How to choose a Martial Arts Instructor

What makes a good martial arts instructor?

I was speaking to another martial arts instructor recently; we were talking about Erik Paulson, whom I happen to have a great deal of respect for. The instructor asked me, “What has he won?” I was really amazed by this question. Erik has been in and around the MMA community for over fifteen years. I listed some of his accomplishments, but this description was not flashy enough for this guy. If you would like information on Erik ,please visit his website erikpaulson.com

I am really frustrated by the “what have you won” mentality that the MMA community pushes. This is a sport-based mentality that has nothing to do with the quality of an instructor. There are many examples of coaches and instructors that have not won anything in their active careers but have made fantastic coaches following retirement. Joe Torre, of the Yankees, is a great example of this. Before being hired by the Yankees in 1996, Joe was not considered a “great manager”; now he will go down as one of the greatest managers in history. Also, the greatest athletes are not always the greatest teachers. They do things naturally and don’t make the mistakes that average athletes make, so they may not learn the finer points of their game.

Now back to the question: What makes a good martial arts instructor? Here are some of my qualifications:

A good instructor or coach, first off, has to care about his or her students. This does not mean caring about how many he or she may have, but caring about each as an individual.

Lineage is important because it allows a student to check on the instructor’s qualifications. Does he or she have the proper training to teach what he or she claims to be teaching? (As a JKD instructor, I see this happen a lot more than you would think) I tell all of my students how they can check my qualifications. I hope and expect that they do.

Does the instructor still place him or herself in the role of student? Some times, when instructors get the black belt or instructor certificate they become lazy and decide to stop learning. They have climbed to what they believe to be the summit. Now, why climb higher; everything has been accomplished, right? This mentality leads to stagnant teaching methods and breeds laziness in students, to boot.

Students do not pay to be a punching bag or training partner. A good instructor should have a curriculum that all students will follow. The curriculum should be made of a progression of material that takes a student from a beginner’s stage to as advanced a stage as possible.

The moral of this story, I guess, is that what an instructor has won makes little difference in the quality of his or her material. This “what have you done for me, lately” mindset is very arrogant. When I evaluate an instructor, I use all of the above criteria. I feel that I have been very lucky to have trained with the instructors that I have.

Thanks for reading. I hope this helps you find a great instructor. If you already have one, thank him or her for being there for you. If you are an instructor, I hope this helps you focus on why we, as martial artists, are teaching.

God Bless,

Shawn