Teacher or Coach
I often worry that my aikido ability is not good enough for me to be teaching. I don't train often enough for my timing and sensitivity to be good enough that my demonstration of technique is really slick. On the positive side, I do feel that I have a good understanding of aikido principles and a reasonable depth of knowledge of aikido techniques, history, philosophy and so on.
The question is what do people want or need from the person running their classes?
Arguably, a beginner is going to be able to learn something from anyone with more experience than them - assuming that they are not trying to teach them something they don't understand.
But perhaps more hopefully, and what I would like to believe, is that people learning aikido need a good coach more than a good exponent of the art. You see this a lot in sport, the rugby or football coach is not able to perform at the level of the players but their understanding of the game allows them to get the best out of their team. Boxing coaches are similar.
Now that I say that, it occurs to me that you generally only get a good understanding of something when you have, at least at some point in your life, been good at it yourself. Also, you can't beat a great demonstration of aikido to inspire and motivate, if not educate.
Oh well, better get more training in then...
4 comments:
I've been to lots of different martial arts classes, seen lots of different instructors teach, and spoken to lots of instructors.
I've seen arrogance, boasting, ineptitude, questionable practises and potentially dangerous training.
Have to say, Pete, you're bloody good. I wouldn't keep coming if you wern't.
I'll see you next week definitely...everything has conspired against me the past two weeks!
can't say I've seen a lot of instructors like mr lamb chops but I think I got lucky with this club on the teaching front. I always find your lessons well thought out and get a lot out of them whatever techniques we happen to be looking at.
As for your technical slickness, from my angle it looks pretty slick (that angle usually being the mat you've just thrown me on...)
The classes are great. All well organised and covering the full range: the basics of the sylabus, the "fun stuff" such as the amazing potential of an oversized pencil stick, "real world" feel of open randori and a bit of the philosophy that is so important to Japanese martial arts.
All good. And congrats on embracing new media -- the YouTube videos, forum, blog -- excellent to see.
Now if I can just figure out the fourth move ...
John
been thinking a bit about this "what a student wants".
i think what a student needs is a teacher who can show that they know how to do the techniques, but most importantly can demonstrate the techniques. they must be able to demonstrate the techniques in "real time" too, like when you did shomen ate to Nick and floored him properly one night. a student won't respect a sensei who gets a smack in the chops!
also, a teacher that talks too much is a waste of time. i've had instructors who are happy to spend time telling us how to do something, rather than just letting us do it and learn from our body's movement.
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