On becoming a (good) instructor...

[gregimotis]

Any thoughts from teaching crowd on what has helped you teach others? I'm not so much asking about the obvious basics 'train a few years and take the TBA test', I'm wondering about the expeirences that made you feel good about your own skills and your ability to pass things to others.

Do you feel, for instance, that a lot of ring experience is needed? How valuable have you found taking seminars? Do you encourage your students to train with other instructors? Training in Thailand?



What advice do you have for hopeful future Thai boxing instructors?

Thanks

[dbok1]

Gergimotis,

I think that is a great question. I think without getting into what's right or wrong I think the person really need's to first Love the sport more then anything, for me I can say it has been a way of life for 15yrs. Muay Thai is in my heart and soul. I think once you have that, then you can begin the journey.

As far as taking a "test" I think that's kinda crap. Do you think the "top" trainers took a TBA or any other test in order to teach? No. They gain a reputation as being great at what they do, which is what any good trainer has.

I do feel that if you plan on training fighters you should have "enough" ring experience to understand what the fighter will go through, and watching tapes won't give you that. I have never taken any semiars but have trained at various different camps, especially Thailand.....I would recommend that to everyone.

The way I got started teaching was my instructor made me a "assiatant trainer" at which point the students really enjoyed the way I teach and show them things they've never learned before, personallity helps too :-). I hope that helps from my point of view. I don't know if I answered everything, but just wanted to share my point.

Thanks

[Damian Mavis]

I teach TKD, not Muay Thai, although I train Muay Thai every day in Thailand. But the advice for teaching is the same. You have to love teaching to be a good instructor, anything less and you simply won't be as good as the guy with passion for it even if you were world champion, and being world champion doesn't mean you can teach someone to tie their shoes let alone how to do Muay Thai. Doing and teaching are very different, teaching well is a difficult skill.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[dbok1]

Damian,

Great reply!!!!! As I stated in my first statment you have to first love the sport and have passion for it, or everything else is just a waste. Same goes for any sport.

Good stuff!

[gregimotis]

As far as taking a "test" I think that's kinda crap. Do you think the "top" trainers took a TBA or any other test in order to teach? No.

I agree with this statement, I brought it up mainly to head off pat answers.


I'm teaching now as an 'assistant instructor' and really enjoy it. The owner of the gym would like me to take over in 'a few years'. I want very much to do that, but I do not want to find myself holding my students back because I don't have the skills to help them past beginer/intermediate levels

[dbok1]

Gregimotis,

Something else I didn't bring up is respect! Respect for the sport, respect for the students, respect for the gym. If people see that in you, they will respect you as well, not just as a trainer but as a friend!

Me and the students at my gym we always go out, the gym is like one big family! And that's what you need more then anything else. It helps if you create a good atmosphere were people can train, and WANT to come back and learn more. It's very hard to do.....but once you do it will pay off big time.

[Umaa]

Teaching

Knowing your craft is very important. The more you know the Ins-and-Outs of your craft the more knowledge you will have to pass on.

There are different levels of this, just like there are different levels of actors.

Sylvester Stallone has been a very successfull actor and can teach you to act, but he might not know as many of the Ins-and-Outs of acting that Anthony Hopkins knows.

Knowing the most effective material you can is a good start, but it is only half.

Teaching is an art just like Muay Thai. There is the art of Muay Thai, and the art of Teaching. They do not go hand in hand. Teaching has its own methodology. You have to study Teaching to know these methods.

Some people can teach, and some people are Master Teachers. They are this because they know the Ins-and-Outs of Teaching. They learned those by studying it.

They know how the brain and the body handle information.

Things like: You can only learn 7 things plus or minus 2 at one time.

That there are 4 levels of comprehension:
Unconcious Incompetence
Concious Incompetence
Concious Competence
Unconcious Competence

They know how to guide you through these levels.

They know that there are 3 main modes of learning:
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic

And that you must teach in all three modes for the brain to retain the information the best.

They know that when there is a dramatic increase in motor function when first learning something, it is because the brain has created new synapses to send the information more efficiently.

Learning how to teach is learning how people learn, not learning Muay Thai.