Teaching Techniques

Some teaching concepts

Your audience will determine both your curriculum and your pace of teaching. When teaching for beginners break each movement down into small pieces. Give details and guidelines. When teaching advance students teach compound movements and combinations then link them together. Teach concepts and principles. The best class are classes where everyone is challenged to the best of their ability. When possible try to break the class up in groups based on ability.

Authority is the power or right to give orders and make decisions.
Influence is the ability to affect ideas and actions.
When we discipline our students, we are using authority to get them to take action. On the other hand, using our ability to influence students in action, rather than forcing them into action, creates self-discipline. For example Johnny, stay down in your horse stance! vs. Johnny, do you think you can stay there for for another 45 sec? i know you can do it if you try!

Challenging Students

Challenging students to be their best is to have high expectations. An example might be to say to a student Hit your hardest or Kick this high! or punch your fastest!.This is your last one make it your best! Make sure to praise them after they have improved their effort or their technique. If you do not challenge students, your class becomes boring.

Instructors should be ready to change curriculum at any given time, on a moments notice. For example if an instructor had planned to teach the roundhouse kick to a 3-6 year old class, but there were many behavioral problems in class, the instructor should immediately change their plan to go over listening and memory skills and practice class structure instead of techniques. Class structure are things like how to line up properly, how to listen to the instructions and repeat them back to the instructor. Abandon the roundhouse kick and work on creating good students. Once the class consists of good students, any technique is easy to teach.

Some Various Class Structures

The way you structure your class depends on the size and skill of the individuals in class. Here are the class formulas.

Contagious Smile

Sometimes students talk back to the teacher. Instead of getting upset, try teaching them what the polite respectful thing to say would be. I usually do not reprimand students who talk back rather force them to say the right thing. You might say The correct response is yes instructor Actually, anything other than yes instructor is an incorrect response. Look at it this way: The law is the the law. No matter how much you argue about your speeding ticket the fact remains that you broke the law when you started speeding. Remember, you are the law. Your word is law. If they back talk they are incorrect and the best way to win any argument is to be right in the first place. They cannot win if they are wrong.

Crazy - attention is a little game in which the instructor allows the kids to go crazy for 10 seconds and then tests their skills at freezing and standing at attention stance. As an instructor you can teach how to go crazy! (Maybe you have them waving their hands in the air)Use blockers to swing pass their face and they cannot move. They must control themselves. You might also give out stickers for having good control

When teaching, if you just teach random movements,your students will feel confused or disorganized. Instead,Think about what you would like to see the students doing by the end of the class, then work backwards from there. For example, think of a throw, first teach the upper body control, then drill it. Second think of the footwork involved, then drill that. Third teach the actual throw. By the end of class, students will have acquired a complex skill by putting together a series of simple drills.

When student do not know what is expected of them chaos reigns. Giving students your expectations will solve 80% of all problems in class. Say, My expectations when you are in line is to stand with your hands behind your back or I expect everyone to punch their hardest. Whatever your expectations are, make sure to let your students know what they are before hand.

The technique of giving your expectations will prevent a majority of problems. Problems are really only problems when students behavior does not fit in within expectations. At the very beginning of class as students line up, look to see if there are any student whose behavior can be corrected BEFORE it becomes a problem.

Testing for belts is completely optional to students. The students who do put the work in to advancing in belts are the more serious students and should therefore have more privileges. Some examples are for kids with belts to line up in the front, or have the higher belts lead some warmups. Instructors could also have the rest of the class sit down and watch the advanced belts demonstrate the skills that made them into advanced belts.

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. What are some small ways you can give students more than they expect? You'd be amazed at how unexpected surprises even the tiniest ones can really delight those who receive them.

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. What are some small ways you can give students more than they expect? Loud be amazed at how unexpected surprises even the tiniest ones can really delight those who receive them.

come up with ideas on what they can do to create a beyond expectations experience for customers. You don't give away service. Some simple examples are: greet all customers by name if possible, have the receptionist come out from behind the desk and greet the customer, wash the car after it's been repaired, etc. The ideas are endless. The key here is that THE STAFF come up with the ideas, not the managers. Go over this concept frequently and consistently. -

If you are not doing your absolute best and withholding your best work, you are only prolonging your present situation and are dooming yourself to a life of mediocrity (for your abilities) or, at worst, failure.
Resist the urge to do only what is expected of you. Give all you can to everything you do and you will succeed.

