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5 Responses to “how do i become a martial arts instructor?”

1. kemjiu on June 27th, 2010 8:41 pm

   You must achieve a Black Belt first for you to totally understood the nature of being an Instructor, remember such is not easy to handle because it is not about the cotton wrap around your waist but it is about the full understanding about your skills and knowledge and what Martial Arts and self defense mean physically and mentally.

   A herd of sheep can be guided on one direction by guiding the group on the first line but peoples mind are not just as easy as like that if you have no experience to be a leader.

   Good luck

2. Logan Ruff on June 27th, 2010 8:41 pm

   I think I’m good enough to flap my arms and fly – but it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.

   Buddy, listen – becoming an instructor is about experience more than years. I’ve been practicing Tae Kwon Do since I was four, I’m 22 now, and I still haven’t seen it all. When I was 17 I earned the right to teach Tae Kwon Do as an instructor, and later earned the right to do it without a Master present.

   Anyone can be an instructor. John Doe, with no martial arts experience, can watch a couple of Bruce Lee tapes and go out and open their own school. Does it mean he’s a good teacher? Well, there’s always the possibility… But I’m taking it you don’t want to be one of *those* guys.

   Express to your instructor and/or master that you wish to teach. They should tell you what you need to do, how far along you should be, etc. If they feel you’re ready they’ll probably even let you teach a class (with them on the floor) to see how you do. (They’ll probably be encouraging the class to ask difficult questions, as well, to see how much you can handle)

   I first started training as an instructor when I was 14. My certification was delayed due to some issues within the school and it wouldn’t be for another three years that I was certified, but anyway… Master Park first had me helping new students as they came in while he taught the more advanced students. Then we moved into teaching side-by-side. After every class he’d pull me in his office and drill me over all kinds of questions, techniques, etc. to reinforce what I was teaching. When I was 16, just before my certification at 17, he went on vacation and allowed me to teach all classes for a week. Despite my training and experience, this was very stressful and nerve-wracking. With no master present, I had to handle questions I didn’t expect in my wildest dreams. When the week was up I was relieved, but felt richer for the experience.

   A good master and/or instructor should require you to follow a similar regime to make sure you can handle what’s coming. What will you do when students ask things from "How’s my roundhouse?" to "What do you do if someone’s holding a knife to your throat and his buddy is holding an ak-47 to your head, while ninja stand all around with swords drawn?" (Ask yourself how you got into that situation in the first place…)

   At any rate, I wish you all the best!! It’s nice to see someone so interested and I hope we can all welcome you formally into the wonderful (read: nerve-grinding) world that is martial arts instruction very soon!!

   Good luck!!
   ~ L.

3. Neal on June 27th, 2010 8:41 pm

   Trust me, it’s a lot harder to teach than you’d think; effectively at least. Number one, you definitely need a black belt to teach. Most likely a third degree to be a full on chief instructor. You need to go through instructor training and take instructor certification tests. Talk to your instructor about warming up a class.

4. Jcbal on June 27th, 2010 8:41 pm

   You do not need a black belt to teach if you have been training constantly in boxing, BJJ, and muay thai for a long time.
   How long have you been teaching?
   Maybe you could go to a gym or something and ask for permission to teach?
   Or rent a place and open your gym and try to advertise it cheaply in a place that people will be able to find.

5. jwbulldogs on June 27th, 2010 8:41 pm

   It takes many years of quality training to become a qualified instructor. It takes more than earning a black belt to be qualified to teach.

   I do not mean to sound mean or anything, but you are not qualified to teach anything. You don’t have the knowledge right now. You need to focus on training and learning.

   There are too many unqualified people posing as instructors giving martial artist a bad name.

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