to reward their progress, it is important that you keep them motivated and make
them realize that they are, in fact, achieving something and becoming a better person because of
it.

The Expanding Client Base

As you progress along the road of personal martial art instruction, you will come to find that you
will develop a client base of not only singular individuals or multiple children of a single family but
organizations will come to you to teach larger groups, as well. To this end, it is good to inform
such organized groups as the local police force, social clubs, youth groups, Boy Scouts, and
YMCA's, as to your traveling martial art instructor profession.

Private Instruction in the Martial Art Studio

Private Instruction is not only for the instructor who does not possess a formal studio, martial art
school owner's can additionally benefit by offering private classes within the walls of their school or
by traveling to a particular student's home. As a school owner, you obviously will not have the
time to travel long distances to train a large numbers of private students as would the person who
has no daily studio orientated classes to teach. None-the-less the school owner can also financially
benefit by seeking out those particular individuals who desire to obtain martial art knowledge on a
private basis.