This technique requires some experience. When teaching you deliberately hold back on teaching the movement in its entirety because you know that the students will execute it wrong because the movement is too complex for just one explanation. Only after the students have drilled the mistake do you add in the next part with corrections. You could also label this technique as teaching movement in parts or segments.

Home practice is essential in creating good students. Students must practice either at home or at the school everyday in order to pass to the next belt. Ask the students, Have you been practicing at home? Also give them specific homework exercise to perform the follow up on it in the next class. I can guarantee that every student that has ever quit martial arts was not practicing at home and was not excited about getting good.

The best way to get kids to practice at home is to tie in their practice with an event. For example, :Every time you pass in front of a mirror I want you to shadowbox for 10 seconds."

The I notice technique works by shifting the focus of bad behavior on to the student. Instead of saying Stop playing around!, say I notice that you are playing around while I am speaking. Instead of Stop talking! say I notice you guys are talking a lot. You can then teach a response such as Say, I will try harder sir!

Your tone of voice makes a big difference in the intensity of your class. You can increase the intensity of a class with your own personality or charisma. It is important to teach students to incorporate intensity in their training early on. One way of increasing intensity is to minimize excess talking between the students. Stress intensity is a feeling and demonstrate the difference between a move performed with intensity and without intensity. By demonstrating movement you are letting the students see the difference.

This technique can turn around any negative comments into a positive reinforcement. For example, if a student were to say I am tired today Instructors could respond with That's what I like about you, even though you are tired you still came to class and you still put in a great effort. Excellent job.

The Leadership team and instructors should be constantly moving. Their role is to be wandering, smiling and making corrections. Make sure they are not hovering over one student or even standing near a student for an extended period of time. The Leadership team should also be moving to the front of where the students are looking. For instance, if you are teaching a form, have the leadership team members move

Your praise will have nothing to do with how any of the techniques are executed, but rather for how much effort the students are putting into learning. Don't forget you must have a high level of enthusiasm for this technique to work. Students can always pick up on an instructors attitude and enthusiasm level. A high energy, enthusiastic class is a class that kids will stick with. A high energy class keeps kids attentions and interest.

Whether you know it or not, you unconsciously preframe everything you teach. So constantly preframing what you
do will help you be the best teacher possible.
Negative Preframe “ You guys are going to have a hard time with this move. It's hard to do and frustrating to teach.
Positive Preframe “ I'm going to challenge your skill with this next move. You are going to love it.

Pre-framing black belt is when you instill in students the idea that black belts act and do things differently than beginner students. One might say Part of being a black belt is to always have an excellent attitude or To get your black belt you have to train hard everyday Make sure the tone of your voice reflects your own sincerity in trying to improve the student

To give a preview of class, all you have to do is to explain your plan for the day. (You do have a plan right?)
It might begin like this Today we are going to start with our warmup, then we are going to learn a self defense move, and finally we will finish off with a game. or for adults We are starting with joint loosening, then we are going to practice walking horse, then finish up with push hands..

When someone asks a good question about a technique, One way of answering the question would be to turn it over to the class to find the answer. If you just answer the question yourself, the other students did not get the benefit of your answer. It is very likely that other students in the same class had the same question in their head but did not think to ask it. It only takes a few seconds to use this technique but it could save a student months of training the wrong way.

Reframing is the ability to get yourself or others people to view a situation from a different perspective.
Example: My sixteen year old daughter is too stubborn and doesn't do what others tell her to do.
Response (Reframe): Well at least she'll know how to handle aggressive dates.
Can you think of any other reframes?

Reframe these statements:

To relate the benefits of the martial arts when teaching, try to follow up commands with examples of how the particular drill could help them in their everyday lives.Say That was an excellent warmup. Remember that part of martial arts training is learning lifelong fitness or When you stand in attention stance you want to practice excellent self control by not moving around or talking to other students.

Put the spotlight on the student who is performing the quality you want the rest of the class to adopt. If Ryan is being intense when he drills his punches say I like the intensity that Ryan is putting into this drill The rest of the class will immediately become more intense. Ryan feels really good because he was in the spotlight for his efforts. You might might also stop the class and say Class, watch Ryan do this technique

Stopping class to do it again (High standards)

Make sure to stop class and make them do it again. If the class does not run out to the line up, then they need to do it again. If they are not standing at ease, then they need to do it again. If they do not circle up quickly, then they need to do it again. Make it fun to try and get it right. Doing it again is not a punishment, but rather part of the learning of martial arts. Parents want to see a disciplined class. Our goal is to change kids into good students. If you do not put in the work to make them correct who will?

