Teaching is a phenomenal privilege. Anybody who has led a group of people can attest to how rewarding and fulfilling it is to spread knowledge – especially if it is about a subject for which you are passionate.
It’s an odd realization – but I think I may have learned more from my time as a teacher than I have from my time as a student.
Martial arts have given me invaluable experience as a competitor and as a coach, and have contributed to life skills that I’ve taken with me off the mats.
More than anything else I’ve ever done, being a martial arts instructor has forced me to reflect on the nature of teaching and learning.
Here are 3 important lessons I’ve learned from my time as a martial arts instructor.
1. Everyone comes from a different starting point, and no two people will have the same ending point.
When someone begins training martial arts, they embark on a journey that is uniquely theirs. Where the road begins, bends, and ends will be different for everyone – and that is what makes individual progress so amazing to watch.
The typical martial arts class is filled with people of varying ages, body types, training experience, and athletic backgrounds. As a teacher, acknowledging the array of differences between individuals is the first step to providing the appropriate instruction for your students.
It’s important to measure progress against oneself instead of against others.
Are you beating the old version of yourself? If so, you’re on the right track. Don’t look around the room and beat yourself up just because someone else seems to be making progress at a quicker rate than you are.
It wouldn’t make sense to hold a middle-aged father-of-three to the same standards as a twenty-year-old competitor, but that doesn’t mean they can’t train and learn together.
Everyone has something to bring to the table. With the right state of mind, you can find something to learn from everyone.
Individual differences force students to interpret knowledge and skills to fit their needs.
Maybe a student performs a technique differently because of a physical limitation or injury, which allows the teacher to get a different perspective on the specific knowledge and skills taught in the lesson.
2. Being a good student is determined by attitude towards learning over anything else.
Performance, progress, attendance – none of these are accurate indicators of a good student.
A good student is one who is driven by his or her desire to learn above all else.
It is easy to see which students really want to be learning and which ones are just going through the motions.
Extrinsically motivated students want to be successful because of external motivators, such as rewards or punishments, to satisfy their ego, or because they think it is important to people in their social circles.
Intrinsically motivated students are driven to be successful by pure enjoyment and passion for the activity. These individuals want to learn, improve, and develop for themselves – not for other people.
Creating a learning environment where students can be intrinsically motivated is, for the most part, within the instructor’s control.
So, motivation and intention do make a good student. But in this case, the responsibility is not only on the learner.
3. The aspects of social support and community that come along with being a member of a martial arts school can oftentimes be more valuable than the actual martial arts training.
The mats won’t miss you if you skip a day of training – but your instructors and training partners will. There is so much more to training martial arts than just learning self-defense and getting in shape.
The social bonds that come with being part of a group are extremely valuable to students and instructors alike.
The Role of Social Support for Instructors
Developing quality relationships with students makes the teaching and learning process much easier.
Increased trust from students leads to more transparency, honesty, and communication. These elements are crucial for instructors to be able to deliver quality teachings to their students.
The Role of Social Support for Students
Exercise psychologists have shown social support (from peers and from family) to be a major driver of exercise adherence.
So, the next time you’re thinking of skipping a training session, realize that it may be the thought of your friends missing you at training that gets you off the couch rather than spontaneous discipline.
Always a Student
Reflecting on all that I’ve learned as a martial arts instructor reminds me of the importance of keeping a growth mindset throughout life.
Just because you aren’t in high school or university anymore doesn’t mean you can stop learning.
A growth mindset refers to an approach to learning based on the belief that intelligence can be developed and improved with time and effort.
A fixed mindset refers to the opposite – claiming that intelligence is fixed, static, and unchanging.
Learning situations don’t require you to be sitting in a classroom, as a student, absorbing information for someone else. Learning can come from being mindful, attentive, and open-minded in everyday situations.
With the right mindset and a positive attitude, you can learn a lot from life – it just takes a bit of thought.
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