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Our Judo room is getting pretty good; I mean we have some real monsters in there. Having a brick and mortar facility, you never know who's going to come in off the street and decide to roll around with you. That's why I think I'll always teach; it keeps you honest.
It could be a Hungarian sheet rocker who spends his day hoisting 5/8" boards around, a former prize fighter or even a Gulf War Spec Ops Vet. You just never know. If you do this long enough, you will run into someone with more talent, more real word experience and more natural skills than you. In the world of martial arts and self defense, it's our compulsion to want to be "better than our students". But not to worry, hey, even Einstein had a teacher.
I am always telling the instructors this. There will always be someone who will have more talent than you or have a life of experience that you just don't have. Fortunately, it's never about that. It doesn't matter if you're selling a video or teaching a seminar, the information is what matters. Don't believe the notion that being a martial arts and self defense instructor means you're the toughest in the room. If you do, then you'll be in for a RUDE awakening. Sure, you defend your dojo or your studio like you would your home (but that's a different article). Instructors and teachers are merely a conduit of information.
It's an instructor's job to make sure the information passes through him or her with the original intent intact. The knowledge you have must be allowed to do its job. You only hope that what you have to offer will be used correctly and treated with respect and in this case, can be used to save a life one day.
It's the goal of any instructor that, one day, your students should surpass YOU. You must be able to shorten the learning curve and allow your students to grow at a faster rate than you ever did. Each generation of instruction should have an advantage over the last, as long as you stick to the intent and the spirit of the material. A WORD OF CAUTION: once you start pontificating and "CREATING" you will run into problems (like we have running rampant in the martial arts today). Motivation from the "Bottom Up"We all look upward for a source of motivation like coaches, instructors and mentors. By nature we look toward a superior for motivation and guidance. But motivation, more times than not, comes from "underneath" from your peers and students.
It's no surprise that when a new stud walks in the door that the instructors and senior students "step it up". Like I said before you never know whose going to come through your door. This is why I like practicing Judo (or an other combat sport for that matter) it keeps you honest and motivated.
This is how it's supposed to happen. New students always push the senior students and instructors to become better, train harder and learn more.
It's an instructors and senior student's responsibility lead by example. Train and practice diligently, treat others with respect.
I am always getting motivated and the bar is always getting raised. The Self Defense Training System is a result of customers demanding more from their training material, so I step up my game and elevate the quality of product, service and the means by which it's delivered. The Professional Instructors need certain tools and support as well. So we provide it to them. Everyday we make sure they have what they need when they need it. It doesn't matter if you're running a global business or a teaching high school history, it's the same, keep learning, keep growing and never stop improving. When You Post or Print Please include: Article Provided Courtesy of Damian Ross and www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com ©2008 all rights reserved. www.teachselfdefense.com
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