Taking out the buts is essential to having positive praising techniques. It's easy to do. Instead of saying That was great, but you need to kick harder say That was great, now try and kick harder. The word but and all its synonyms negates the first part of your sentence. If you say the word but it is as if you did not praise at all.

Talking fast is the rate of speech you speak at not the amount of material you are covering in each sentence. Do not confuse the two. Instructors can speak quickly when teaching adults or advanced students. For example, when explaining how to perform a simple block, There are many details to go over.
Speak quickly and say as many details as possible without losing the attention of your audience. The goal of talking fast is to have as little down time as possible in any given class.

When students are forced to hear a long lecture on how to perform a technique, they lose focus quickly. To teach effectively on needs to explain movements with as little words as possible, while still being detail oriented. To create students who have excellent technique, offer pointers on how to improve once they start drilling. Overall you still gave the long lecture, but you gave it and kept the students busy at the same time.

The 3x3 Rule is one of the most important teaching tips to remember because it creates a rapport with your students that will generate loyalty and the desire to continue training with you for years to come.

When you use the 3x3 Rule, your students will feel that personal connection that lets them know they're not just another body on the mat. To maximize the effectiveness of the 3x3 Rule, try to link all three of them together whenever possible. For example, say their name, look them in the eye, and high five them at the same time. Remember, a person's name is his or her favorite word, so use your students' names often to develop lasting relationships that lead to better retention for your school.

Sometimes when giving corrections it is beneficial to a student to have their posture or position physically manipulated by an instructor. If the student is a female say to her, I am going to touch here to fix you . Ask for permission first before physically correcting a female student. Also some students may be uncomfortable with an instructor behind them. Always approach a female student from the front.

Over use of "Yes Sir!"

The next time you have the class yell, Yes Sir stop and ask them what you just asked them. Some will have no clue.
Avoid having the class yell Yes Sir! to questions such as Do you understand? Only use Yes Sir! when you are sure that the class really knows what they are responding to.

Zero Down Time

Down time is anytime when the students are not actively working on something. You always want to make sure that
you have your class planned out so that the kids do not have any down time. If they do, they tend to play around
and it starts to become chaotic and uncontrollable. In order to have a successful class, you must remember to
have zero down time. Having zero down time means to transition from one warm up to another or transitioning
from drill to drill, without pausing.

What are some harder words you hear instructors using: angle, apex, shuffle, graze, explosive, nuance, implicit, leverage, dangerous situations, range, reflection, reflexes, imaginary. If you were to poll the kids on the means of some of these words you would be surprised. Try to use simple words to describe what you want to communicate.

Only use right & left when absolutely necessary. Another way to correct students is to say the word "other". For example, instead of saying "Put your right foot in front" you could say "Switch your feet around" or another example might be "Punch with your other hand" There is an exception to this rule. The exception is when you are specifically trying to teach the difference between right and left.

Instead of reacting to things that happen in class, be a mind reader. For example, instead of giving a time out to little johnny for hitting to hard, already know that he is going to hit hard and say "Johnny don't hit too hard today. If I think you are hitting too hard I am going to give you a consequence.

There is a difference between Keeping it Fresh vs. Breaking momentum. What this refers to is changing curriculum. Sometimes we change the curriculum too soon. As you get more experience you will find the right time to change up the curriculum. You will get a sense of when it is not fresh anymore.

Three D's

The three D's are to Demonstrate, Detail, then Drill. Use this formula for teaching all kinds of different techniques

The adjust perfect technique is physically adjusting or correcting each student. After adjusting them, say perfect! Try to do this at least twice each class.One of the most important things to remember when teaching kids is to touch each child with a physical correction while working with them. Move their fist, or their knee. Physical interaction with the students has multiple payoffs. It keeps kids engaged, and lets them feel noticed and included. Physical correction makes a deeper impression, too, especially for those students who may respond less well to verbal explanation.

How to deal with Injuries in class

When a student is injured you can make them feel worse by invalidating or negating their injuries. For example, if you were to say, that didn't hurt They feel like you are not listening and don't believe them.

This is a 4 step approach to dealing with injured students:

Step 1. Establish authority

I've seen this before, I can help you
If you listen to me, I can help you
I know it hurts it's happened to me before

By doing this you acknowledge the injury and pain and you build trust with the injured student.

Step 2. Make them relax.

It will be over soon.
In about 7 more seconds you will feel less pain

Step 3. Ask about what happened specifically.

Step 4 Try to take their mind off of the pain by making them laugh. Or point out other parts of their body and ask them Does this part hurt?
Your job is to be a good listener!

In light of the recent SCOTUS rulings i had to end a teen discussion before it started.
I basically told them that:

I make sure everyone treats each other with respect but i keep my political and social views off the floor and makes sure my staff and students do as well.

Connect with each student

If a student does not feel important, then he or she will most likely not try as hard in class. The main objective of each class should be to get your students to apply as much effort as possible. Instructors who understand student motivation can greatly enhance the classroom experience and student performance. This law is the foundation for increasing student motivation, hence the backbone to helping your students reach their full potential.

To connect with each student, make sure you follow these tips:

Rate Yourself! On a scale of 1 to 5, how well do you CONNECT with each student

The 5 min. meeting is a type of meeting right before class starts. This meeting is used to plan out which instructor is helping with warmups and drills.

For example, An instructor might say Ryan you are going to hold the blue shield for the front kick warm up.

This time is also a good time to go over any behavioral issues that may come up.

Let the instructor teaching the class know about any student who needs to have their attitude adjusted or any student who might cry in class.

The technique of asking questions is used to hold the attention of children who have short attention spans. You might ask a student How many times do you punch the bag? or How many jumping jacks should we do today? or Are you supposed to be talking while you are in line? or perhaps How do we stand while waiting for class to start?

It forces the student to pay attention and focus on what is being said.
Have you ever thought about how silly we teachers can be? When we get in front of students, we present ourselves to be the ones with all the answers, and then after we talk to the students, we start asking questions as if we don't know anything we just talked about. No wonder students get confused!

This technique is used as a teaching method between 2 instructors working in partnership The first instructor teaches a technique. Instructor 2 asks a question regarding the technique even though they already know the answer. Instructor 2 asks the question for the benefit of the class. This technique is useful because sometimes Instructor 2 becomes aware of a finer detail that was overlooked by Instructor 1 while teaching.

As you know, there are many ways to practice a single technique. A block can be drilled as shadow boxing, with a partner, using a 1lbs. weight in your hand or as part of a free flow. Practicing the same thing many different ways is the key to progressing your students. Repetition is the mother of skill. Disguising repetition keeps class fresh and even students who are bored easily will find it beneficial.

You have 2 ears and one mouth for a reason. There are two ways of listening to someone. Reactive ( listening with the intent to respond)Emphatic (listening with the intent to understand)When we listen re actively, often we provide responses that convey our point of view about clients concerns. When we listen emphatically, we understand the feeling of what is being said in addition to the content.

I'm gonna getcha can be incorporated into ANY part of class. Find a way to chase or hit the kids as part of a game. For example when warming up with the run chase the kids around. Another example would be when practicing punching on the mitts, try to hit them in their face after they punch. Just adding in this one element will greatly affect how fun your drill or activity is to kids. Think of it as a form of tag you are it that you have modified to fit the drill.

Being the instructor in charge means that, you are not only responsible for making sure that the students are motivated, but that you are also responsible for assistants being motivated. If your team is just standing around, they will be bored. Remember the law of state transference? If they are bored the class might feel it.

Here is what to do:
Make them choose. Involve them in making decisions about the class format.
Have them decide on a drill to run.
Have them decide on who they want in their line.
Have them decide on who they thought had the best effort.
Delegate as much as possible! This will bring the assistants to a higher level in their own teaching. Just as the student should have no downtime, the assistants should have no downtime as well. Compliment them and high five after class.

By the numbers

Whenever you run a drill or combo with multiple movements in them, you want to make sure that you give the students some time to learn the combo thoroughly. However, if you do this too often your class might not meet the standard of discipline that the parents have come to expect. One way to avoid this is to run the combo "By the numbers". First, Preframe or give your expectations to the students and explain that during this part of class there is no talking or playing around. Second, count off each movement of the combo using numbers. Have the students freeze after each movement. This is also a great time to use the "Adjust Perfect" teaching technique. This is a great way to both have fun AND run a disciplined class as well.